This was a great campground that has a couple campsites right by the river. We went camping here in December and it was really easy to get a reservation close to the river. We got campsite #23 and it seemed to be one of the better ones in the campsite. It was close to water spigot and restrooms, but far enough to have them out of sight. The campground was clean and relatively empty, I think there were about 3-4 other groups of campers in the entire campground, which made for a peaceful time. The camp host was friendly and they do sell wood on site. The small and charming town of Kernville is 10 minutes down the road, so it makes it very convenient to grab anything you might forget. The campsite has pit toilets that were clean when we were there... other reviews have mentioned how bad they can be but its one of those things that you kind of have to tuff out. The campsite has NO showers, but a simple and easy solution is to drive down 5 minutes to Kern River's Edge Campground Retreat. They have showers that you can pay to use for about $5 a person, which is a great deal considering the situation :) This campsite is within the Sequoia National Forrest and it's close to lots of hikes in the area. I loved having the river in our backyard and it was a great spot. It does get really cold in December so make sure you have a good sleeping bag or extra blankets! I would definitely stay here again! read more

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Great campsite! Very spacious and quite. The host were so friendly and the camp sight was clean!

Stayed here with a large group of friends over the summer and we had a blast. The sites were spacious and not too close together. The garbage bin is right at the entrance, it took me forever to find it at night since I missed it on the way in lol some of the bathrooms were clean and some were not. That's why I rated this 4 stars and not 5. I feel like the vault bathrooms should be pumped out a little more often especially during the busy summer months. Keep in mind there are a ton of gnats at night that are extremely attracted to light so I highly recommend bringing a screened canopy to put over the picnic table. Unfortunately at the time we went they did not allow campfires or charcoal grills due to the fire threat levels so make sure to check that before you come, they are strict about it and go around checking. Recommend bringing a propane firepit if that is the case. Other than that it's a great campground close to the city which is nice if you forget certain groceries like we did. Would def stay here again. read more

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We reserved a Yurt. It was fabulous not having to set up our tents. It had 3 beds in it. If you want a fire you need a fire permit. Fortunately it was too hot for a fire. It was very sandy due to the river flooding sometime back. There's a nearby beach that you can walk to. However it was hot. read more

Headquarters Campground - The view from inside the yurt. - Campgrounds Near Me - Kernville, California

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One of the best coronations that we've had not clean a very friendly accommodating you just have to be patient because there are a lot of people but when they get to you, they ask you all the correct questions regarding children my children accommodations thank you read more

We had site 7. At first, I was very worried because the site looked small and right next to the restrooms. Aft3r reading past reviews, some reported odor coming from the restrooms and how it gets loud. We did not experience such a thing. We have seen the camp host replace and take care of the restrooms multiple times. Some said the site was small. We had two tents. One 10 person and another 3 person tent. They both fit under shade. Very spacious site although it's quite right next to site 8. And lucky us, they had a toddler who cried at night time and adults who got there quite late after quiet time. Set up, late dinner and late chat that didn't end until past 12! We heard their every convo so we're pretty sure they also heard us. Since we're not riverfront, we decided to just go find another spot down river. It wasn't busy this weekend so finding one wasn't an issue at all. read more

Headquarters Campground - River next to campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Kernville, California

We had site 031 with a yurt. The tree coverage at this site was the best providing a real sense of privacy from surrounding campsites. The yurt was really cool too, being much larger than expected and having a bunk bed and full size bed. There is a water source right next to camp which could be both a positive and negative as other nearby campers needed its use, but having it so close was much more a positive. The only regret was not getting a spot that was riverside. Although the river is really close, there are few direct access points unless walking through other campsites. Everyone was extremely friendly and seemed not to care, just wishing there were more "public" access points. Drove up and down the river, and Headquarters campground seemed to have the best tree coverage and shade that we could determine of nearby camps. Highly recommend. read more

Headquarters is where our friends come to camp and have fun before and after river rafting. We have many a story about this great locale. Some can be told and others... "What Happens at the River, Stays at the River!". i'm sure that we coined the phrase before Vegas did. (wink wink) The river was icy cold yet spectacular. I was mesmerized by the sound of the river surging. If we would have put in our raft at Headquarters, we would have hit tequila Chute. We only wanted to do that if another raft was around. We drove down a bit and hit Kernville/Powerhouse Run (Class II-III): The Powerhouse run is the classic beginner run on the Upper Kern. Ewings, Powerhouse, and Big Daddy Rapids will either be a fun challenge or put the fear of God into beginner paddlers. Boaters often choose to run this short 2 mile section several times in a day. The water was icy cold. There are stores nearby if your husband forgot the rum and if you run out of ice. We had 3 sites together. I was in site 21 across from the river. Near river, bear boxes, restrooms and trees are aplenty. The fire-pits all still have their grates. Headquarters is our place. We love it. (http://www.californiawhitewater.com/rivers/upper-kern/whitewater/) read more

Headquarters Campground - 6,742 of rushing river water on 5-6-17. Great rafting. - Campgrounds Near Me - Kernville, California

I've stayed at a ton of sites and campgrounds up and down the Kern. All of them were operated by the US Forest Service. They're all no frills, super basic sites with pit toilets. If you want amenities go stay at one of the privately operated campgrounds in Kernville for three times the price. I'm giving this site 4 stars because although it's super basic, it's right next to the Kern which is majestic and worth 3 stars alone. read more

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This place is so beautiful, no signal which is awesome for the kids to get away from all the technology and enjoy the outdoors. The river is amazing depending what month you go. During the month of July its the best for the river the downside of it who hate the heat thats when its the most hot. read more

Had a great weekend with the kids at this campground. We were able to score a site on a first come first serve basis.. We stayed on site 32 , our site was right beside a stream/kern river and we enjoyed our experience very much. The host, Ken was very friendly. Overall a wonderful experience, would love to come back again! read more

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Ken Wadkins. (10 Stars) You are the man!!! I believe this man only gets 2.hours of sleep a day he's here early in the morning late at night driving around making sure everyone is safe letting us know what's going on he's never too busy to answer any questions or inquiries my wife's family's been coming here for over 30 years and I can see why. Beautiful landscape, river, clean atmosphere including the handicap bathroom. Great time with family and friends we'll see you next year. Fisher & Martinez Families. read more

I'm a total city girl and mother nature is something that I respect, but don't want to have to deal with on a daily basis. I'm used to beach camping at state parks with coin operated showers and flushing bathrooms. This place was....different. The campground is gorgeous! Our friends picked out a primo spot on Memorial Weekend. I was a little disappointed though because Yelp gave me the wrong directions. It only took me to the city in Kernville, not to the actual campsite, but the people that work in town were more than happy enough to tell me which way to go and I found it easily. Our site was huge, nice and private. It was big enough for my husbands truck and our trailer and two huge tents amongst the large canopy and other stuff we had set up. Fire pit and bench are included as a lot of the sites in Lake Isabella that I've been to don't even have that. Extra cars that wont fit need to be parked across the street from the campsite, which wasn't a far distance at all for me. The campground has both river front sites and sites that aren't river front. We weren't fortunate enough to be able to reserve one, but next time we have to. Dogs are allowed but I don't understand why they would have signs that say "no dogs on beach". Now for the dislikes: I don't understand why these places in the forest don't like flushing toilets. I'm sure there's a reason why, but the outhouses were so disgusting and smelled so bad. My husband had to undress to go into the only unoccupied outhouse because there was poop smeared all over the walls and on the floor. Please, people, lets be a little less disgusting. Seriously. I do have to say though, the one family bathroom that I did find seemed a lot cleaner and I visited it usually around the same time they were done cleaning it. Something else I don't understand though, why do people used these outhouses and bathrooms and don't shut the door or lock them while inside? I walked in on someone while they were using it. They left the door cracked open. Of course I was going to walk in!!!! She was acting like I had nerve. Of course I was apologetic, but please. Shut the damn door at least!!!! If you're someone who loves and appreciates civilization and has a love affair with their iPhone, this place is not for you, at least not for a long period of time. This campground has no service. Some people I noticed got service at the very entrance to the campground. I got emergency service while my phone laid in the cubby of our trailer, other than that, I had to drive down into town to use my phone. If you're here a few days though, it's nice to get away from the phone. All in all, this is a real nice campground if you don't mind the stinky bathrooms and no showers. It's a little far from everything but its nice to get away for a bit. It's also pretty close to three towns, two small towns that you pass before you get to the main town in Kernville with all the cool stuff. read more

There's no showers; and the toilets were disgusting. There was sh!t on the walls. There was zero blue liquid in the pits. They clearly weren't being maintained. I've always believed in supporting the parks. We buy the inter-agency pass every year. The least they could do is keep a clean toilet. I think we'll try the private campgrounds next time. read more

Headquarters Campground is just a couple miles outside of the town of Kernville, literally riverside and has water & latrines. The sites are spacious, and each site has a table and fire pit. We walked up on a Thursday afternoon, but Friday night it filled quickly. I believe they accept reservations as well. The campsite is very basic. There are no sinks or showers, so I wouldn't stay at this particular site for more than 2 nights. Some of the sites were full of litter, but the Parks staff cleaned it up when he did rounds to collect fees ($18/night). The ranger said we were allowed to gather, but since this site is right on the river, there is hardly any wood, and mostly just sand. We had to pick up a few bundles from the market, which is just a couple minutes into town. About an hour north on the highway is Trail of 100 Giants, which was also fun to visit. read more

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Stayed this recently for two nights and three days. The lady that drives around on her cart and or walks around with her dog ruined our families first camping trip. She comes to complain about a bathroom that is used by many people way too early in the morning. Very dissatisfied with her hospitality and will not be camping here again, nor recommending this place to any one. read more

This place was one of our adventures and the host made our experience one of a kind. Credits to the campground, neighbors and most importantly, the host. We reserved the sport for a night, and loved it. Obviously, we wanted to extend it, but the spots were all full. The host went above and beyond to help us get another spot. So, we got a new spot and could stay one more night--or 2 nights, if we wanted to. The host was helpful, easy to talk to, and sympathetic. As far as the campground itself, it was 7.3 out of 10, knowing that i am hard grader. Anything above 7, is 'must visit' on my book ;) Moderately recommend this place to be on your bucket list to checkout. read more

Mediocre at best! We stayed at the headquarters Campground May 31-2nd June. We had 12 people so booked the group site. The group site is big and can hold up to 30 people if you don't mind your tents being on a slope and the main road only being 3 feet from you head when you sleep at night, however there is only room for 4 vehicles. According to Recreation.gov (the booking site) the group site has 4 parking spaces including in the price, not the case apparently.. within minutes of stepping foot on the site we were pounced on by the camp host (who watched up unpack the vehicles to ensure we had no glass or music speakers). He then proceeded to tell us that the rules for the site had changed and we now needed to pay an extra $7 per night per vehicle for the 3rd and 4th vehicles and demanded cash as we continued to stand and watch us set up the tents!! Location of the campground is good, close to town, on the river! The toilets smell extremely bad, so chose a site as far away as possible. read more

My friends and I stayed at Headquarters Campground for our annual camping trip. Distance is about less than 200 miles from Los Angeles. The campground is also minutes away from a general store if you forget or run out of supplies (like beer, beer, and more beer). There is also free parking across the street if you come with more than one car and don't want to pay extra for parking in the campground. It is far enough from town to be quiet and enjoy the stars, but also enough have cell service to make a call / text (I am using Verizon Wireless). My recommendation is to make reservations early and book a spot next to the river. These spots tend to have more trees to provide shade and also walking distance to the river. Tanning, cannonballs, tubing, dam building, sunburning ... you can really enjoy the wilderness all around. And by night time, enjoy a campfire and quality time with friends and family, staring at the stars and bugs wanting to get close to you. Now onto the bad. There is no running water, but you can find water spouts in the area. Good enough for washing but nothing else. The good ole outhouses ... baking and toasting in the sun. The stench can be overwhelming, so brace yourself if you need to take a number dos. read more

I had a wonderful time it was very pleasant having my camp site a few steps away from kern river. You can go fishing, go Water rafting, go swimming in the river. The only downside is there's a lot of squirrels and you have to be careful cuz they're looking at your food I should know they ate my bag of chips lol. Oh and yeah the restrooms. If you have a porter potty I would advise to take it. read more

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Headquarters Campground definitely made me appreciate Kernville a lot more than if I had just visited this charming small town without camping. I never considered myself a camping type of gal... at least until now. I fell in love with Sequoia National Forest along with the Kern River and Kernville. What I liked about Headquarters is the fact that it was away from the town but not too far so that you could always go into town should you have forgotten or ran out of something. Also, if you were craving a full warm meal during your stay, there are MANY surprisingly great restaurants I've encountered in Kernville. Back to the campsite: BEAUTIFUL. pitching a tent 20ft from the river, birds chirping (though I don't appreciate this at 6am), surrounding mountains make for a great background to it all. The best part is that it doesn't get crowded, and this is because there are no flushing toilets or showers. But really people?? That's the whole point of camping... to get away from the chaotic urban lifestyle and go back to the simple kind of living. Just you and Mother Nature. aaahhhhh~ Fishing, rafting, swimming and hiking are available from this campsite. Fire circle available as well. We didn't need to buy much firewood because there were plenty of natural wood laying around everywhere. No phone reception of course but that's the good thing about Headquarters... you can just drive into town in a jiffy for any emergencies. Enjoy! read more

INFESTED WITH GROUND SQUIRRELS COVERED IN FLEAS! We arrived at Headquarters CampGround on May 29th 2017 for a 4 day stay. We had reserved space 23 on loop A, right on the river's edge. One major problem is that the campground is infested with California Ground Squirrels. Being a licensed Pest Control operator I know that these squirrels are covered with fleas that are vectors of deadly diseases. Several were sick and had no hair on the tails and hind quarters which made them look like rats. They had burrows under the pad we parked on and under every large rock in the campground. The Forest Service needs to close down this camp ground and I suspect many others in the area until the infested ground squirrels are removed. Otherwise be aware they carry deadly diseases. We left two days early! read more

We had a great time here! We didn't have a reservation so when we arrived we were happy to find 3 spots on the river's edge available to choose from. The campsites are good sized, feel private, and there's nice shade. I look forward to coming again next summer with our family. read more

I have been camping here for years and yes there is wildlife here it's in the forest people. but we always caught fish and had a great time camping here. my family loves the river and floating down the river on river rat tubes. I can't wait to go again... the Conners family & Dailey family. read more

This past weekend, my friends and I embarked on a 3-day adventure into the wilderness. Let's just say that I enjoy civilization. Headquarters campground is located about 4 miles north of Kernville on Sierra aka Mountain Hwy 99 outside of Bakersfield, near the Kern River. The drive is beautiful. The campground sits right next to the Kern River. There's fishing and rafting available nearby. You can bring your dogs too. There are plenty of trails for hiking nearby. We went to see the Trail of 100 Giants and saw a lot of huge sequoias. The fire pits have grates so you can grill or cook as needed. It's best to bring your own camp stove, but that's up to you. There are trash bins that keep the bears locked out and recycling bins to satisfy any tree-hugger. Just make sure to put your food away because if the bears don't come around, the squirrels will. Those critters chewed through plastic to get to some tortillas that were left out. The only reason I took off a star is because there are no showers or flushing toilets. There are outhouses and water spigots for potable water in the middle of the campground. Otherwise, come for nature and come for the scenery. It's a great place to spend away from the hubbub of the city. So after 3 days, we drove our dirty selves home and had a much needed shower. read more

My family and I have been camping here for over 10 years now. We just visited last week and will never be returning. First, there wasn't even a host on duty. They are out "sick" for a month which would have been nice to know when I booked the site. Although the Camp Host for the past few years change every year and all for 1 could care less anyways. Second, the crowd camping there is noticeably rough and very loud. Our group would get to the river edge early to save our spot and a group of over 30 noticed our nice little hiding spot and came to join with their 2 dogs unleashed, blasting music and everyone in the group including the teenagers were heavily intoxicated. They threw their trash every where and all though the rules state 6 to a camp site they had about 20/site in their group. And with no Camp Host to enforce the rules we were left to deal with the crowd on our own. Third, in speaking with a sheriff we were told to "never step foot in the campground again". He said they get calls every day and someone was shot/killed just a week prior!!!!!!! We had many children with our group and I was thankful we did not stay thru the weekend. It really is just too bad because the river is beautiful but unfortunately the majority of ones camping there do not appreciate it or want to keep it that way. The sheriff recommended going up just a bit to the more expensive sites and they have real bathrooms and showers so that will be our plan next year. read more

I like it here a lot! Just came back from a 4 day trip there and it was cool. We didn't get to do some things like water rafting or visit the lake cuz I received some bad news up there so we just relaxed but we fished a lot on the river which was only a few yards away from our site and caught 8 fish , some catfish, trout, and carp! Also caught a huge cute froggy for fun hopping around the entrance of the camp grounds! I won't share my site number I had but I choose the best site that had trees surrounding to hang a couple hammocks and happened to be where the best fishing was luckily. The camp counselor was cool too super nice and had his dog running with him on a golf car checking up, lol... No showers here but we lived and the toilets are what they are just a hole in the ground but it was well stocked and clean despite it smelling but it's camping, if you can't stand it go into the cute towns which is literally like ten minutes away, lol. Tried to go to the Land of the Giants but the road was closed but there are random nature places up more on the road to explore if desired still. The brewery was cool in town and across from there the store is awesome to stock up on supplies. Definitely coming back! read more

Headquarters Campground - Trout the last day that we caught, the hatchery dumps new fish into river on Mondays so keep an eye out for them if your there! - Campgrounds Near Me - Kernville, California

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Mid September 2016. This was our 1st time here @ Headquarters. It was a planned 3 day and 2 night stay. It was great. My husband, 10 yr old and myself stayed on site #14. The restroom was close by but it was clean. At times we were able to smell something funky but it was the smell from the septic tank from the outdoor restroom. The hosts there were Cindy and Brad, they were so nice to us. We felt safe the entire time. The local Sherif is constantly making their rounds in their pickup truck through camp. The camp hosts do the same making sure everyone is taken care of. They also make frequent rounds making sure the restrooms are clean. The hosts answered every question we asked with no hesitation. We had a float to inflate and told us to go to the River kern general store. The people at the store were so nice and helped us with our float. We even bought some water shoes to walk in the river. Water shoes are a must. We went back the next day to buy some stuff we ran out of, we couldn't belive how welcomed we felt. We ate like we were at home and had lots of fun in the water. The river was no more than 4 1/2 ft deep, it mostly went up to our knees. We will return soon. Hopefully next time we take lots of family along. read more

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I've been coming to the Kern since I was kid, and this year was the first year I camped in January. We decided to stay at Headquarters since it was the only designated campsites open, and it was fantastic. First, because it was January, we were one of only 4 groups camping...so it was very peaceful and quiet. It was in the 50's during the day, and mid 30's at night and snowed a little bit on our first morning. We enjoyed it so much, we reserved 4 sites for Memorial weekend. Can't wait to get back up there in a week! read more

Large campground ,we had bear activity there ,my family enjoyed it ,we had to leave early my son got sick and the river look nice and calm .people were catching trout. there were lots of families there read more

Headquarters Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Kernville, California

Great campground for family events or an outing with a group of friends. Fish are for the most part smaller here but still a great experience. The campground is clean with available running waters all around. Also, take a float tube for a float down stream the river. read more

We LOVE this campground for its scenery and for the camp host, Susan! We first visited over the summer and were able to tube right from the campground, and we just went back last weekend since we had such a great first trip! This campground did not disappoint once again :) We were lucky to get a great big spot, with shade with a river view. It was awesome to see our friend/host Susan with her little dog again. She is so warm, welcoming and sweet, she makes the campground that much better. The bathrooms are clean and the sites are as well! Can't wait to get back soon!! Highly recommend. read more

Just got back from a 3 day/2 night stay here and it was great. Don't expect many amenities, this is camping. Each site is pretty spacious and most have enough room for at least two large tents. There are water spigots and outhouses scattered throughout the campground and each site has a table and a fire pit. No matter which site you choose you'll be a short walk from a very calm section of the Kern River. There are three entrances to the river from the campground. This section of the Kern is calm, slow, and perfect for relaxing in your tube with a beer. It is in good spot because you're far enough from town to feel closer to nature, yet a short drive if you need anything. read more

Headquarters Campground is one of the best camp sites we have ever been !! I have been taking my family for well over 20 years.. it is a place that you can relax and really enjoy the outdoors , the camp host Susan is one of the best camp host we have ever encounter in all the time we have been going not just because she follows protocole but because she makes your feel welcome with her big smile and any information you need when it comes in finding out what else to do around besides been at the river and my kids love Firejack her dog is awesome my kids love animals...to know that there's people like her around !! It's a shame that some people don't know the meaning of family enjoyment on the month of July I was camping with my family we where on site 37 when a so called church gathering across from us arrived they were so loud screaming and drinking that it was like 3 am and they where still partying!! I mean we all go to relax and have a good time relax and unwine but this group took it a little out of hand they were so rude and specially to the camp host you could hear them screaming at Susan the camp host .. other than that little incident it is one of the best place to camp ... people like that should be banned from any camp ground !!!! And for those that mentioned squirrels and birds and all kids of insects HELLO PEOPLE ITS THE OUTDOORS IF YOUR GOING TO COMPLAINT HEN STAY HOME AND LET THE REAL OUTDOOR PEEPS ENJOY WHST GOD HAS GIVEN US. NATURE. I WILL KEEP COMING!!! read more

Great time this weekend. We (all girl trip) stayed at site #32 which had a lot of shade. There were deer running all through the camp site. There was beach access to the Kern river along the campsite which was a lot of fun. There was no need for us the leave the campsite to have a good time. The camp hosts were great. Very nice people. Definitely will be returning asap. read more

I have been coming to this camp ground for 15 + years now. Its right on the river and has a couple small beaches you can walk to to go swimming. Being a few miles north of town and several miles north of the lake, I find it stays much quieter than the campgrounds closer to town (althought it does fill up, so make reservations in advance on Recreation.gov). It is true that there are no showers or flushing toilets, but if you are staying more than a couple nights (or just feel the desire) there are public coin operated showers at the riverside park in town. For some extra adventure take some large inner tubes and two cars. Park one car at the park in town and drive with your tubes to the powerhouse (locals can tell you where it is, or just look for the large water pipes running down the hill side to the river... above town but below Headquarters... trust me you can't miss them). Hop in and enjoy an hour long tube ride back to town. Nothing like a nice hot day floating down stream in the cold Kern river water. read more