Kern River Camping
Upper and Lower Kern River Campgrounds & Kernville and Lake Isabella Camping
2024 Kern River Camping
The best Kern River camping
There are lots of different camping options in the Kern River Valley. The most popular is Upper Kern or Kernville campgrounds, located near our Rafting Center.
View by section: Privately Owned Campgrounds | Upper Kern | Lower Kern | Lake Isabella | Free Kern River camping
Privately Owned Campgrounds
Privately owned campgrounds tend to offer more amenities than campgrounds in Sequoia National Forest, such as flush toilets and hot showers. The majority of them are located in or near Kernville, which is a short distance from our Rafting Center.
Rivernook
Location: Just outside of Kernville
9 minutes from our Rafting Center
760-376-2705
KRS Resort
Location: Just outside of Kernville
9 minutes from our Rafting Center
760-376-6119
Frandy Park
Location: Kernville
6 minutes from our Rafting Center
888-372-6399
Camp Kernville
Location: Kernville
6 minutes from our Rafting Center
760-376-1000
Lake Isabella KOA
Location: Mountain Mesa
20 minutes from our Rafting Center
760-378-2001
Upper Kern River Camping
The Upper Kern provides the most riverside campgrounds out of all the Kern River Valley locations. These range in distance from a short to medium length drive from our Rafting Center.
- Headquarters: 13-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
- Camp Three: 13-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
- Hospital Flat: 17-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
- Fairview: 32-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
- Goldledge: 24-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
- Limestone: 39-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
Lower Kern River Camping
The Lower Kern river has just a couple of riverside campgrounds. Both are open seasonally, typically from Memorial Weekend through Labor Day.
- Sandy Flat: 16-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
- Hobo Campground: 17-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
Lake Isabella Camping
All of the campgrounds around Lake Isabella have cell phone service.
- Lake Isabella KOA: 20-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
- Tillie Creek: 4-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
- Hungry Gulch: 6-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
- Boulder Gulch: 7-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
- Camp Nine: 13-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
- Paradise Cove: 14-minutes from our Rafting Center. Check availability.
Free Kern River Camping
There are some camping areas that are free of charge. We rarely suggest them as they are usually overcrowded and may not have any amenities including water or toilets.
- BLM Keysville: 13-minutes from our Rafting Center. BLM website.
- Chico Flats: 15-minutes from our Rafting Center. Forest Service website.