Camp 9 sprawls along the north shore of Lake Isabella, where 11,000 acres of high desert reservoir meet the Sierra Nevada foothills. This is base camp for the boat-and-fish crowd, with over 100 sites split between individual spots and 11 group areas that handle the RV-and-trailer reality of lake camping. At 2,600 feet, it's year-round accessible but peaks in fall and winter when daytime 60s give way to crisp 40-degree nights.
Campground Details
- ⛺Type
- Group
- 💵Fee per Night
- $10
- 📍GPS
- 35.69833, -118.42917
- 🐾Pets Allowed
- No
- 📞Phone
- 760-376-3781
- 🗺️Address
- CA
The Camp
The campground splits between waterfront real estate and back-row sites with lake views. Either way, shade is scarce — a few cottonwoods dot the grounds, but most sites bake under open sky. Group sites come with dual picnic tables, fire rings, and paved parking designed for the boat trailer equation. Sites 1-5 get locked gates for security, while sites 1 and 2 add shade shelters to the mix.
Water availability follows a logic of its own: group sites 1, 2, and 6-11 have drinking water, but sites 3-5 apparently don't. Portable toilets handle the basics, and an RV dump station, fish cleaning station, and boat ramp with floating dock round out the infrastructure.
What to Know
Individual sites operate first-come, first-served, while group sites require reservations through Recreation.gov. Spring and early summer bring afternoon breezes after calm mornings — timing worth considering if you're launching watercraft or setting up camp. The seasonal boat ramp and dock operate within the day-use area, putting launching and loading close to camp.
Fall and winter emerge as the sweet spot here, when temperatures moderate and crowds thin. The high desert location means year-round access without snow closures, a rarity for Sierra Nevada camping.
Nearby
Lake Isabella fishing targets bass, trout, and catfish, while the Upper Kern River flows a short drive away with additional angling and whitewater opportunities for rafters and kayakers. The setup favors water-based recreation over hiking — this isn't trailhead camping but rather a staging area for reservoir and river activities.