Headquarters view
HEADQUARTERS
HEADQUARTERS
HEADQUARTERS
HEADQUARTERS

Featured amenities

Picnic Table Picnic Table
Restrooms Restrooms
Fire Pit Fire Pit

Available sites

40 total sites

About Headquarters

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

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
🚐 003, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
⛺ 004, Loop: A Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🚐 005, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
⛺ 006, Loop: A Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 007, Loop: A Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 008, Loop: A Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🚐 009, Loop: C RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
⛺ 010, Loop: C Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 011, Loop: C Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🚐 012, Loop: C RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 013, Loop: C RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
⛺ 014, Loop: C Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🚐 015, Loop: C RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 016, Loop: C RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 017, Loop: C RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 018, Loop: C RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
⛺ 019, Loop: A Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🚐 020, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 021, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 022, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 023, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
⛺ 024, Loop: A Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🚐 025, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 026, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 027, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 028, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 029, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 030, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
✨ 031, Loop: Yurt Yurt
6 guests · Campfire
🚐 032, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 033, Loop: A RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
⛺ 035, Loop: B Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🚐 036, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 037, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 038, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
⛺ 039, Loop: B Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
⛺ 042, Loop: B Tent
Paved · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🚐 043, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐 044, Loop: B RV
Pet Friendly · Paved · Driveway entry: Back-In

Reviews (576)

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
576 reviews
5
57.6%
332
4
21.7%
125
3
10.8%
62
2
5.6%
32
1
4.3%
25

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.

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.

Hannah B

Verified

May 10, 2021 • Stayed at: 038, Loop: B

5

Location feels tucked away while still being close enough to town to restock on supplies. Sites were sizeable with easy river access. Camp host was super friendly and helpful. Definitely coming back!

Hannah B

Verified

May 10, 2021 • Stayed at: 038, Loop: B

5

Location feels tucked away while still being close enough to town to restock on supplies. Sites were sizeable with easy river access. Camp host was super friendly and helpful. Definitely coming back!

Kyle S

Verified

May 9, 2021 • Stayed at: 002, Loop: Yurt

5

I thought there would be a check in process prior to you being able to set up. In reality you just find your spot and then later on the camp host comes around later that night.very smooth process, just not any signs so we just had to guess a little.

Kyle S

Verified

May 9, 2021 • Stayed at: 002, Loop: Yurt

5

I thought there would be a check in process prior to you being able to set up. In reality you just find your spot and then later on the camp host comes around later that night.very smooth process, just not any signs so we just had to guess a little.

Anita S

Verified

May 6, 2021 • Stayed at: 011, Loop: C

3

Site 11 is close to the toilet, and the odor and flies are noticeable. Not much screening vegetation between sites at this part of the campground. Road noise was also nearby. Host was very kind and gave me driving directions. Bird life in the campground was exceptional. Bear box was too hard for me to open- I am 69 and my hands didn't have the strength to pull the lever; seems like a bad design.

Pamela L

Verified

May 6, 2021 • Stayed at: 031, Loop: Yurt

5

Camp host was friendly, knowledgeable and reasonable. The site was excellent. We have stayed before. This time we stayed in a yurt, just for the fun novelty. It worked out well. Very good camp ground.

Anita S

Verified

May 6, 2021 • Stayed at: 011, Loop: C

3

Site 11 is close to the toilet, and the odor and flies are noticeable. Not much screening vegetation between sites at this part of the campground. Road noise was also nearby. Host was very kind and gave me driving directions. Bird life in the campground was exceptional. Bear box was too hard for me to open- I am 69 and my hands didn't have the strength to pull the lever; seems like a bad design.

Pamela L

Verified

May 6, 2021 • Stayed at: 031, Loop: Yurt

5

Camp host was friendly, knowledgeable and reasonable. The site was excellent. We have stayed before. This time we stayed in a yurt, just for the fun novelty. It worked out well. Very good camp ground.

Location & Directions for Headquarters

Po Box 1640, Kernville, CA 93238 United States

Elevation: 850 ft

Nearest town

Kernville, CA - 3.9 mi

About 8 min to downtown

Nearby Campgrounds

Nearby destinations


Last updated: October 20, 2026

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Explore Kernville, CA

Population: 857

Nearby larger city

Porterville, CA

Approx. 37 mi away (straight-line distance)

Elevation: 2,661 ft

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