Camping around Camp Whitsett
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There are many places to camp around the Camp Whitsett area. There are campsites with hookups in Kernville and around Lake Isabella, - and - There is everything from wilderness sites (no amenities) to decent campsites (although non-hookup) around Lake Isabella and up the Kern River.
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- For staying around the Whitsett area:
- There are three (3) wilderness campgrounds just outside the Whitsett boundaries:
Camp 1, 2 and 3. As you drive into Whitsett, you will see these sites along the right side of the road. Camp 2 is the nicest site, followed by 1. Both have a stream running through or near them. Camp 3 is dryer.
There is a really nice campground called LIMESTONE Campground. It is located on the main road to Whitsett, just before the Johnsondale bridge that crosses the Kern river.
There are two new facilities close to Whitsett are either just built or updated, and one that has been around a long time. They are:
Kern River Golden Trout Resort (set for families) [brand new] located 9 miles out of Kernville, about 20 miles out of Camp Whitsett 760-376-6033 - email: [email protected]
JOHNNY McNALLY'S FAIRVIEW LODGE [grand tradition of lodging and fantastic food] located 12 miles out of Kernville, about 13 miles out of Camp Whitsett 760-376-2430
Durrwood Creekside Lodge - Bed and Breakfast (mainly for couples) [grand tradition - newly remodled] located about 20 miles out of Kernville, 9 miles out of Camp Whitsett 760-376-2719 - email: [email protected]
Kern Lodge - a nicely refurbushed facility in Kernville Check out their website for details.
Motels and Beds-and-Breakfasts in and around Kernville located about 30-40 miles out Camp Whitsett
- Here are great places to start your "Out of Camp" search:
- Camping around Lake Isabella
Camping up along the Kern River
Here's a map of the Lake Isabella area
Here's a map of the Upper Kern River area
There is a nice campground called REDWOOD MEADOW adjacent to the superb and inspiring The Trail of 100 Giants. The campground is nice but the giant
Redwood trees that are across the street are fabulous.
There is a really nice campground called QUAKING ASPEN Campground It is located "above" Whitsett on the Western Divide Highway. It is a Forest Service campground, run by the Hot Springs Ranger District.
Here are directions to the Redwoods, Redwood Meadow and Quaking Aspen:
Once you leave Whitsett (through the main gate onto the paved road) turn left. Travel a few hundred feet. The road will turn sharply to the right, to your left
is a dirt road. Turn RIGHT onto the dirt road (it is easily passable). You will travel the dirt road for five miles, at which time you will end up on another
paved road, called the Western Divide Highway.
If you turn LEFT, you will be traveling toward the Redwood Meadow campground and the Trail of 100 Giants. If you turn to the right, you will be traveling toward
the area known as The Ponderosa and Quaking Aspen campground (just beyond the Ponderosa).
Hot Springs Ranger District
Route 4, Box 548
California Hot Springs, CA 93207
661/548-6503
FAX 661/548-6236
- For information about camping in the Sequoia National Forest, contact:
- Sequoia National Forest
900 West Grand Avenue
Porterville, CA 93257-2035
(209) 784-1500
From Quaking Aspen Campground you are near several very interesting places.
- The Ponderosa Resort
- The Trail of 100 Giants (Giant Redwood Grove)
- The Needles lookout tower (a spectacular view of the upper Kern)
- Dome Rock (from where you can see part of our hiking area)
- Mule Peak lookout tower
- Camp Nelson (small resort area)
- Quaking Aspen store (for daily needs)
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SUGGESTIONS
If the family is into fishing:
Camp along the Kern River, there are several really nice Forest Service campgrounds
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Camp around Lake Isabella, (Forest Service and Private campgrounds) If families stay around Lake Isabella they would also be near the "towns"
of Kernville & Lake Isabella for shopping, restaurants, museums, Rafting, Motels and Beds-and-Breakfasts, Bowling(in nearby Mountain Mesa), Activities,
a Golf Course, and the EMPIRE THEATER (inWofford Heights). (Check out this Tourist Infomation page).
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If the family wants hiking: there are some super trails in the area, visit the Great Outdoor Recreation Pages for information about them.
If the family was "mountain" camping with side trips: Try the Quaking Aspen campground listed above.
If the family wants pure solitude: just beyond Whitsett (about five miles) there is a really nice Forest service campground called Lower Peppermint Campground (bathrooms, established sites, etc.). They could hike around from there and take some day trips (to the Giant Redwoods and the area around Quaking Aspen) or hike right around the Peppermint area.
If they want full hookups, and nice scenery, I would suggest the Kernville area: There are some very nice trailer parks there: Camp James, Rivernook Campground,
Riverview Trailer Park, and Sierra Lodge Trailer Park. On the "other side" of the lake in Mountain Mesa, there is the Lake Isabella RV Resort, and nearby is the
Kern River Valley KOA. Between Kernville and Lake Isabella, there is also the Water's Edge trailer park.
Also check out the area at McNalleys and Roads End resorts (on the way to camp you'll pass these areas). McNalleys Restaurant is probably the best steakhouse in the west (Camp Whitsett staff's favorite). There is a store at McNalley's "Fairview on the Kern" and at Road's End Resort.
"STAY TUNED" ... as new things are remembered or discovered, they'll be placed here.