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KRS at Camp James

3.6 (278 reviews)
Closed 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

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More trash spread in the mornings after the bears went through the campsite each night.
kirsten b.

We stayed at Camp James for 5 days at sites 71 and 69, and while there were definitely some positives, a few major issues prevent me from giving this campground more than 2 stars. I do think the camp host should let parents, parent... especially the adult children! The Negatives 1. Bears! Directly across from our site was an open trailer full of trash next to a public picnic area. What we were not told upon check-in is that a mama bear and her cub live in the tree above this dumpster and rummage in it daily. We saw them every day and, honestly, were scared. This is extremely dangerous for campers. When we asked the host about it, her casual response was, "No, we let them finish eating and go clean it up." Meanwhile, during check-in she called all six of our 15-20 year olds over to lecture them on rules, no underage drinking, no music after 10 pm, no walking around alone after 9:30 pm, but not once did she caution us about the bears she clearly knew were there. This is a huge safety oversight. The campground should invest in bear-proof dumpsters for the safety of both guests and the bears. 2. Dump Station Layout If you need to dump your trailer, there's a pile of sand in a very inconvenient spot that makes looping into the dump difficult. It doesn't appear to serve any purpose for water protection and just creates an unnecessary obstacle. 3. WiFi Limitations Each site only gets one WiFi password, good for one device. If you need more, you have to pay extra. Lose it, and they'll even charge you to replace it. 4. Rolling Blackouts Although not the campground's fault, Kernville does experience rolling blackouts. It happened 2 of the 5 days we were there. When it's over 100° in an RV or trailer and you don't have a generator, it's rough, and since generators aren't allowed after 10 pm, there's no relief at night. The Positives * The sites themselves are very clean and well maintained. * Quiet hours and rules are enforced, which keeps the campground orderly. One small drawback is that the office closes promptly at 5 pm. If you need quarters, ice, or firewood after that, you'll have to buy them at the overpriced gas station nearby. Final Thoughts Overall, our stay was fine, but I'd strongly challenge management to invest in bear-proof dumpsters and be a bit more welcoming. This would not only protect campers but also encourage the bears to seek food elsewhere instead of dumpster diving. Until then, it's hard to feel completely safe here, even though the campground itself is clean and otherwise enjoyable.

Sandra M.

This was the fourth time we've stayed at Camp James. The first time we stayed in a tent on the riverfront, and the last three times we stayed in the cabin. The cabins are much more comfortable! lol. The cabins come equipped with plates, utensils a large electric frying pan, electric skillet, crockpot, paper towels, dishwashing detergent, etc. Cabins have beautiful knotty pine throughout and I just love staying there. This last stay we were excited to see a small herd of deer come through and just graze while we watched. It was amazing! I recommend this place highly . The staff are very accommodating and very pleasant! I will be returning for a fifth time!

View from our campsite deck
Kerry F.

Great location right on Kern River. Sites are good size with choices of full hook ups (away from river), to E/W on and near the river. Hosts are friendly and helpful. Cable is pretty bad in the sites we've stayed in, but we don't go there to watch TV! WiFI is decent. Only real complaint is they require campers to wear orange wristbands...not even for free beer! We stayed in site 24 with full hook ups.

Cynnnnn D.

First time booker here. We stayed at cabin 26 for a few days this April. We really had a good time. The staff was very friendly. I was a little scared when I started reading some yelp reviews after booking to be completely honest.. but our experience was nothing but great! Upon reading the reviews of others, I made sure to be there by 5pm for check in. We got checked in and given our wristbands, a parking tag for our vehicle and WiFi password pamphlet. Our cabin was perfectly cleaned and everything worked great. Had plenty of hot water and everything we needed for our mini stay-cation! You're close to stores, gas and food. Our cell phones worked (ATT) so I didn't even log on to the WiFi. The views of the river are amazing here. I had my 2 daughters and son with me and they were able to walk around and explore with no issues. They are well behaved and enjoyed it. The wildlife and little creek were so amazing. We cooked at the little campfire site at our cabin and made sure to put the fire out after we were done. Simple guidelines is all they ask you to follow. Same things you should already know to do at any campground really.. Personally, the rules do not bother me. They are in place to keep the riff raff down and I appreciate that. We come up to relax and enjoy nature. Not hear crazies getting rowdy all night long. Some people aren't familiar with the Kern river campgrounds but a lot of people think they're going to come up here and party like it's 1985 and drink all night. KRS keeps that away from here. So if you're looking for a peaceful and quiet place to camp, this is the spot for you. We really enjoyed our stay and would love to come back.

Camp site 71 with partial hook ups
Veronica V.

Had a great time camping at spot 71 in the week of July. The spot is riverfront with a spot to set your ez up, some chairs and a table to hang out. Although camp James needs to update their forms of payment(cash or CHECK) we still had a great time. I think they also need a website update to reflect what each Camp site looks like to give people a better idea who have never been there before an idea. Everything was clean. I never had issues with things being dirty. It is 1 dollar to shower for 6-10 minutes, but the water stayed cold. Not an issue as we went in the summer so it was refreshing. We walked in to the rivernook campground and decided to use our tubes In to camp James. It was a lot of fun! There was a bear in the trees but meh. Just left it alone and it wasn't an issue. The staff is friendly and welcoming. I would def come to camp James again!

Inside the little cabin
Judy a.

First time here . Cute clean little cabins There is NO pool There is nothing to do for kids except the river/fishing No movie night No kids activities I LIKE the orang bands to keep others out. Will try again in summer. Side note: Please have kid activities at least starting in spring. $950 for 3 nights we should have more to do .

We have been to this rv park twice now since we got our RV, the first time in June few years back and then again in February 2025. The park was not super full but it is wonderfully clean all the time. They work really hard to keep it up I can say that and it is great fully appreciated couldn't be more gorgeous of a place to stay that is still close to little restaurants stores and whatever is in town.

Pittbull that's not allowed

Absolutely completely upset with this place!!! We booked 2 sites. We drove 6 hrs and were told that our "American bull dog" a service dog with paperwork was not allowed as they said they do not allow pit bulls. After making our case they said they reserve their right to refuse service and would not refund our $600 for 2 camp sites. So they basically told us what they thought our dog is and stole our money. Pretty funny as we were turning around to leave the campsite near the gate had a red nose pit bull on a leash. We canceled the payment with our credit card and booked 2 sites next door at RIVERNOOK campground with zero issues! We understand KRS has rules however we were never in breach of them. Also if you have a larger size rig or slide outs on both sides of your rv this campground isn't a good option as the spots are very tight. The owner was a complete A-hole and well never be coming back. We will definitely recommend the nicer campgrounds next door "RIVERNOOK"

River view from our camp site

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Awesome!! Thanks for the review!! See ya soon!!

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Great place to camp have family with you. Clean facility's friendly staff. It's been while since I've been back up time for trip

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Thanks, Dulce!! We appreciate your kind words :) See ya soon!!

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Ask the Community - KRS at Camp James

Deposit in cashier's check/money order? Has anyone had any problems?

How can I reserve it

How crowded does Camp James get during mid-week November?

Probably not too crowded. Make your reservations as early as possible though bearing in mind people are getting out more now.

Is there a dog park on site?

Yes!!! It's great!!

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Review Highlights - KRS at Camp James

We have never camped on the Kern River before but when I found Camp James online I could not wait to go.

Mentioned in 25 reviews

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Frandy Park Campground

Frandy Park Campground

3.6(141 reviews)
0.5 mi

I'm very mixed about this review. The staff were amazing. They immediately greeted us and made…read moresure we had everything we needed to make our stay awesome. The grounds are very much in need of some TLC. The sites are spacious and our group was placed together - which made spending time together easy...and fun. They are on top of the maintenance and the bathrooms/showers are quite impressive. My hopes - before returning next year (and writing an updated, very positive review) - is that the owners invest a bit of money in landscaping. Even if it is just tilling the sites. Get rid of the coarse weeds and level it off. So much potential. We will be back!

Do NOT patronize this place!!! Similar to the other recent (2024) reviews that are trending…read morenegative, the interactions we had with the staff were some of the rudest I have ever encountered. We were directed to park here by a local rafting company, followed the visible signs with arrows, and the "Rhinestone Cowboy" (aka R.C.) who claimed "this is my property" (maybe the owner?) LOST HIS MIND and chased us down with his oversized truck. R.C. SO DESPERATELY wants to be perceived as a cowboy that it is hilariously pitiful!! Encounters with the rest of the staff were equally unpleasant. If R.C. is the owner, then I am waiting for him to go out of business. If he is not the owner, then I hope the owner reads (and responds) to this post. Having R.C. as the face of your establishment is a dis-service to the community of Kernville and the Southern Sierra business coalition. I have been frequenting Kernville, rafting, fishing, and mountain biking for over 25 years and this is the first, and only, negative experience I have ever had with a local business. In fact, I spoke with several local business OWNERS in Kernville, and they mentioned how difficult this place was to deal with, right after rolling their eyes!!! Yelp managers. Please note, that everything I have posted as accurate as to my recollection. I have not used negative language, nor personally attacked anyone. This review does not meet any of your criteria for being contested or removed.

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Frandy Park Campground - River behind the camp ground

River behind the camp ground

Frandy Park Campground
Frandy Park Campground - Camping spaces with plenty of trees and views

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Camping spaces with plenty of trees and views

Fairview Campground - Xao long bao made by the cousin

Fairview Campground

3.3(4 reviews)
1.1 mi

-Vault toilets , no showers . -No cellular / No internet…read moreservice . -On site Host. -Water spigot shared among other campsite. -fishing, hiking trails -Hot spring -walking distance to McNallys burgers , Johnny McNally's Fairview lodge, McNally's General Store We stayed in site 21 and 24 site 21 is adjacent to the bathroom & across the street to the river Walking distance to Mali's burger, cabin general store and a steakhouse , Mally's General store. To access the nearby restaurant walk towards the residential trailer across from site 24. The general store carries many items if you were to leave anything at home. they have ice , canned food , drinks, sleeping bags, hats, water, shoes, medication and of course, alcohol and also fishing baits. Some of the sites has no shade , the group sites has partial shade and is adjacent to the river .

Fairview camping area is nice most of the spots are drive thru easy parking we had spot 19. The…read moreonly thing is the picnic are is deeper in not by your trailer. The area is clean and the bathrooms. They have men and women bathrooms no running water inside. They do have water spigots around the camp including fresh drinking water. No showers. No cell service. Really quiet area the stars at night are awesome you can see them dancing the Milky Way. The camp host was only there one night we came the second week of November. You can fish right behind your campsites. There is a store next door. Other than that you are pretty remote. Oh you will see some fighter planes flying by like 3 or 4 times a day very loud.. but pretty cool to watch.

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Fairview Campground
Fairview Campground - Site 21 can accommodate 2-3 cars

Site 21 can accommodate 2-3 cars

Fairview Campground - Freezing cold water

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Freezing cold water

Kern River

Kern River

4.1(12 reviews)
0.7 mi

Oh how I completely love the Kern River!! I have been going for 24 years. It has never been as…read morebeautiful and full as it is now. One of my dearest friends is a seasoned river rafter. When we go river rafting, we mainly stay @ Headquarters or Sandy Flat Campground. This past weekend, we stayed at Sandy Flat. It was amazing. It is right off the river. The river was full and had power. I will add official stats by this weekend. My favorite group of runs is called The Jungle. (I will fact check this). I think that a great run was called Dilly. It is a class 4!! OMGoodness, it was wild & fun. Once more rafters arrived we went on another run. I will get the official names. One is named ... something Deli. Anyways, EPIC FUN. I forgot my wetsuit. I just went on June 3rd. The water was C O L D. Our guide, Doug, told us NOT to bring our phones. I wish I would have remembered my Go - Pro. We were lucky that the 178 reopened for the drive home. It was 93 degrees. I was mesmerized by the river. I couldn't stop watching it on the drive home.

The Kern River is beautiful…read more This review is based on a first timers camping visit. Coming up here from San Diego we didn't really know what to expect other than we might have an opportunity to tube down the river. So everyone in our group brought river tubes. That was our first miscalculation. Aperently tubing depends on the season, recent weather conditions, and various natural events that really narrow the scope of when you can tube safety. Also consider how you plan to get back up to your campsite after you tube down the river a few miles.. Ideally you rent tubes from a company that also shuttles you back up the river. If you don't want to rent tubs someone in your group has to pick you up and drive you back, which is a pain. There is no cell service and no uber... The Kern River is best suited for kayaking and rafting. There are many companies in kernville that offer those services. Camping. If you're looking to camp along the river during the summer you need to think about booking in January. During our stay mid-June, the entire river was booked solid.. We stayed at Sandy Flats campgroup which had a small beach area by the river. Litter bugs. One of the most discouraging things to see along the river was the amount of trash that people leave behind. The number one item? Used diapers.. If you can manage to visit midweek, and be prepared to use a kayak/rafting company you will have an epic time. Note - Sequoia National Park is about an hours drive away. Makes for a great day trip.

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Kern River
Kern River - Camping on the Kern River

Camping on the Kern River

Kern River

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KRS at Camp James - campgrounds - Updated May 2026

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