Best Equestrian Camping near Bakersfield, CA

Bathrooms, vaulted tent spots, fire pits. Has a water spigot but doesn’t work (maybe off during winter?) trail to hill top. Equestrian site for sure.

Nice and clean. Vault toilets. There’s water, but not sure if it’s potable, there wasn’t a sign. No trash service, you have to pack it out. There is an area for your horse. Walk in sites, rv/car camp/van/tent sites. It’s first come first serve, no reservations and it’s free.

We heard good things about this campground from family so we decided to give it a shot. It’s about an hour and 15 minutes from our home in Bakersfield. That road off of the 65 is pretty decent as we have a 32 foot fifth wheel. As usual some sites are better than others there are some creek side sites that are very large and if there’s water are very nice. They have tent only sites as well. On our first trip we stayed in a pull through site. There is not a whole lot of space between campsites in this loop but it’s doable. They also have a stocked pond on site. However if you want to keep any of the fish caught, you have to purchase them. There are trails to hike. FYI, there is no cell reception and no provided wifi. Personally I think that’s a good thing 😬.

Carrizo Plains National Monument is the largest single native grassland remaining in California in SE San Luis Obispo, and my husband and I have been wanting to visit. We found Kern Cattle & Land Ranch which has now been turned into a campground for people to enjoy.

[ PROS ]

• FREE camping is the best camping! It’s first come first serve, but there was only one other camper there the weekend we visited.
• There are about 12 dispersed sites and all of them are under or near eucalyptus trees that offer really lovely shade from the harsh sun.
• Each sites comes with a picnic table, fire ring + grill, 1 parking spot, and gear pole with hook (for hanging lanterns/trash bags/food/etc.)
• There are 2 gender neutral vault toilets that are clean. The restroom is stocked with toilet paper and there is hand sanitizer available. No sink.
• So much nature to see around! We saw kangaroo rats, bats, hawks, rabbits, ground squirrels (that are going extinct), and lots of fun insects. In the evening we heard lots of coyotes in the distance.
• The evenings here are spectacular -- very little light pollution so you get a clear view of the night sky and all of the stars. The Milky Way was so vivid and we saw shooting stars the entire evening.
• I’ve been wanting to see an owl in nature for so long, and I was able to see one in broad daylight. It was so insane and magical. We heard the owls all night (they are very loud) but I love falling asleep to the sound of nature. The owl sighting was the highlight of my trip!
• There are tons of trails and places to explore. We even got to explore the last standing structure of the original ranch. You can visit the San Andreas Fault Line, Soda Lake, and Painted Rock which are all driving distance.

[ CONS ]

• The drive to and from KCL campground is a little rough. At some point you get on a dirt road that is quite bumpy and has potholes.
• It’s super hot in this part of California during the summer so make sure you pack LOTS of water. There is no water available on the campgrounds or for miles.
• No showers, obviously since there isn’t any water available.
• TONS. OF. FLIES. EVERYWHERE. It’s a little unbearable during the day having to spend the majority of your energy swatting flies. It is so arid out there that flies are constantly landing on every part of your body to lick the sweat off of you. The toilets are clean, but TONS OF FLIES. Not little house flies, but super juicy big fat flies. Luckily they go away when the sun sets.
• No fires allowed! They have fire pits, but you’re not allowed to burn wood. I believe you can use the fire pit with coals since there is a grill provided.
• No gas stations, stores, shops around for miles. Make sure you come prepared with everything you need unless you’re prepared for a long drive on the dirt roads.

Note: Pack in. Pack out. Please folks, remember to take your trash with you and leave the place better than you found it. It was sad seeing beer bottles and bullet shells littering the area. We did our  best to pick up what we could and take it with us, but LNT!!

Very nice space. No staff on duty. No restrooms but cool spot. Nice trees. Benches at each spot. Very remote. Just you and the plains.

A small remote site on a BLM land, so it is free but it is a first come first serve site. Not many facilities or gas stations nearby so it may be a good idea to bring extra gas if you plan to explore Carrizo Plains. It is right off of Soda Lake Road, about half a mile from the road at a shady little grove. Went on a windy weekend, but campground was nestled under eucalyptus trees so it helped. There are owls in those trees, so they were hooting loud into the night. Some may like it, but it was pretty loud. There are two restrooms (vault toilets - no water), fire pits and picnic tables. Bring your own water. No trash service so pack in and pack out. Views are nice especially if you get sites facing the open plains. Went in June so it was already fire season so no camp fire was allowed. It was a non-busy weekend, but campers arrived late throughout the evening and it was almost full. Weekdays may be pretty deserted out there. Weather can get very hot so make sure to check weather forecast before heading out.

In late March, I headed to Carrizo Plains for a few days of self-isolation, wildflower viewing and some gravel bicycle riding while CA was just starting to increase its COVID-19 shelter-in-place mandates. I arrived the day BLM closed the KCL campground to comply with the Dept of Interior's direction to close BLM and national parks public campgrounds. But that didn't deter me, or the very few others visiting the Plains, to boondock about a mile down the road from KCL, which was allowed at that time. Getting there with my 16ft Scamp trailer was pretty easy, despite the rough, sometimes washboard dirt road once the pavement ends on Soda Lake Road. However, I do not recommend traveling the dirt roads with a much bigger trailer than mine, and absolutely not during or immediately after a heavy rain storm. The dirt turns to thick mud! I was lucky the rain storm that passed through as I arrived passed quickly before turning the road into muck.

This place is so beautiful in the Spring. Day and nighttime temps were very comfortable. The hills were still green from recent rains, and the wildflower blooms were showing off their amazing carpets of colors. Gravel riding in this area was so fun with the many offshoots of two track dirt roads converging with the main dirt road (Soda Lake Road). 

Love it here, and plan to make this an annual destination each Spring with the intention of exploring other parts of the Plains.

We did not know it was hunting season... so it was surprising to see so many hunters gathered up at selby campground. We decided to stay at klc instead which was much more peaceful. Temperatures were well in the high 90s so to see some nice trees that provided shade at this site was the best. It was a pleasure to share the site with an owl that kept hooting all night. We visited some awesome sites and abandoned ranches. Definitely a great spot to stay at in Carrizo plain.

Great spot to relax. There are some nice hiking options, as well.

Went in late October and the campground was absolutely infested with flies. Us and the three other campers that showed up around the same time ended up leaving and going to Selby up the road because the flies were so out of control. Not sure if this is a seasonal issue because there isn’t any mention in other reviews.

Took a drive out there last week(Jan 24th) on a hunt to find new campsites and was a little disappointed when we drove up. Each site was pretty close to one another so not much privacy and the sites were a little small for my liking. KCL would be perfect for people who are going to be exploring all day or for star gazers. Not so great for group camping unless you grab a few sites

Small campground, great for stargazing. As of 08/23/21, there are no potable water available. There are vault toilets available on site that's pretty descent w/ toilet paper provided. 

The deduction is due to SO MANY FLIES! I have bug screens installed in the van and it could literally break your experience camping here. The weather could get pretty hot, there's a few eucalyptus trees that provides a descent shade BUT due to the water not being available, I've deducted another star. 

If you're just looking for a place to sleep this is the spot. The road to get here is pretty bumpy so hang tight and don't miss the exit turning into the road (like i did).

Very scenic and remote. You can see the infamous San Andreas earthquake fault line

7 regular campsites for car/ RV camping, and about 4-5 or so walk up sites behind the barn for tents only. There is parking at the barn. 

Pretty busy little campground, but if you arrive and all the spots are taken I’d stick around because a lot of picnickers use camping spots for lunch and are gone shortly after. Not only that, but people kind of squeeze in any which way and make a spot for themselves for the night as well, and it was all fine.  The campground was so nice and quiet and peaceful - nobody had kids with them so it was just a mellow calm vibe the whole time, so relaxing.

Very friendly and quiet vibes here, we really enjoyed it. Nice walking trails right from the campground as well.  Amazing wildflower blooms in spring.

Toilets available, as well as water, but the spigot ran dry when we were here in April. 

Zero Verizon coverage, even with the weboost, even from the top of the hill. ATT had good service, good enough for streaming and web browsing. 

We made it here in our 26ft class c. The road coming in was rough but doable.  I wouldn't try coming in anything bigger, as it was we were the biggest giant thing there. We did fit in our spot along the edge but still felt very big.  The middle sites are not level but the ones along the edges were.

Free, 14 day limit.  Ranger came through to check on things.

Small campground for 12 smaller than 30 ft rigs or tents. Most are much smaller. Rough bumpy road for miles ether direction on a first come, first serve campground. Has vaulted toilet with no water or other services. If full, would seek off road area on right just as you approach. Has older building of interest. There was a great horned owl in one of the few eucalyptus trees at the campsite. Quiet and nice area to take a hike or two with pretty nice views if you like the high desert landscape. Warning not to travel dirt roads after a rain as you’re likely to get stuck. Better if you come in from the north side(58) on paved roads, but would limit you to boondocking likely because unable to get to this or Selby campgrounds. Selby is another first-come site to the NW