Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Bakersfield, CA is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that California camping has to offer. Find the best campgrounds near Bakersfield, CA. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
$43 - $54 / night
"We had site 117 and it was a nice spot with no fire pit. Full hookups and really I can’t imagine you could have a nicer park in Bakersfield. They did a great job!"
"We picked it because of the location and found it a nice little place to pull off HWY 99. "
"It’s super convenient from Bakersfield and nice and quiet, by the Kern River. Clean and calm with some nice sites by the river. All have picnic tables and fire rings."
"For $32, you can get a site off the river and have a little camping pit and picnic table and you’re around other RVs and it’s good."
"Campsites are around 6,000’, pit toilets, grills, steel fire pits, picnic tables and potable water taps."
"Vault toilets and trash cans scattered throughout. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. There is a nature trail nearby although we didn’t have time to go check it out."
"The lake isn't that great. But they are improving their facility. Running water and restrooms are available. Spots available near the water"
"camping sites have fire pits, open spaces and on dirt."
$30 - $154 / night
"(and what's the point of camping without a campfire?)."
"The abandoned town is a 3 minute walk from camp and really interesting. Some camp spots are right on the creek and the running water is a peaceful background noise for your trip. Highly recommend!"
$39 - $340 / night
"All sites are well kept, with access to clean bathrooms and coin operated showers. Staff is friendly and available when needed. Prices are a tad high but expected with a clean upscale Campground."
"Clean showers and bathrooms. Polite guests. Respectable to after hour policies. Ground keepers make sure everyone is happy. Full hook up sites make it easy. Shaded tent sites make it comfortable."
"Laundry right on site! Close to lake Isabella and all of the Kern. Great for last minute reservations too, online booking works"
"Kern River is a great place in the hot California Desert. This place has everything to make you feel at home."
$40 / night
"Just a table, fire pit, and water spigot. The hosts are very accommodating and made sure I was able to find my site after dark and were very responsive to my texts! "
$34 - $36 / night
"I do a lot of camping, this one is a great campground if you want to go swimming, waterskiing, windsurfing, fishing, or just enjoy the beautiful scenic views of Lake Isabella."
$34 - $147 / night
"there is only one place for trash upon exit), but every site has a beautiful view of the mountainside and the stars, and if you get one of the good sites along the river, you're a few steps from the best"
"Camp 3 is a good location if you can book it quickly outside of the Summer months."
LegendWe stayed here just for a night on our way to Death Valley. It’s super convenient from Bakersfield and nice and quiet, by the Kern River. Clean and calm with some nice sites by the river. All have picnic tables and fire rings. The host was so lovely and let us stay for free in a site that had already been paid for (the folks had left early). We couldn’t believe it! So generous and kind.
TravelerI prefer primitive or dispersed camping because I usually like as much privacy as I can get when I'm camping, but with current fire restrictions I was limited to developed campsites if I wanted a campfire (and what's the point of camping without a campfire?). I was also planning the trip on short notice, so developed, reserveable campsites were in short supply. Then I found Reyes Creek.
The campground is very isolated. It's about a 40 minute drive from the nearest town (and therefore the nearest gas station or market - plan ahead). There is no power, or water. There's no cell service in the camp, but a 5 minute drive up the mountain there's a dirt lot they call the 'phone booth' that gets decent reception. The camp hosts were super friendly and helpful. There are 2 loops for campsites - the center of the main loop seemed pretty flat, but all the sites were visible to your neighbors. Sites on the outside of the main loop offered more privacy, but most appeared to not be very level, and not necessarily well laid out. I stayed in site 11 on the outside of the loop which was large and fairly quiet, but my 6 person tent just barely fit in between some trees which offered some shade and was only on a slight angle. The one downside was the bathrooms - vault toilets that varied in condition, but none that I used were particularly good. If bathroom condition is a major sticking point with you, you may want to look elsewhere.
As an added bonus, as isolated as the place is, right outside the entrance to the campground is a bar & grill called the Camp Scheideck Lodge. They have a full bar and great food (and the customer-only bathroom is a great step up from the campground). It just changed owners last month (second time in a couple years) and the new owner, Devin, is friendly and welcoming.
The temperature varies greatly from day to night (90's to 50's when I was there) and there are bugs a plenty, so bring repellant. Firewood is available at the camp, and ice is available at the lodge.
So if you want a little isolation with privacy, a campfire, and a friendly bar within walking distance, this place is for you. I'll definitely be coming back.
GuideWe usually come here to ride our off road bikes, but this time decided to stay for the weekend without our bikes. There area is large and ample where you don’t have to be next to each other unless that is what you want. There are some areas that are fenced with picnic tables and pergolas with outhouses and trees, and other areas that are not. You have the option of choosing what you would like. We found a nice spot a good distance away from the camping circles and the bathrooms for dry camping, which allowed us to have some more privacy but still enjoy the views of the riders. Night time was also great, clear skies, bright moon and stars, and neon glow of the lights of the off road vehicles. Plus we brought out glow sticks which also added to the fun. Nice morning wake up call from coyotes. Breakfast outside our rv in the morning with bacon and eggs.
I will include pictures of other times we have been here and stayed in other spots so that you may get an idea of other areas within this large place.
GuideWe had site 117 and it was a nice spot with no fire pit. Full hookups and really I can’t imagine you could have a nicer park in Bakersfield. They did a great job! Only minor thing is the wifi did not work reliably for my son’s online school. My son and I enjoyed free orange picking though!
GuideReyes creek is beautiful! Great camping spots, beautiful creeks & hikes, cute abandoned town for a photo opp and awesome camp host. We ended up in group site 1 due to Covid they can’t have big groups and it was spacious and great for our doggos to have a big area. There are 3 neighborhood dogs that come and go through your campsite but they are sweet pups and don’t cause any trouble. The abandoned town is a 3 minute walk from camp and really interesting. Some camp spots are right on the creek and the running water is a peaceful background noise for your trip. Highly recommend!
ScoutThe lake isn't that great. But they are improving their facility. Running water and restrooms are available. Spots available near the water
GuideOur experience here was really frustrating for multiple reasons, but for the sake of this review I will try to highlight what is important for other campers to know. We had a bad experience from the beginning when we arrived at Hungry Gulch and were blown off by the camp host for asking who we could ask some questions of since we had made a reservation online at Recreation.gov and it was unclear what to do since there are not assigned camp spots. Since we had a kayak lesson to get to we called the Sequoia Recreation line and were told that we could pick any empty campsite, put our tent there and then it was OK to leave and the camp host would come along later to check our reservation (again which was done online so we had no other proof besides our email). We pitched our tent, went off for our kayak lessons, and when we got back to the campsite around 9 pm there was another family in our site and our tent was gone! The camp host took down our tent and gave our spot to someone else because we "didn't have the proper tag and hadn't checked in with him,"which of course we tried to do. So, I had to go find him and explain to him how I had done exactly what I was told by Sequoia Recreation and then he had to drive around for 15 minutes to find us a new spot and didn't even offer to help us put our tent back up that he had taken down (at what was now almost 10 pm). We were surrounded by people playing really loud music on a speaker on one side, another group that was drunkenly yelling on another and loud road noise. Someone came around the sites at like 10 pm and of course everyone was quiet for all of 5 minutes and then we didn't see anyone else after that checking on things. At 12:30 am we had enough, asked both groups to be quiet and while it helped some, both were still making lots of noise. After a long day of kayaking I was exhausted and gave up. We packed up our site at almost 1 am and left out of sheer frustration and ended up having to get a hotel in Bakersfield just to get some sleep. Beware of this campground and know that they're tricky with their sites. There are not a ton of bathrooms and the sites on the periphery of the campground are really close to the road with lots of noise. There are some sites with shade but not many. I am giving it 2 stars for location and proximity to Kern River activities and Lake Isabella.
TravelerFound it browsing campsites; what a beauty. Sitting alongside a creek, the camp is clean, quiet, the ranger is super friendly and knowledgeable of the area. There is no running water, and the pit toilets are definitely of the smellier side, but clean nevertheless. There is a bar right at the entrance of the campsite, as well as a small residential neighborhood. The site itself is a quick drive from LA, with easy access. Be mindful of the road leading into the camp, it is quite narrow, so drive carefully.
GuideOverall nice site with full hookups & wi-fi/cell. Had a nice shade tree but it can be real sunny without one. Laundry right on site! Close to lake Isabella and all of the Kern. Great for last minute reservations too, online booking works
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Bakersfield, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Bakersfield, CA is Orange Grove RV Park with a 4.4-star rating from 24 reviews.
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