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Thunderbird Group Campground is situated along the Kern River, 6.5 miles north of the town of Kernville. Hiking, fishing, kayaking and rafting are popular activities.
Hiking, fishing, kayaking and rafting are popular activities in the Upper Kern River area.
The campground offers three group sites. Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided, as are portable toilets. There is no drinking water available at this facility.
The campground sits within Sequoia National Forest at an elevation of 3,200 feet in an open area with limited shade, overlooking the Kern Wild and Scenic River. Gray pine, scrub oak, grasses and shrubs cling to steep, canyon walls along the river, and cottonwoods and willows dot the riverbanks.
Sequoia National Forest, located at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada in central California, is named for the giant sequoia, the world's largest tree, which grows in more than 30 groves on the forest's lower slopes.
The forest comprises about 1.1 million acres. Elevations range from about 1,000 to 12,000 feet, creating precipitous canyons and mountain streams with spectacular waterfalls such as Salmon Creek Falls and Grizzly Falls.
The Cannell Meadow National Recreation Trail begins just north of Kernville. The trail stretches 11.5 miles as it climbs through mixed pine and fir forest to Cannell Meadow and a historic Forest Service cabin built between 1904 and 1909. Hikers are awarded beautiful views of the Kern River Valley along the trip.
From Bakersfield, take Highway 178 east to Lake Isabella. From Lake Isabella, take Highway 155 around the west side of the lake to the town of Kernville. From Kernville, go 6.5 miles north on Sierra Way (Mountain 99) to the campground.
Not a lot of shade options here for camping. Mostly used for raft launch.
Fav camping spot in Kernville. Can't wait to come back! So nice to be by the water and the facilities are nicely maintained.
Decent place to stay by the river, not much shade or get there early if you want find a spot. Does get crowded on weekends and you'll probably find some trash too so id bring a trash bag
I Love camping here with my family and friends. We Love it soo much that we had to go visit for the day. 3 to 4 hours driving to get there,but it's worth it. I can't wait to go camping in July this year. We been going camping here for years, but we had stopped going for a few years for personal reasons. Time to get back. Beautiful place ❤🏕
Camping here was fantastic. I was quite worried about the river being to high to safely swim, but there was an offshoot of the river with calmer waters a 5 min walk away from site 2. The day use area on the other side of the campsite was conducive to safe swimming as well. The ground was very sandy, so make sure you have enough stakes. The fire ring was nice to have, with flip grate on top for fun campfire cooking. There was less shade that I expected.
