Best Glamping near Cantil, CA

Tehachapi Mountain Park houses distinctive glamping accommodations nestled at elevations around 6,000 feet, offering a climate that remains pleasantly cool even when temperatures in nearby Mojave reach 100°F. The park's glamping sites feature comfortable queen beds with premium linens, electricity for charging devices, and climate control systems to ensure comfort in all seasons. One visitor noted, "The scenery is amazing, and there's also a full 10 x 10 person cabin facility that the county rents out at the park." Lake Isabella-Kern River KOA complements the region's glamping options with luxury canvas tents and furnished yurts set among shaded trees, each equipped with private decks, kitchenettes, and outdoor dining areas where guests can enjoy mountain views.

Unique glamping experiences in the Cantil area connect visitors with the natural surroundings while maintaining comfort. Safari tents and yurts at KRS RV Resort@Camp James provide direct access to water activities on the Kern River, where kayaking, fishing, and swimming opportunities abound. The glamping sites throughout Tehachapi Mountain Park connect to hiking trails leading to the region's highest peak, offering spectacular vistas and wildlife viewing opportunities. A recent visitor mentioned, "The campground itself has beautiful hikes with tons of scenic outlooks." Most glamping accommodations in this region remain open year-round, though seasonal variations affect activities and booking requirements. Fall brings colorful foliage views from private decks, while winter stays include stargazing opportunities in the clear mountain air.

Best Glamping Sites Near Cantil, California (15)

    1. Tehachapi Mountain Park

    14 Reviews
    Tehachapi, CA
    33 miles
    Website
    +1 (661) 868-7000

    "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."

    2. Lake Isabella-Kern River KOA

    7 Reviews
    Weldon, CA
    32 miles
    Website
    +1 (760) 378-2001

    "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."

    3. Brite Lake Aquatic Recreation Area

    10 Reviews
    Tehachapi, CA
    35 miles
    Website
    +1 (661) 221-2832

    "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."

    4. KRS RV Resort@Camp James

    14 Reviews
    Kernville, CA
    40 miles
    Website
    +1 (760) 376-6119

    $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."

    5. Arabian RV Oasis

    3 Reviews
    California City, CA
    28 miles
    Website
    +1 (760) 762-5008

    6. Hungry Gulch

    5 Reviews
    Lake Isabella, CA
    38 miles
    Website
    +1 (760) 376-1815

    $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."

    7. Camp Three Campground

    6 Reviews
    Kernville, CA
    44 miles
    Website
    +1 (760) 376-1815

    $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."

    8. Kern's River Edge Campground

    3 Reviews
    Kernville, CA
    42 miles
    Website
    +1 (760) 376-6553

    $54 - $250 / night

    "The campsites were clean and spacious, the bathrooms were sanitary and showers were hot. Only downside happen to be the on-site general store was shut down the whole weekend."

    "Beautiful nice place Close to the river"

    9. Headquarters Campground

    2 Reviews
    Kernville, CA
    43 miles
    Website
    +1 (760) 376-1815

    $34 - $106 / night

    "A nice secluded campground up the river from kern’s more populated sites, in the heart of the Sequoia National Forest."

    10. Halfway Group Campground

    2 Reviews
    Kernville, CA
    44 miles
    Website
    +1 (760) 379-1815

    $57 - $232 / night

    "At one point we even ran out of TP and had to drive to the neighboring campground down the road to ask the host there for some more rolls, which she happily provided."

    "Porta-potties were kept clean and trash was emptied from large trash containers regularly. Bears are common in the area and there are no bear lockers for food. So keep this in mind."

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Recent Glamping Photos near Cantil, CA

7 Photos of 15 Cantil Campgrounds


Glamping Reviews near Cantil, CA

69 Reviews of 15 Cantil Campgrounds


  • Mike Z.
    Jul. 31, 2019

    Brite Lake Aquatic Recreation Area

    Great spot near a lake.

    The lake isn't that great. But they are improving their facility. Running water and restrooms are available. Spots available near the water

  • Ricky S.
    Jul. 31, 2022

    Lake Isabella-Kern River KOA

    Good camp to park & explore

    Overall 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

  • Shannon O.
    May. 21, 2021

    Tehachapi Mountain Park

    High altitude, hidden in the trees

    Beautiful spot. Old school mountainside camping in the tall trees. Campsites are around 6,000’, pit toilets, grills, steel fire pits, picnic tables and potable water taps. We spent a night in late May and there were only a few other sites occupied on a Wednesday night. This is a hidden gem. It was 100 in Mojave and 70 in the TMP. Gorgeous tall evergreens and some larger oaks, a few might be old growth? ***Note: this is not a place for large RVs or trailers. The road in is tight and twisty with no shoulders and some trees and rock faces snug up against it. The campground is very steep, the roads are one lane and very very curvy. Some sites are very near each other, others are more dispersed. There are large groups sites.

  • Andrea R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 26, 2019

    Lake Isabella-Kern River KOA

    Very family friendly and unique!

    Kern River is a great place in the hot California Desert. This place has everything to make you feel at home. Several large sites for tents or RV's , bathrooms with full showers, a pool, splashpad and water play area. They have these weird Banana bikes which were fun. I was in complete heaven when I saw the coffee bar! There is a big pavilion with cooking areas for everyone!

    This is close to several nearby attractions. They offer great wifi services. Great places if you have little ones. so much to do and all of the staff was wonderful.

    They have Cabins too! I didnt stay in them but they are pretty cute.

  • K
    Jul. 30, 2021

    Camp Three Campground

    Decent facilities, stellar location

    While our first impressions were terrible (we did not love our originally reserved site - #33), once we moved to another available spot and started exploring, we ended up having the time of our lives. 

    The campground itself left a lot to be desired (lots of trash, half the sites are extremely rocky / sandy with little shade, some sites have rotting or broken picnic benches and very little privacy, and 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 part during the summer: swimming in the Kern River. 

    We stayed at site #29, where (like sites #25, #27, #28 & #30), there were nice, flat, soft surfaces to pitch your tent under the trees just beyond where you park your vehicles for privacy and shade. From these gems, the river is just a short, 1 or 2 minute walk to the River. Though nice to be near the water spouts and bathrooms, we would not recommend sites (#3-19, #22, #24, #26) Further down the river, we noticed that sites opened up a bit more and had much more space and shade, AND that the river was a lot closer - all great for larger groups and especially those with children. If we were to come back, we'd probably choose site #47 which had two shaded, flat places right near the site and was only a few steps from the river - which had a nice shaded space for chairs along it. Only downside for being on the end is that you're next to the Day Use entry point from the road.

  • Dene H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 13, 2020

    Hungry Gulch

    Terrible

    Review

    Made reservation on Recreation.gov. Arrived at 4pm. Sites are said to be assigned upon arrival. Camp host was the only tent found pitched in the entire campground. It’s during the pandemic and some places are closed. Campground sign said full. Yelled to see if anyone was there in the campsite and no answer from the camp host. Left a voicemail with campground to let them know my name and reservation info and I have was going to look for a spot. Picked a spot with shade - very few available. Some trees, but not large Sequoias like you may expect since it’s near the Sequoia National Forest. This place is desert hot and might be a bit miserable for folks to just hangout here. There’s no hookups. It’s near Lake Isabella. Went to bed and didn’t see a camp host that evening. ANTS!! So many ants in my camper in the morning. Ack!! Talked to a waitress in town and she says the campground I was at is known for an ant problem. Had to get diatomaceous earth at the hardware store in town along with ant traps galore now that my camper was overrun. Find out from the locals this campground has a reputation for being bad. I had to reconsider my plan to stay there and went elsewhere... so frustrating.

  • Natalie G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 28, 2020

    Hungry Gulch

    Good location, bad management

    Our 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.

  • Christopher D.
    Jun. 16, 2019

    Halfway Group Campground

    Chill and isolated camping along the Kern River

    Camped here a couple times with a college group, once in the fall and once in the fall. The Kern River valley is definitely more of a summer destination, because on both occasions camping here our group was the only group in the campground. There are a few different group sites available, with varying group size limitations. When we camped, only a single porta potty was provided which sort of worked with a smallish group, but if we had more people it would have been an issue. At one point we even ran out of TP and had to drive to the neighboring campground down the road to ask the host there for some more rolls, which she happily provided. Also keep in mind there is no running water at al here. Either bring your own or filter/boil the river water. Camping in the off season was nice because it felt so isolated, and our group had a good time. The campground is right up against the river so you will definitely hear it roaring at night. There are many hikes to do in the valley, especially if you drive north. The town of Kernville is also 10 minutes to the south and has a grocery store, gas station, and even a brewery! Overall this campground was really relaxing, and had some awesome views of the towering peaks above the valley floor. I could definitely recommend this campground for a group trip.


Guide to Cantil

Glamping near Cantil, California provides access to high-elevation forest retreats and riverside accommodations across Kern County. At elevations of 6,000+ feet in the surrounding mountain parks, temperatures can remain 30 degrees cooler than desert floors during summer months. Several designated campgrounds offer direct water access, fire pits, and picnic areas for overnight stays.

What to do

Riverside activities: KRS RV Resort@Camp James connects visitors to water recreation with sites positioned along the Kern River. "We stayed in site 81 in our class C RV. Corner site on a creek that ran through the campground. The creek was great to sit in to escape the heat and float down," notes David H., adding the river levels vary seasonally with May-June having significantly higher water.

Hiking trails: Mountain trails lead from several campgrounds to scenic viewpoints. At Tehachapi Mountain Park, Shannon O. mentions, "Beautiful spot. Old school mountainside camping in the tall trees. Campsites are around 6,000', pit toilets, grills, steel fire pits, picnic tables and potable water taps." The park connects to trails leading to the highest local peaks.

Fishing opportunities: Brite Lake Aquatic Recreation Area provides fishing access with sites positioned near shorelines. "Far from the highway so no traffic noise that I've noticed. Very beautiful location overlooking a lake," states Bill N., though water access rules restrict swimming in some locations.

What campers like

Cooler temperatures: Summer visitors appreciate the temperature difference at higher elevations. "This is a hidden gem. It was 100 in Mojave and 70 in the TMP. Gorgeous tall evergreens and some larger oaks," reports Shannon O. about Tehachapi Mountain Park, making it a popular escape from desert heat.

Privacy between sites: Headquarters Campground offers more secluded sites than other area campgrounds. "By far the best campground there. The river front campsites are awesome and have a great size. There's plenty of shade (which is rare for the area), and the section of river is so fun," according to Morgan F.

Creek access: Multiple campgrounds feature small creeks in addition to river access. "We stayed here June 2019 and absolutely loved it. We had site 80 which is back up right on the small Creek that runs right thru the middle of the grounds. The kids loved tubing down it all day," shares Amber D., highlighting the family-friendly water features beyond the main river.

What you should know

Site selection considerations: When glamping near Cantil, site selection significantly impacts your experience. At Tehachapi Mountain Park, "Some sites are very near each other, others are more dispersed. There are large groups sites," notes Shannon O. The reviewer further cautions, "this is not a place for large RVs or trailers. The road in is tight and twisty with no shoulders and some trees and rock faces snug up against it."

Reservation requirements: Some campgrounds require advance planning while others operate first-come, first-served. "We stopped here on the way from SF to AZ in October. There are lots of open spots, FCFS. Vault toilets and trash cans scattered throughout. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring," reports Katt J., with cost information: "Cost was $18 paid in envelopes at the entrance."

Seasonal considerations: Lake Isabella-Kern River KOA remains open year-round but offers different amenities in different seasons. "Overall nice site with full hookups & wi-fi/cell. Had a nice shade tree but it can be real sunny without one," shares Ricky S., adding it works well for "last minute reservations too, online booking works."

Tips for camping with families

Water play options: Many families choose sites near creeks rather than the main river for safer water activities. "The campsites had plenty of room. Easily accessed by any car, this spot offers pit toilets, picnic table, and grill," explains Mara S., noting the importance of site selection for family stays.

Kid-friendly campgrounds: Camp Three Campground offers family-oriented spaces with creek access. "From these gems, the river is just a short, 1 or 2 minute walk to the River," shares Kim, adding that "sites opened up a bit more and had much more space and shade, AND that the river was a lot closer - all great for larger groups and especially those with children."

Organized activities: Some glamping facilities provide scheduled activities for families. "This campground even offers activities for the whole family, movie night, bingo, even rock painting," notes Andrea R., indicating that structured entertainment supplements natural recreation options during longer stays.

Tips from RVers

Size restrictions: Halfway Group Campground accommodates smaller RVs but with limitations. "When using a pop up you are essentially camping in the parking lot. It didn't end up being a bad spot but I would definitely say this site is more appropriate for tent camping," warns Kramer B., highlighting the importance of verifying vehicle restrictions before arrival.

Hookup availability: RV sites with full hookups are limited in the region. "The RV sights with full hooks up are further away from the river about 200 yards," Jeff G. points out, noting the tradeoff between amenities and prime locations at many campgrounds near water features.

Road access concerns: Many mountain campgrounds have challenging access roads for larger rigs. "The campground is very steep, the roads are one lane and very very curvy," cautions Shannon O., adding that grades in some areas exceed 10% with sharp hairpin turns that can challenge drivers towing campers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Cantil, CA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Cantil, CA is Tehachapi Mountain Park with a 4.6-star rating from 14 reviews.

What is the best site to find glamping camping near Cantil, CA?

TheDyrt.com has all 15 glamping camping locations near Cantil, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.