Camp James Campground

Our first time camping at the river, and we were impressed with Camp James! Staff was helpful when booking our site just a week before our arrival date and they were very friendly when we arrived. The groundskeeper was also friendly when making his rounds. I was impressed to find a freshly raked, clean and well maintained site on the creek! The fellow campers were also awesome to be around as well. We can’t wait to visit again!

Let me start off by stating that I’m giving the pros and cons here to hopefully add as much validity to my review as possible and not come off as just an irritated or upset patron…
We visited Kern for our anniversary last month and had attempted to stay at Camp James because of good reviews, a recommendation from a friend who is (was) a regular visitor, and because I had stayed there several times growing up. The campground is beautiful, clean, and has a phenomenal location. I called and spoke with Kim, who was extremely pleasant when I first called, and reserved a water front spot and a trailer. This was my girlfriend’s first time to Kern, so we looked at the map and chose our specific site (site 27) based on the location in relation to the river. Upon completing the reservation, I tried to give Kim a credit card to pay and was told they only accepted cash or a check… no big deal at all. I asked for the pertinent info for the check so I could send one out the next day and was told all of the info would come in an email. Well, around 4:30pm, the email arrived… Great, site and trailer are picked and reserved, trip is set, and we’re excited! I’ll mail the check first thing in the morning!
Now where the story turns. At 7:45pm, I received a second email cancelling my reservation. Confused and concerned, I responded to the email that same night and attached the cancellation email asking for confirmation that all was still good to go. I also called at 8:45am the next morning (not knowing the didn’t open until 9 and also unaware they were open late). I called again later in the afternoon and spoke to Kim, who proceeded to tell me that, «I must have called to cancel because she would not have done the cancellation paperwork without something triggering it.» Now I’m not saying something didn’t «trigger it,» but I know I didn’t accidentally call and cancel my reservation ON MY ANNIVERSARY. I was extremely understanding and polite at this point and calmly explained that there was obviously a mistake made on their side and that I did, in fact, still want my reservation. Unfortunately, my site had been given to someone else. Kim continued to look for the cancellation paperwork over the next day and couldn’t find it, but is/​was convinced she had done it and I had initiated it. Needless to say, my calm demeanor had diminished after two days of back and forth & I was very frustrated. They refused to cancel the other patrons’ reservation even though we had the spot reserved prior to them and Camp James made the mistake. They were going to have a disconcerted customer no matter what and should have owned up to their mistake and told the second customer that a mistake had been made and the spot was already reserved.
Now for the escalation… this is my last call to Camp James. Kim and her manager (I assume the owner) isn’t budging. I hear her in the background saying I should have called when I received the email (mind you I received the email at almost 8 at night, responded immediately to that email, and called first thing in the morning. I never received a response.) Kim then proceeds to tell me that she thinks I, «must have cancelled the reservation and then changed [my] mind and now [I’m] trying to make it seem like it was her fault.» I talked to the manager after this, furious at this point after essentially being called a liar. The manager took the side of her employee and was very rude. Now to add a little more validity and admit I absolutely lost my temper and ended the conversation with «f*** you» and hanging up… justified or not, that didn’t help the situation.
Sorry for the very long story. I tried to condense it, but wanted to make sure the details were all there. We will never stay here, nor will several family and friends. It really is a shame because this used to be our go-​to spot.
I’ve seen a few very unprofessional/​un-​businesslike responses to negative reviews from Camp James on other review sites so I’ll just say up front… Camp James, should you choose to respond and try to negate what I have said, that’s fine, have the fine word :)

Had a wonderful weekend at Camp James this past weekend. I got to meet the new owners who were very friendly. (The prior owners in my opinion were kinda rude.) The campgrounds were very clean with lots of pretty trees. I would suggest sites 60 to 67 if you have kids, this is in front of the creek that kids love to play in. Camp James is in walking distance to the brewery which is always fun to go too and also a great restaurant Ewings. Camp James does expect the campers to respect quiet time (10pm) however our group sat around the fire talking till about 1am and had no complaints. I highly recommend camping here. I wish I was still there!

Love this place ! Relaxing.if.u want to party all night go somewhere else they wont put up with loud music carring on all. night which i appreciate, early bird gets the worm. they just re painted bathrooms and are redoing alot of stuff upgrading it very nice

UH-​OH … NEW OWNERS AND POOR MANAGEMENT … YOUR FAULT IF YOU STAY HERE!!!
We rented three cabins for a family retreat weekend at a cost that is more than a Marriott stay.
Upon Check-​in, we were told our credit cards had been charged $ 200 that would be reversed once they determined we hadn’t stolen anything or damaged the cabin (WHAT?!) — good thing we use credit and not debit cards!
Once settled in the semi-​clean cabin, we discovered AFTER the cold showers that propane tanks were turned off on all three cabins which was the FAULT of the maintenance crew. But, it was our FAULT for not ensuring the tanks were turned on before taking showers.
The manager promised to «make it right» by us only to never be heard from again.
Several TV channels were without sound … It’s DirecTV’s FAULT (as they explained) … They have nothing to do with it.
Internet service did not work … It’s Apple’s FAULT (another «not our problem») … We, too, were at FAULT because WE chose the wrong provider. Interesting, our Android phones did not get a signal either.
Four towels per cabin were provided for a four day stay for five people per cabin … We were scolded when we asked for fresh clean towels as we were reminded this is NOT a hotel … as if we couldn’t tell by the poor service). Our FAULT for not keeping our ONE towel clean for FOUR days.
No extra trash bags to empty trash … Those must be a premium too. Our FAULT for not bringing extras.
You get the idea … No accountability or service whatsoever!
The former owners and managers’ (Kimberly and Jeff) were all great and are now gone … as are we …
Won’t be back anytime soon with this FAULTLESS team!

Camp James is great. I have already, and will continue to recommend it to friends… And I will definitely be returning.
I just camped there last weekend and had a great time (despite the fact that I accidentally got hit in the face with a kayak oar… Ouch, my fault.).
My boyfriend and I were recommended to Camp James by a friend. When my boyfriend called to book our site he asked to book the best, most scenic, on the water site. Camp site number 90 is what the lady said we should book. When we rolled up… Sure enough, campsite number 90 was beautiful… And was located at the perfect spot of Kern River.
Everything about Camp James is clean… The Bathrooms are PRISTINE… I swear they look brand new. I’m not kidding. Everything shines in the bathroom. They have hot water in the showers… Not just warm water, but hot. While camping it is so relieving to take a hot shower.
Our campsite was picture perfect with a very clean picnic table and a clean firepit.
I’ve seen reviews that say the staff are super strict and rude… I beg to differ. When we arrived, a nice lady that seemed to be either upper management or perhaps an owner, checked in with us to make sure we were happy. She did it in a very noninvasive way and made us feel welcomed.
The only reason I am not giving Camp James full stars is because of some of the people who camp there…
I think because the camp is so nice… that it attracts a certain set of people who don’t camp much and maybe are unfamiliar with «camp etiquette.»
The first night we were there, we were awoken at 4:00 in the morning by a large RV with their lights pointing directly at our tent and their engine revving… They were getting ready to leave… They revved their engine and pointed their lights at our tent for about 20 minutes… This is the same family that played a game of football that extended into our campsite as we were eating dinner.
After the RV finally left at 4:30 am there was an older gentleman who was walking his 2 Pomeranians that were wearing sweaters all over the campgrounds. Instead of carrying flashlights he carried a large spotlight and thought it was a good idea to flash it all over our tent about a hundred times.
And then at 5am there was another RV that decided to leave and in the process they decided to loudly hammer something out of the ground.
Another caviat is they use a leaf blower to clean the campgrounds and they start right at 7am… It’s not only loud but it blows dust EVERYWHERE… I called the front desk and they were very friendly and actually had the leaf blower stopped.
But really, I loved Camp James and will plan another trip soon.
The point is: Camp James is amazing… Just try to use more etequette when you camp there, people. Quiet time = 10pm to 7am. Be quiet during those times and Don’t flash other camper’s tents with lights… Ok, thanks.

What a beautiful camp ground.. honestly one of my favorite location’s because it had water, shade, good weather and not many bugs. … so you ask, why the 1 star?
Unfortunately, the problem here has to do with service, rules and staff and which made the 4 family trip become uncomfortable. We had 3 camp sites. and most kids were 5 or under.
The employees here are like robots. they lack emotions or the ability to make decisions based on current information or reasoning.
They are a «camp», or so they call themselves one… but yet do they offer the service or sincerety of any camp I have ever attended.
I don’t want to get into any details or name names, but if I was the owner here, I would have a talk with my staff and let them know to look after the people that stay here and not make their stay here difficult or uncomfortable.

Very clean, very nice, had a really good time here. Wish there were more spots closer to the river without the 5 day rule. But over all the sites were good. We had two tents and a Rv so we were able to be next to each other which was good we all just walked back and fourth to each other’s sites. Brought kids and fishing poles and tubes. The men fished the ladies tubed the lake and we all had a wonderful experience. I was super happy the kids also couldn’t get the wifi to work so we all had to to talk to each other ! Who knew we could do that lol !

We had an amazing time at Camp James! We stayed here with our family, and two other families at the end of July. They require a 5 night stay, and so glad we did!
They are right off of the kern River, so it was nice to be able to walk on over to a beach area and float around for the day. All the sites were clean and very well taken care of. I heard the bathrooms were very clean, we had full hookups fur our RV, so we didn’t use the facilities.
Music has to be off by 10pm and during the day at a level for your entertainment. So not a party site for sure, but I’m okay with that when I have kids. Staff was very friendly!
The only hiccup we had was when booking our sites ahead of time over the phone, about 2 hours after our arrival they tried to say our friends parked in the wrong site then what they were told. We didn’t recall hearing a site number when told to go ahead and pull in to our site and once set up check in to pay. Well another camper pulled in and that is when this back and forth started happening about the wrong site. They did pull into the site that was on our reservation, because it was the closest they had for our group to be near each other. So beware that in the paperwork there is a section that says they have the right to move your site at any time. I think a phone call, email, or at check in explaining that they changed the site number and why, would have been a better approach.
Other then this, it did not change the fact that we all enjoyed Camp James and most likely will make it an annual trip.

I love the river, nice small creek for the kids to play in, very clean… BUT, the staff is extremely strict.
I would like to enjoy my full camping experience without feeling like I am constantly being watched and hounded by, I had two cars parking in MY spot and within minutes i had a note on my window telling me to move it… towards the end of our trip my family and I found ourselves whispering at 9pm…
I mean come on guys! Lay off just a tad!

Forgot to write this in spring. My boyfriend and I LOVE this place. We’re young but we don’t go camping to party. After a long day on the river it was great to be able to come back to a relaxing campground. Our site was right on the creek and the bubbling of the water helped drown out the little bit of noise there was! Excellent place!
Side note we never ran into any male manager as listed in other reviews. The lady was very nice though! I will update review if we ever run into him (good or bad).

Another great trip in the books of memories ended today. Even with the crazy rain at times we still managed to huddle our large group together and make the best of it. This was our second straight year with a family that has been going for years. We look forward to next year to do it all over again!

Just got back from an amazing camping trip. Stayed in Camp James lot 81. It was pretty busy, but with the amount of people I would have expected a lot more noise and a lot more congestion on the river. This was not the case! Yes, there is a noise curfew at 10pm and I for one LOVED IT. They have signs posted every where, «if you happen to like the sound of music over the sound of nature keep it to yourself» or something like that. I think that’s an awesome policy. I mean your going camping… in nature… put your electronics away and enjoy the serenity of the Kern. The staff at the office were super helpful and extremely friendly. I for one expected the bathrooms to be… well what you would expect from a campground bathroom. Again, not the case! The bathrooms were clean, stocked, and well lit at night. One note of warning, if you are looking for roughing it, out in the wilderness camping, Camp James may be a let down. Many RV families go here and with its proximity to Kernville its as close to
civilization as you can get. For us, we haven’t been camping in quite a while so it was perfect. I would definitely come back here, maybe in the off season when it’s not so busy.

Friendly/​helpful staff ! We took our twins boys camping for their first time at camp James last night, all my friends recommended camping there, so we did and Loved it!!! We got a spot right on the creek the boys had fun playing in there and riding their bikes around camp. I highly recommend staying there for family camping.

Camp James looked like a really nice campground and my husband and I were very excited to spend a long weekend there with our friends. We packed up our gear, loaded our 2 dogs into the car and drove 3 hours to get there. Upon arriving, we checked in at the office and they told us our site was not ready yet but to park and go walk the grounds. As soon as we got the dogs, dachshund and pitbull mix, out of the car the staff member came out and told us that pitbulls are not welcomed on the property and she asked us to leave.
Now, I’m all for following the rules BUT nowhere on their website or any printed material does it say that certain breeds are prohibited from visiting the property. We even asked if dogs were permitted when we called to make the reservation and there was absolutely no mention of this exclusion. When I mentioned this to the female staff member she said, «Well if you had told us you had a pitbull we would have said right away that they are not allowed to be here.» Pardon me, but why should I just assume that my dog is not welcome when you clearly stated that DOGS are allowed? Be sure to check with them which breeds are allowed/​prohibited.
Needless to say, we told our friends hello and goodbye, got back in the vehicle and drove 3 hours home. Very disappointing. We definitely will not be trying to visit this site again.

Just returned home Camp James a couple of hours ago. We had a great experience! Due to travel complications — we arrived well after 10 PM. Donna actually contacted US before our arrival — and arrangements were made for us to keep our reservations without inconveniencing the other visitors. (Very fare I thought!)
We checked in the next morning, and were offered a spot even nicer than what I had requested! The staff answered all my questions from places for us to eat — to what the trout were eating this week!
I liked the site, the staff, the facilities, the scenery, the other visitors, and Kernville.
We WILL return!

Planned a wonderful weekend with the family had the rudest management will never go back and I will post this on Facebook advise no one to go there horrible
This is camp quiet

Came to Camp James years ago with our family. At that time the facilities were excellent, the river/​creek side access was great and the sites were comfortable, shaded and semi-​private. The restroom facilities were perfect too. The staff were pretty rude, immature & unprofessional, but you can deal with that by avoiding them or telling them to piss off and mind their own business — not yours. They’ll grumble and go away…
However when I returned on my motorcycle ready to camp again a few years ago, they had a big «NO MOTORCYCLES» sign at the entrance. Also on their website it’s clearly stated that motorcycles aren’t permitted. In addition to motorcycles, they’re also restrictive and hypersensitive regarding certain breeds of dogs, kids, casual conversation around the campfire and can even be rude if you’re not white (racist). The management here are real neanderthals and a piece of work…
For all of you who ride street bikes, BMW’s, Gold Wings or Harleys looking for a great campsite — forget about it. If you take a small motorcycle with you on the back of your RV to run into town with — don’t even think about using it here. Even if you don’t remove your small trail bike from your back bumper, I’m pretty sure they would kick you out because of it.
I’m not sure what the owner’s problems are, but painting all riders with a broad brush, stereotyping and discriminating against customers based on their mode of transportation, race, pets, kids and other things is hateful, ignorant & wrong. Their actions are possibly illegal, breaking the Unruh Act in California which guarantees free access to everyone regardless of their appearance.
If you’re one of the 4% of Californians who ride a motorcycle of any kind, I strongly encourage you to avoid Camp James — whether you bring your bike with you or not. Don’t support a business which blatantly doesn’t support riders… There are many excellent State and Federal campgrounds in the Lake Isabella and Kernville area which follow state law and don’t discriminate against motorcyclists, have excellent restrooms, river and lake access and which are cheaper to boot.
UPDATE — I’ve heard through the grapevine that Camp James has new owners. Reportedly they no longer discriminate against motorcyclists, permit ALL breeds of dogs and are more friendly. I may give them another shot…

What a great campground!!! I came to Kernville for a relaxing, quiet weekend in early January and before I’d even set-​up my rig I knew I’d made the right choice!
The campground was clean, well laid-​out. I was there for three days and every morning saw a maintence man working around the park keeping things tidy even raking empty campsites soon after people left.
Dianne in the office was always pleasant the couple of times I spoke with her. The other campers were freindly and in-​general provided a very relaxing enviroment. I can’t wait to return for another weekend trip!

We were there this weekend and before that back in July. We love Camp James. The facility is clean and super family friendly. My mom surprised us when we were there and she was able to rent their 5^th wheel without notice.
The staff is friendly. They gave our van a jump start. Their office made last minute s’mores a possibility and they carried river shoes when the local stores were preparing for winter.
Our kids are the 5^th generation to camp with them and I look forward to our trips. Call Feb. 1^st to book for the summer. The best spaces run out quickly.