KRS RV Resort@Camp James — Local services in Porterville

I’m writing this review because I continue to get emails about rating my experience and my feedback and really hope I enjoyed my stay with them. Our family of 4 just recently stayed in the largest cabin for $350 a night for 5 nights. A bit expensive considering it was after the Memorial Day weekend and the campground looked over half empty. But we needed a vacation really bad because we hadn’t been on one in 3 years. We have stayed at this campground a few times in the past, before the cabins were there, and always enjoyed it. The campground is nice and relaxing and enjoyable. The cabin was ok, not bad for camping. But there were 3 major things that made our stay unenjoyable and unpleasant, and sadly we will not be coming back. The air conditioners do not work well. We were told not to set them below 72 degrees or the units would freeze inside and stop working. We did this the entire time as instructed, but the units still couldn’t keep the temperature close to 72 degrees when it was 80-90 degrees outside. It was over 80 degrees in our cabin every afternoon/evening. So, we had to wait to take our showers until nighttime because it was too hot in the cabin to take a shower earlier in the day without sweating afterwards. Other guests were paying less money and getting cooler air than us in their own RV’s. The king sized bed plastic box frame underneath was broken in several places, so it made so much loud noise. My husband and I didn’t get much sleep because of this. It was so horrible that on our 4th night there, my husband called the office and had them remove the broken boxes underneath and just put our mattress on the floor. The lady in the office told us nobody in 10 years has ever complained about the bed being noisy. We find that very hard to believe. She seemed to admit the bed was at least 10 years old. Also, the floor was filthy dirty the entire time we were there. We contacted the office and were given a mop. Yes, we mopped the whole house floor 2 times a day because it was so bad. We are camping and do not mind some dirt, but we were paying the highest price in the campground for a better quality stay, and we were having to mop the floor twice a day it was so bad (see bottom of foot pic - one hour after mopping). We informed the lady in the office the day we arrived about the amount of dirt on the floor. She came and inspected our floor and agreed it was pretty dirty. So, she gave us some free firewood to compensate for it. A day or two later, my husband and I figured out it was all the AC units blowing in dirt constantly because of the poor filtration. We were also informed upon arrival that the dryer to dry clothes was a hit or miss. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. The washing machine was filthy and I had to run an empty cycle and wipe it out to clean it out first before washing our clothes. The dryer did work the one time I used it, yay! One of the refrigerator bottom draws for food was broken and wouldn’t slide open or closed, and the freezer door handle was missing. The day we left, my husband complained to the lady in the office and she argued with him. She was already fully aware of our issues during our stay, yet she still refused to give us even a partial refund for a couple nights or something to compensate us. She said what do you expect, your camping. She said if we had left the first day being dissatisfied then maybe we could receive some refund. Well we didn’t know on the first day that they were going to be ongoing daily issues. Give us a break lady! Besides, my husband already took work off for the whole week and we packed and drove for over 2 hours to get there. It was 3 years since we had been on a vacation, and our kids were excited to try fishing for the first time in their lives. This shows a major lack in care of service for the amount we paid. We should’ve paid less money and stayed in a tent. We paid the higher price for a better quality stay and didn’t get it. They pretend to care about your stay. Clearly they didn’t care at all. Unfortunately, we will never come...

Our Reservation was made Jan. 1 2023. We have been camping on the Kern River for approx. 40 years. Our reservation was for 7 nights starting on the Saturday, June 24 and ending on Saturday, July 2, 2023. We were told that Thursday and Friday nights would be charged at holiday prices, and that the rest of our stay would be charged at a high demand rate. Never heard of that before in all the years camping at KRS. We reduced our stay by two nights avoiding the holiday rate charge. We were told that we would still pay a high demand rate. Our first invoice indicated 5 nights at $ 66.50 per night with a total of $472.50. Should have been $332.50. Upon arrival, the extreme damage was evident. Half of the campsites were destroyed by the flooding. The campground is being run like a luxury hotel instead of a campground like it used to be. All the new charges. The men's showers were broken the entire stay. A resort doesn't let things go unrepaired, and a resort doesn't charge for it's guest to take a shower. This has been the norm for the last few years camping at KRS. As others have stated the volleyball court looked like a weed patch. We were charged for creek side sites. There was no creek but a little water with a recirculation pump in it to circulate the standing water. Pretty nasty. No offer to credit our stay for not having a creek. A tree behind our camp fell over while we were in town. By the grace of GOD no one in our family was injured. My family had been playing in and around the area all week. We overheard that the tree should have been cut down earlier in the year but other priorities came first. Pretty unsafe to have someone camping near a tree that may fall. Overall the campground looks terrible. The staff is friendly, especially Rose. Not sure what to make of this campground anymore.

July 3, 2024 Tried KRS again. Our stay started on Thursday, June 27, 2024. We were allowed to check in a little early, which was nice. After setting up our site 55, we went into town for an early dinner. Upon returning from town my grandson, son-in law and I went to shower. The same shower as the previous year was out of order. I started to insert quarters into the second shower coin machine and had trouble with that one as well. Same thing happened the year before. I did finally get the quarters to drop. I could not control the temperature of the water. Most of my 4 minutes were spent avoiding getting burned. The water was so hot! A few nights later my family used the bathroom by the fish cleaning station and noticed that the seal around the toilet was leaking. Thats a health issue!!!. I mentioned it the office staff and was told that they new about the leak and were in the process of scheduling the repair with a new toilet. Why not shut the bathroom down and make repairs immediately???. Again we were charged for creekside sites. There was barely a trickle of water flowing. We had young children with us. The creek could have made our stay more enjoyable, especially for our children. I have been camping at KRS (Camp James) since I was a young boy. Lately it seems that the new owners are more concerned with making money and doing as little as possible to upkeep the campground. On the bright side most of your staff is very pleasant. Thank...

I wish I could give a better review, but unfortunately, our experience wasn’t what we had hoped for.

First stress point: the park gate closes at 9:00 PM sharp for check-in…no exceptions. We were called multiple times to be reminded, which only added to the pressure as we were traveling over 2.5 hrs and after work. Most parks leave check-in info at the office for late arrivals; this policy felt unnecessarily stressful.

Our campsite was also directly across from both the fish cleaning station and the dumpster, which created unpleasant smells. Additionally, our fire pit was completely unusable…it was positioned directly under trees, making it unsafe and impractical. We were placed at a site directly next to the camp host, We were asked to turn off our already low-volume music, even though other sites nearby were clearly having louder gatherings with no issue.

The amenities were very limited and poorly maintained. The showers were so dirty that we couldn’t bring ourselves to use them, despite trying multiple times. And the one bathroom right across from us, had long lines to use it.

One of the most frustrating aspects was the pricing. I’ve stayed at many RV parks across the country and in California, and being nickel-and-dimed like this was really disappointing. We were charged extra for each of our two dogs and for each of our children, on top of paying for our niece and nephew. The base price only covers two adults, which seems a bit unreasonable for families. The site maximum is 6 people. So good luck if you have more than 4 children.

I also wish there had been clearer information about the river. It’s not swimmable for little kids due to strong currents and a very rocky bottom. Water shoes are absolutely necessary. I take responsibility for not researching this more, but better information on the website would have helped set expectations.

As for the on-site store, avoid it if you can. Prices were nearly triple what you’d pay elsewhere. Thankfully, the town is just a four-minute drive away and has a wonderful, well-stocked grocery store. With literally anything you could need for the river. Such a cool little store.

On a positive note, Launette was incredibly sweet and kind. However, our interactions with the man and woman in the office were not as pleasant, they came off as somewhat rude, though it might have just been a very busy weekend.

All in all, we had a wonderful time with friends. And now we’re a bit more prepared if we...