Free camping near Lake Isabella, CA
Yes. 17 of the 46 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Lake Isabella, CA are listed as free; 26 charge a fee and 3 have no price on record. The closest free one is Black Gulch South, 4.2 miles southwest, on U.S. Forest Service land. The closest camp of any kind is Main Dam, 0.4 miles north, a fee campground.
Dave has slept at 2 of these camps.
All 46 camps near Lake Isabella, CA
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Dam | 0.4 | Fee | — | 0.4 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Pioneer Point | 1.0 | Fee | — | 1.0 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| French Gulch | 1.4 | Fee | — | 1.4 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Auxiliary Dam | 1.7 | Fee | — | 1.7 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Hungry Gulch | 2.5 | Fee | — | 2.5 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| Boulder Gulch | 2.6 | Fee | — | 2.6 mi to Lake Isabella | — |
| South Fork Rec | 3.0 | Fee | — | 2.2 mi to Mountain Mesa | — |
| Paradise Cove | 3.4 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Mountain Mesa | — |
| Black Gulch South | 4.2 | Free | Clear Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Bodfish | — |
| Tillie Creek #4 | 4.4 | Fee | — | 1.5 mi to Wofford Heights | — |
| Sandy Flat | 4.4 | Fee | — | 2.2 mi to Bodfish | — |
| Live Oak Group | 4.6 | Fee | — | 1.2 mi to Wofford Heights | — |
| Tillie Creek | 4.7 | Fee | — | 1.3 mi to Wofford Heights | — |
| Camp 9 Recreation Area | 4.9 | Fee | — | 3.1 mi to Wofford Heights | — |
| Hobo | 5.0 | Fee | — | 2.4 mi to Bodfish | — |
| Evans Flat | 6.0 | Free | Greenhorn Creek (stream) | 1.6 mi to Pettit Place | — |
| Isabella lake dispersed camping | 7.4 | Free | South Fork Kern River (river) | 2.4 mi to Weldon | — |
| Cedar Creek | 9.5 | Free | Cedar Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Alta Sierra | — |
| Headquarters | 11 | Fee | — | 3.1 mi to Kernville | — |
| Camp 3 | 12 | Fee | — | 4.0 mi to Kernville | — |
| Sequoia National ForestDave slept here | 13 | Free | Kern River (river) | 2.5 mi to Riverkern | — |
| Breckenridge | 13 | Free | Mill Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Havilah | — |
| Breckenridge Campground | 13 | Free | Mill Creek (stream) | 5.0 mi to Havilah | — |
| Hospital Flat | 13 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Kernville | — |
| Kiavah Wilderness | 15 | Unpriced | — | 6.0 mi to Onyx | — |
| Corral Creek | 15 | Free | Corral Creek (stream) | 4.6 mi to Riverkern | — |
| Spring Hill South Dispersed Camping | 16 | Free | — | 7.5 mi to Kernville | — |
| Spring Hill North Dispersed Camping | 16 | Free | Gold Ledge Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Fairview | — |
| Goldledge | 16 | Fee | — | 8.3 mi to Kernville | — |
| White River | 17 | Fee | — | 1.2 mi to Sugarloaf | — |
| Old Goldledge Dispersed Camping | 17 | Free | — | 8.7 mi to Kernville | — |
| Frog Meadow | 17 | Free | Tobias Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Sugarloaf Mountain Park | — |
| Bright Star Wilderness | 17 | Unpriced | Kelso Creek (stream) | 1.5 mi to Sageland | — |
| Chamise Flats Dispersed Camping Area | 19 | Free | Tobias Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Fairview | — |
| Horse Meadow Campground | 19 | Fee | Salmon Creek (stream) | 6.6 mi to Roads End | — |
| Horse Meadow | 19 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Kernville | — |
| Calkins Flat Dispersed Campground | 19 | Free | — | — | — |
| Leavis Flat | 20 | Free | Deer Creek (stream) | 0.5 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
| Fairview | 20 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to Pine Flat | — |
| Domeland Wilderness | 22 | Unpriced | Palome Creek (stream) | 4.6 mi to Canebrake | — |
| Limestone | 23 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Ponderosa | — |
| Brush Creek | 23 | Free | Brush Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Roads End | — |
| Sequoia National ForestDave slept here | 23 | Free | Brush Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Roads End | — |
| Holey Meadow | 23 | Fee | — | 5.0 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
| Redwood Meadow | 24 | Fee | — | 7.1 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
| Long Meadow | 24 | Fee | — | 7.6 mi to California Hot Springs | — |
Who manages the camps near Lake Isabella, CA
Who manages them: 41 on the Forest Service; 3 on the BLM; 2 on an agency our record does not name.
- Sequoia National Forest — 43 camps: 17 free, 26 fee
- Bakersfield Field Office — 2 camps: 2 unpriced
- Ridgecrest Field Office — 1 camp: 1 unpriced
Season read for these camps, today
Our record has no season word for any of these 46 camps today. Call the managing office before you go.
Forecast near Lake Isabella, CA
This is the Weather Service forecast for the town, fetched when the page opens. It is not a forecast for any camp in the table; ground higher up or in a canyon can run colder or windier. It needs JavaScript; without it, see weather.gov.
Camping near other towns close by
The nearest towns that have their own page, with the straight-line miles between the towns.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Lake Isabella, CA, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.