Lake Isabella / Kern River KOA Journey — Hotel in Tehachapi

This review is for the tent camping portion only.

I wanted to like this place because of the convenience, however, there were some things that were lacking and or needs improvement.

Negatives Small campsite/no privacy Pool closed in July Poor connection/wifi not working Onsite store seldomly open

Positives Clean bathroom/shower Close to Kernville/Lake Isabella Onsite cooking area (microwave, stove top, bbq pit) Personal water source / electricity outlet

So let’s start with the positive. The campground is easy to find as it sits along the main highway 178 (there isn’t many traffic running through at night so don’t worry about car noise). Each campsite has an outlet, water source, bench, and shade. There are community trash bins between every other site and large dumpsters around the campgrounds. The showers/bathroom is locked with access code provided to guest and is cleaned regularly. However, during cleaning, the bathroom is closed and there are no other facilities (so you got to hold it if you really need to go). Most of the area is dirt path and can be difficult to ride razor scooters for the kid, however bikes were okay. The campsite is located between kern river and lake Isabella where we spent most of the days to cool off. At night, if you are lucky not to have neighbors, you can enjoy the clear skies and quietness. Unfortunately that wasn’t our case. We had loud neighbors and the tents were literally right next to our site like duplex sharing a wall. If your neighbors start a camp fire, good chance it will be blowing in your face. Did I mention the fire pits are inconsistent on where they are located? Nevertheless this place isn’t bad, but I would choose other options…maybe try one of their a/c cabins. Be prepare for hot days if you come...

This was our 4th year staying at this exact location KOA in Weldon Ca. The staff are amazing! And the cabins are nice. However over the years this location is getting more and more locals that come in and only have to pay 5$ and they have full access to the pool and the entire grounds. I pay well over 500$ to stay for 5days. Its not fair that the pool is taken over by the locals this also includes the homeless. That it out of control. The homeless people coming into the grounds is ridiculous. This last time I stayed July 16-21. I actually had a homeless person that was there using the pool yell at me and cuss me out. He even went as far as saying he had a 223 rifle in his guitar case and said he isn't scared to use it. This was said to me when I asked him to please watch his mouth (cussing loud and singing by the pool) Staff came out and personally knew this homeless man. All they did was ask him to stop or they would 86 him. Again this is not right. The grounds are wide open for these people to come in and out all day and night. I highly suggest making this campground a closed area. Also there is no camp host that stays on the grounds overnight. They leave at 10pm and this in turn the homeless know and they start to come in at night. At this point I'm sad to say I'm not to sure if I will return again next year. And that to me is very sad. Because again the staff there are amazing. Tammy the manager, Kody maintenance man, Denise not sure her title and Kristen she cleaned the cabins. Kristen was absolutely amazing and checked on us during our entire stay. Hopefully these problems I stated can be fixed. I talked to other campers and they also had the...

We had the very best time. We rented a Camper Cabin and it was so convenient. We enjoyed the extra amenities offered. We stayed in September and so it was hot when we arrived. We turned on our little ac unit and while we waited for the cabin to cool off, the pool was clean and refreshing. There was a protected shallow end my 1 year old could stand up in. We brought our own bedding which made it very comfortable. I slept well. The next morning it was much cooler and we checked out their picturesque parks and swings. The kids tried a very tiny (but fun nevertheless) mini golf course. The splash pad was operated by a timer but was under renovation at the time of our visit. We stayed 2 nights over the weekend. Friday night they had free Ice cream sundaes and Sunday morning they offered free pancakes. They do ask that you use your own plates, bowls and utensils. For all our other food we used the Kamper Kitchen. There were 3 stations and each had a sink and 2-4 electric burners. There was a small microwave and ample seating. We brought own kitchen supplies. There are a few small food items available in the little convenience store as well as limited hot food offered in the saloon. Drinks are available at the saloon as well as popcorn and cotton candy ($3 on Saturday). No spirits available at the saloon. They had coin operated laundry and free hot showers. The bathrooms were cleaned every morning. The staff were friendly and welcoming, the other travelers were respectful. I made sure to pick up a directory, this was our first stay at a KOA but it certainly wont be our last. 20 minutes to Vons or...