12
Sequoia National Forest › Kern River Ranger District › California
› Kern County
› Kernville
› Headquarters Campground
› Campsite #12
Campsite #12 at Headquarters Campground, CA
$34
Campsite #12
| 6 people | |
| 30 ft | Back-In |
| 2 | no signal |
12/5
2/13
Campsite #12 Features: Back-In parking, Fire ring, Picnic Table, RV Site, Trailer Site, Pets Allowed
Campsite Reviews (3)
3.0 out of 5
| 5 star | | 0% |
| 4 star | | 67% |
| 3 star | | 33% |
| 2 star | | 0% |
| 1 star | | 0% |
@RobertR8191303 · Camped on Nov 24, 2025 at Campsite #12
Clean pit toilets and ample water spigots. No trash cans around that I could see, though I was told that guests could dump their trash at the large dumpster at the entrance. Unfortunately, and maybe due to lack of trash cans, their was 'some' unsightly litter scattered through the campground. (I picked up my share of litter, but again there was no trash can to put it in.) And no showers either. Still, you can be right next to the river and with my Lifetime Senior pass I get 50% off reservations.
@NancyL283 · Camped on May 16, 2021 at Campsite #12
Unusual trip. No loud campers, water and air was warm but not hot.
@SteveK946 · Camped on May 6, 2021 at Campsite #12
The Headquarters campground was fine. Though the sites adjacent to ours were empty, it was very quiet, both during the day and at night. Our site was about 100 ft from the river, and the loudest sound at night was the river flowing and frogs croaking. The paved parking pad in our site was fine for our 2 cars, but would probably have been too small for a 3rd. The picnic table was a bit dirty and could have used fresh paint, but that's not a big deal. Our site had a bear box, which was clean and solid, though the latch was a bit difficult to open. We saw no evidence of bear activity around our site. The water from the water spigot was visibly dirty, more-so than the river, so I would not consider safe to drink. The restroom near our site was reasonably clean and and good condition.
Campground aside, I was less than satisfied with the recreation.gov website. It rejected my 11-years-old username & password, and creating a new account did not go smoothly. After finally getting a new account set up and making the reservation, the 2 emails I received before the trip had inaccurate information. The first said "This email is NOT your pass, permit, ticket, or entry document for your reservation. You’ll receive a separate confirmation email with important travel planning details as well as your pass, permit, ticket, or entry information." The 2nd was a "Reservation Reminder" and did not contain anything resembling an official pass/permit/ticket/etc. It also contained some inaccurate information, claiming that campfires were prohibited, which turned out to not be true. Not terrible, but some room for improvement.
Campground aside, I was less than satisfied with the recreation.gov website. It rejected my 11-years-old username & password, and creating a new account did not go smoothly. After finally getting a new account set up and making the reservation, the 2 emails I received before the trip had inaccurate information. The first said "This email is NOT your pass, permit, ticket, or entry document for your reservation. You’ll receive a separate confirmation email with important travel planning details as well as your pass, permit, ticket, or entry information." The 2nd was a "Reservation Reminder" and did not contain anything resembling an official pass/permit/ticket/etc. It also contained some inaccurate information, claiming that campfires were prohibited, which turned out to not be true. Not terrible, but some room for improvement.
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