U.S. Forest Service · Sequoia National Forest · Kernville, CA

Headquarters

Headquarters Campground is situated along the Kern River, 6 miles north of the town of Kernville. Hiking, fishing, kayaking and rafting are popular activities.

Open now Reservable · Recreation.gov 42 sites 30 ft max No hookupsPets okFires ok

More like this: reservable in California · pets allowed in California

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗

Photos courtesy of Local staff · Recreation.gov

1fire
active

Cyrus · 7 mi away · 543 acres

Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-16

Incident details ↓

Site mix

RV, no hookups		25
Tent-only		13
Yurts		2
Standard, no hookups		2

Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

Will my RV fit

Towing a trailerRear or front mounted accessoriesi

Tow vehicle length, ftTrailer length, ft

The longest site here provides 30 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter.

Have the trailer VIN? It carries the trailer length.

42 sites in 4 loops. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

Site	Loop	Type	Entry	Fits, ft	Surface	Shade	Water / sewer	People / vehicles	Fires	Pets
001	A	Tent only	Back-in		Paved	Partial	No / No	6 / 1	Yes	No
003	A	RV	Back-in	30	Paved	Partial	No / No	6 / 1	Yes	Yes
004	A	Tent only	Back-in		Paved	Partial	No / No	6 / 1	Yes	Yes
005	A	RV	Back-in	30	Paved	Partial	No / No	6 / 1	Yes	Yes
006	A	Tent only	Back-in		Paved	Partial	No / No	6 / 1	Yes	Yes
007	A	Tent only	Back-in		Paved	Partial	No / No	6 / 1	Yes	Yes
008	A	Tent only	Back-in		Paved	Partial	No / No	6 / 1	Yes	Yes
019	A	Tent only	Back-in		Paved	Partial	No / No	6 / 1	Yes	Yes
020	A	RV	Back-in	30	Paved	Partial	No / No	6 / 1	Yes	Yes
021	A	RV	Back-in	30	Paved	Partial	No / No	6 / 1	Yes	Yes

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

Hookups	None
Max vehicle length	30 ft
Equipment	RVs & trailers, Tents
Pets	Allowed
Campfires	Allowed, subject to restrictions
Accessibility	Site 022 is listed accessible

Headquarters Campground offers a mix of standard, RV and tent-only sites. Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided, as are vault toilets and drinking water.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

Status	Open
Season	Open Year Round
Forest	Sequoia National Forest
Booking	This site can be reserved by calling Toll Free 1-877-444-6777 (International 518-885-3639 or TDD 877-833-6777) or on-line at Headquarters, Sequoia National Forest - Recreation.gov.
Fees	Campsite fees range from $34/night for single unit, $8/night for extra vehicle. Yurts - $106.00 Maximum vehicle length 27’
Rules	No camping or campfires outside designated campsites.

Sequoia National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Kern River Ph 3, 1 mile from the campground at 2,703 feet, station USC00044523 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 12 inches a year.

Getting there

From Bakersfield, 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. From Kernville, go 4 miles north on Sierra Way (Mountain 99) to the campground.

Nearest town	Kernville, California
Coordinates	35.7963° N, 118.4500° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

Wildfire
Cyrus
7 mi from the campground · 543 acres · 95% contained

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Dump station	Dump station ↗	10.1 mi
Outdoor gear	Triple Crown Outfitters ↗	23.7 mi
RV sales & service	Lindustries RV Service ↗	43.8 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

Headquarters Campground | Sequoia National Forest | Kern River | Site by Site Exploration

Worth a stop

The Cannell Meadow National Recreation Trail begins just north of Kernville. The trail stretches 11.5 miles as it climbs through mixed pine and fir forest to Cannell Meadow and a historic Forest Service cabin built between 1904 and 1909. Hikers are awarded beautiful views of the Kern River Valley along the trip. Visitors enjoy making day trips to Sequoia National Park and Giant Sequoia National Monument.

0.9 mi
Riverkern Beach Picnic Site ↗Day use
4.1 mi
Corral Creek Picnic Site ↗Day use
6.5 mi
Cyrus Canyon Ohv Park ↗OHV / range
6.8 mi
Cyrus Canyon Shooting Range ↗OHV / range
7.1 mi
Tillie Creek Launch Ramp Boating Site ↗Boat launch
8.6 mi
Stine Cove Fishing Site ↗Fishing site

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →

1.4 mi
Whiskey Flat ↗
12.4 mi trail · hiking, horse
1.9 mi
Cannell Meadow ↗
23.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more · national_recreation_or_other
3.1 mi
Potato Patch ↗
11.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
4.1 mi
Split Mountain
1.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
4.9 mi
Baker Point
1.2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
5 mi
Pine Flat
1.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Sequoia National Forest.

in
Sequoia National Forest ↗
National Forest · Forest Service · 1,160,053 acres
7.3 mi
Domeland Wilderness ↗
Wilderness · BLM/FS · 133,720 acres

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Other campgrounds nearby

FS · CA

Halfway Group Campground

Reservable0.5 mi

FS · CA

Camp Three Campground

Reservable0.9 mi

FS · CA

Thunderbird Group Campground

Reservable1.4 mi

FS · CA

Chico Flat Dispersed Camping

First-come2 mi

Cabin and lookout rentals nearby

FS · CA

Poso Guard Station Cabin

Cabin rental10.894438434334058 mi

FS · CA

Quaking Aspen Cabin

Cabin rental23.046484899635608 mi

FS · CA

Oak Flat Lookout

Lookout rental23.09143894493068 mi

Natural features

The campground sits within Sequoia National Forest at an elevation of 2,800 feet in an open area overlooking the Kern Wild and Scenic River. Some sites overlook the river and lie in the shade of oak, juniper and cottonwood trees. Sites sitting further from the river are more open and have little to no shade. Sequoia National Forest, located at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada in central California, is named for 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. Elevations range from about 1,000 to 12,000 feet, creating precipitous canyons and mountain streams with spectacular waterfalls such as Salmon Creek Falls and Grizzly Falls.

Recreation

Hiking, fishing, kayaking and rafting are popular activities in the Upper Kern River area.

Guidebooks for Sequoia National Forest and California

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Hiking Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Laurel Scheidt, 2022
Find at Bookshop.org
Moon Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon
Ann Marie Brown, 2021
Find at Bookshop.org
Moon California Camping
Tom Stienstra, 2022
Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Headquarters?

Sites at Headquarters are reservable on Recreation.gov. This site can be reserved by calling Toll Free 1-877-444-6777 (International 518-885-3639 or TDD 877-833-6777) or on-line at Headquarters, Sequoia National Forest - Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at Headquarters?

Campsite fees range from $34/night for single unit, $8/night for extra vehicle. Yurts - $106.00 Maximum vehicle length 27’

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Headquarters?

Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

Is Headquarters open right now?

Open as of Oct 16, 2026. Season Open Year Round.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does Headquarters have?

42 sites, including 25 RV sites without hookups, 13 tent-only sites, 2 yurt, and 2 standard sites without power.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Headquarters?

The longest site here provides 30 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Are pets allowed at Headquarters?

Yes, pets are allowed at Headquarters. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Headquarters?

Fires are allowed in the provided rings under normal conditions. As of 2026-10-16, there is 1 active fire within 50 miles, so check current restrictions before you light one. No camping or campfires outside designated campsites.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there accessible sites at Headquarters?

Site 022 is listed accessible on Recreation.gov. What that covers (a paved pad, an accessible table, a nearby accessible restroom) is on each site's booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

Is there cell service at Headquarters?

FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 4G LTE, and T-Mobile 4G LTE at the campground point. Terrain changes that from one site to the next.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

What is the nearest town to Headquarters?

Kernville, California. The Cannell Meadow National Recreation Trail begins just north of Kernville.

Source: Getting there

What if Headquarters is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Halfway Group Campground (0.5 mi), Camp Three Campground (0.9 mi), and Thunderbird Group Campground (1.4 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby