Established Camping
Camp Three Campground
About
National Forest
Sequoia National Forest
Overview
Camp Three Campground is set amidst oak and locust trees at an elevation of 2,800 feet on the Upper Kern River, offering countless recreational opportunities for visitors.
Recreation
Hiking, fishing, kayaking and rafting are popular activities in the Upper Kern River area.
Facilities
The campground consists of 52 paved sites and a group camp that accommodates up to 30 people for friends or family gatherings. Drinking water, vault toilets, and campfire rings are all provided.This facility is operated by Rocky Mountain Recreation Company, a division of ExplorUS and comments are welcome; comment forms are available from campground hosts or online.
Natural Features
The Sequoia National Forest, located at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada in central California, takes its name from the giant sequoia, the world's largest tree, which grows in more than 30 groves on the Forest's lower slopes. The Forest comprises about 1.1 million acres, and elevations range from about 1,000 to 12,000 feet, creating precipitous canyons and mountain streams with spectacular waterfalls, such as Salmon Creek Falls near Fairview and Grizzly Falls on the Kings River. Gray pines, scrub oaks, grass and dry climate shrubs cling to steep, canyon walls while cottonwoods and willows line the river's edge.
Nearby Attractions
The Cannell Meadow National Recreation Trailhead is just north of Kernville. Day trips include the Sequoia National Park, Trail of a Hundred Giants, and numerous sequoia groves in the Sequoia National Monument. The Giant Sequoia Mercantile offers a wide variety of books, maps, gifts, local art, camping supplies and other merchandise.
contact_info
For facility specific information, please call (760) 376-1269.
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonUnknown
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
- Yurts
Features
For Campers
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Phone Service
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Water Hookups
- Big Rig Friendly
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.
- (20) View All
Great campground.
Best sites are right next to the river. Spacious with a good amount of privacy depending on the site you get. Easy to float to if you go up river. Keep an eye out for rattlesnakes during the summer months Mx
Great Seclusion
This is a great primitive campground if you truly want to disconnect for a few days. No cell reception, no WiFi, there are restrooms but no showers. Take a 3 minute walk through the woods to get to Kern River and you have a little oasis away from it all. Bring everything you need with you. Currently no fires permitted. Great place to unplug and decompress.
- (4) View All
Location
Camp Three Campground is located in California
Directions
From Highway 99 in Bakersfield, California, take Highway 178 east to Lake Isabella. From Lake Isabella take Highway 155 around the west side of the lake to the town of Kernville. Turn north on Sierra Way/Mountain 99 and continue 5 miles to the campground.
Address
PO BOX 1640
Kernville, CA 93238
Coordinates
35.809269 N
118.453606 W