Headquarters

Headquarters view
HEADQUARTERS
HEADQUARTERS
HEADQUARTERS
HEADQUARTERS

Featured amenities

Picnic Table Picnic Table
Restrooms Restrooms
Fire Pit Fire Pit

Sites & Rates

Average nightly rates

40 total sites

RV Sites

26 sites

Tent Sites

12 sites

Yurts

2 sites

About 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.

Number of accommodations: 40

Seasonal information

2026 (Current year)

2026 Season availability

Current season
Upcoming seasons
Past seasons
Closed periods
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Open year round

This campground is open year round, providing flexibility for your stay.

365 Days

Campground Amenities

Most popular amenities

Picnic Table Picnic Table
Restrooms Restrooms
Fire Pit Fire Pit
Site Setup and Access

Site Setup and Access

  • ADA Accessible
Water and Hygiene

Water and Hygiene

  • Potable Water
  • Restrooms
Cooking and Fire

Cooking and Fire

  • Picnic Table
  • BBQ
  • Fire Pit
Missing information?

Rates, Sites & Availability

Select check-in and check-out dates to see real-time availability for each site.

40 Sites Available

Site
Price
002, Loop: Yurt Yurt
6 guests · Campfire
Price not available
🚐 003, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
004, Loop: A Tent
6 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
🚐 005, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
006, Loop: A Tent
6 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
007, Loop: A Tent
6 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
008, Loop: A Tent
6 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
🚐 009, Loop: C RV
No Hookups
Price not available
010, Loop: C Tent
6 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
011, Loop: C Tent
6 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
🚐 012, Loop: C RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 013, Loop: C RV
No Hookups
Price not available
014, Loop: C Tent
6 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
🚐 015, Loop: C RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 016, Loop: C RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 017, Loop: C RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 018, Loop: C RV
No Hookups
Price not available
019, Loop: A Tent
6 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
🚐 020, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 021, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 022, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 023, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
024, Loop: A Tent
6 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
🚐 025, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 026, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 027, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 028, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 029, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 030, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
031, Loop: Yurt Yurt
6 guests · Campfire
Price not available
🚐 032, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 033, Loop: A RV
No Hookups
Price not available
035, Loop: B Tent
6 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
🚐 036, Loop: B RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 037, Loop: B RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 038, Loop: B RV
No Hookups
Price not available
039, Loop: B Tent
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
042, Loop: B Tent
6 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
🚐 043, Loop: B RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 044, Loop: B RV
No Hookups
Price not available

Reviews (565)

What Guests Are Saying

Headquarters Campground offers a charming and family-friendly atmosphere, with clean facilities and attentive hosts, particularly Candace, who enhances the camping experience. Many families cherish their time here, enjoying the beautiful river access and the peaceful surroundings. While there are some concerns about water quality and restroom conditions, overall, visitors appreciate the campground's beauty and are eager to return.

Review Summary

4.2
565 reviews
5
57.2%
323
4
21.9%
124
3
11.0%
62
2
5.7%
32
1
4.2%
24

Tom H

Verified

May 28, 2021 Stayed at: 023, Loop: A

4

It is always very good, did have loud neighbors till 2:00 am. They did let least 12 people stay in the site next to me.

Nancy L

Verified

May 27, 2021 Stayed at: 012, Loop: C

4

Unusual trip. No loud campers, water and air was warm but not hot.

Nancy L

Verified

May 27, 2021 Stayed at: 012, Loop: C

4

Unusual trip. No loud campers, water and air was warm but not hot.

Kim E

Verified

May 23, 2021 Stayed at: 009, Loop: C

2

Small and crowded campground. We have a 21’ trailer with an F-150 and its was a challenge getting into the site.

Kim E

Verified

May 23, 2021 Stayed at: 009, Loop: C

2

Small and crowded campground. We have a 21’ trailer with an F-150 and its was a challenge getting into the site.

Bradley W

Verified

May 21, 2021 Stayed at: 015, Loop: C

1

So... this campground is old, small and out of cell phone range. That’s not what we needed on that particular night. Our 1/2 ton truck and 25’ travel trailer barely fit through the park. Our site would have required us to unhitch (in fairness, I probably should have known that from research in advance... my bad). We moved down the road to a commercial campground and for us, that was a better fit for one night.

That said, if you are tent camping or don’t need connection to the outside world or like the more remote location, and want to be farther upstream, this could be your five star campground... it just wasn’t for us on that night.

Bradley W

Verified

May 21, 2021 Stayed at: 015, Loop: C

1

So... this campground is old, small and out of cell phone range. That’s not what we needed on that particular night. Our 1/2 ton truck and 25’ travel trailer barely fit through the park. Our site would have required us to unhitch (in fairness, I probably should have known that from research in advance... my bad). We moved down the road to a commercial campground and for us, that was a better fit for one night.

That said, if you are tent camping or don’t need connection to the outside world or like the more remote location, and want to be farther upstream, this could be your five star campground... it just wasn’t for us on that night.

Banesa D

Verified

May 17, 2021 Stayed at: 004, Loop: A

5

Awesome

Banesa D

Verified

May 17, 2021 Stayed at: 004, Loop: A

5

Awesome

Steve K

Verified

May 14, 2021 Stayed at: 012, Loop: C

4

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.

Location Headquarters

Address:
Po Box 1640
Kernville, CA, 93238
United States

Elevation: 850 feet

Distance to downtown

3.9 mi drive to downtown Kernville (about 8 min)

Nearby Campgrounds

Nearby destinations


Last updated: September 2, 2026

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