Welcome to the Sidewinder Low Level

Spanning nearly 300 miles, the Sidewinder is a training route frequently used for low-level training by the United States Military. Monday through Friday and an occasional Saturday, you can watch our military's finest men and women train in their fighter jets- often flying just 500 feet off the ground and 500 knots- that's over 575 mph! 

Starting near Lake Isabella, the route travels through Sequoia National Forest along the Kern River, in the Kern River Valley. (There are a handful of great viewing locations along the river.) The Kern River Valley is visited by over a million people each year- it's a popular destination for camping, fishing, rafting, and of course, watching jets rip through the canyons. Once the jets pass "The Needles", they cut over to the Owens Valley.  There, the jets can either head north to continue on the route past Lone Pine, or they can head East, taking a short-cut known as the Jedi transition (the black line). 

To clear up some confusion, The Jedi transition is also commonly known as "Star Wars Canyon/Rainbow Canyon/or Father Crowley Overlook. This spot used to be an amazing place to see jets, but has since been closed down after an F-18 crashed there in 2019. Jets that fly the "Jedi" are now required to stay well above the canyon walls. 

Heading North, the jets will cruise past Lone Pine, near Point Delta along the route. Eventually, the route will take them over to the Eureka Dunes before heading back south through Death Valley National Park. These locations are generally not recommended in the warmer, summer months as temperatures can easily exceed 100 degrees.