Limestone Campground, Kernville, CA

Limestone Campground is located in the Kern River Ranger District, Sequoia National Forest (1 hr 41 min east of Porterville, CA) with an elevation of 3,749 feet. There are a total of 19 campsites which are all tent-only sites. The campground is normally open from the end of May to the end of October. Max equipment length is 40 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. There is a fee of $32.00 per night.

Make a Reservation

Campsite Reviews (58)

3.9 out of 5

5 star		34%
4 star		34%
3 star		17%
2 star		3%
1 star		9%

@KarlS9409040 · Camped on Oct 22, 2024 at Campsite #8

Very clean bathrooms. Nice view of the river with the sound of it all night. Highly recommended.

@BryannaC9C1F58 · Camped on Aug 2, 2024 at Campsite #4

I come to limestone all the time its one of my favorite campgrounds in kern. This past week I stayed in spot 004 and it was not as pleasant unfortunately. There seems to be a bee hive in the tree at this site and we could not sit or eat comfortably without being swarmed by multiple bees. Luckily I had an epi pen in case I was stung because Im allergic but I have never experienced this outrageous amount of bees before. I plan to visit again in October but hope this issue is resolved before I return. I truly love coming to this camp site. Aside from that, this spot is great!

@BrendaL3050291 · Camped on Jul 22, 2024 at Campsite #5

Lots of trash everywhere and we werent able to used the grillers or fire pits, I am conscious that California is bad on fires but what is camping with out a fire pit, I think for $35 dollars a night the least we can have is ranger patrolling the camp and clean the area

@DianaG5374683 · Camped on Jun 20, 2024 at Campsite #8

Wonderful view. Perfect access to the sandy beach and alligator rock! Did a little fishing, no catch but the kids loved it!

@MariaA9377949 · Camped on Jun 17, 2024 at Campsite #8

June 2024 was the best summer ever at Limestone! We've camped there at least 4-5 times in past years and we've never had such pleasant weather. We camped from June 17-20 and the weather was an unbelievable 77 - 83 degrees. (I believe we got lucky - soon after that the temps went up drastically.) Other years there have been so many bugs & gnats in the mornings & evenings - this year, there was almost none. The bathrooms are vault toilets - no surprises there, they are what they are. Our campground host came around on the last day of our stay - super friendly & welcoming guy. We drove up to see the Trail of 100 Giants one day, but basically spent the rest of the time at the river by Croc Rock. Water is pretty high and current is stronger than other years, but the beach area has a nice shallow area for kids and grownups to get wet in. We had an awesome time at Limestone - will definitely keep going there!

@CarimiAB413D39 · Camped on Jun 7, 2024 at Campsite #8

We stayed at limestone campground #8 it was a great spot with an amazing view of the river but the only bad thing is that people cross through our campsite to get to the river and are disrespectful

@TaylorS9260528 · Camped on May 23, 2024 at Campsite #13

Love this campground, however its not monitored at night and of course some people are disrespectful. We had a group near us blasting music until after midnight every night we were there which was a bummer. Happy they were having fun and didnt mind it at reasonable hours but it went on a bit too long.

@SarahR6066410 · Camped on Apr 26, 2024 at Campsite #8

We had a great time at Limestone campground site #8! We were there 4/26 thru 4/28/24. Site #8 backs up to a short downhill trail that leads right to a sandy beach on the river -- so lovely! One thing to note is that the camp area (containing the picnic table and fire pit + grate) is downhilll from the driveway where you park your car. The whole site is *slightly* downhill sloped which may make it difficult to find a perfectly level spot for a tent. My partner and I slept in our car in the driveway (which was pretty level) so this wasn't an issue for us. Two other couples were camping with us, so there was a total of 3 cars parked in the driveway. We helped each other angle the vehicles at a slant so we could all fit. The 2nd and 3rd vehicles were considered "additional" and cost $8 per vehicle per day. On Saturday morning (we arrived Friday, late afternoon/evening) we paid the ranger who came around $32 in cash for the additional vehicles. Although it was a bit chilly (definitely not summer yet) we had a great time hanging out and cooking up some good food together! The campground was relatively quiet and clean over all. The pit toilets were clean but stinky as expected! Thank you for a great stay. :)

@DahliaS7566B5A · Camped on Apr 19, 2024 at Campsite #8

I booked this place for a group of friends and got a lot of praise from the group for choosing such a good spot. It really is magically being right on the river and hearing the water as you fall asleep. I had a great time. The spot we were in was well shaded and the campground was in two parts, a lower part and an upper part, each with their own bathroom (vault toilet) that was stocked by the rangers with toilet paper. It never felt crowded. No cell phone reception, no potable water, but still within a reasonable distance to the nearest market if you forget something. One thing, the reservation you make on recreation.gov is for ONE car. Youll be asked to pay for a second car per night. Hope to be back.

@JoelH3449452 · Camped on Apr 3, 2024 at Campsite #17

April 3-7-2024 We got site 18 and 19 for a long overdue family campout. Two brothers and family drove down from San Francisco and found the road that heads south through the mountains to the campground was closed. Unfortunately, one brother didn't get the memo and drove 2 hours through the winding mountains only to find a road closure about 10 miles from the campground. He had to turn around and drive an additional 3 or 4 hours down through Bakersfield to get to the campground. Weather at this time of year could be hot and sunny, rainy, or cold and snowy. Rain was forecasted with light snow but we only got snow; about 2 or 3 inches over the span of 2 or 3 days. It was cold but glad it wasn't too wet and muddy. Although we didn't have the best weather, the campground was nice, the hills were green (and then covered in a blanket of white), the pit toilet wasn't as bad as the disgusting crackpipe bathrooms in Venice Beach. Nice small campground, great for exploring nature on mushrooms,...and campfire s'mores!

@AndrewW8618299 · Camped on Sep 17, 2023 at Campsite #12

There was someone in our spot and the original site I booked, glad though as that site had so many gnats and bees. We ended up happy with the spot they moved us to. Great central campground and we loved the jets flying over.

@EdwinH4209F673 · Camped on Sep 15, 2023 at Campsite #8

The best part of our camping experience was Ginger, our camp host and the s'mores by the campfire.

@PhoebeB9967145 · Camped on Sep 11, 2023 at Campsite #18

The campground itself is well maintained, has great access to the river, and has clean restrooms. No cell service (TMOBILE) and there was a noticeable amount of broken glass near the river. Lots of yellow jackets and gnats first thing in the morning; they definitely die down later in the day. Overall a great campground - will definitely return. I was the only one there so it was very peaceful :)

@MikeW4539708 · Camped on Sep 10, 2023 at Campsite #8

Place was clean and ready for me. Though this website said campground reservations were full, I actually had the place to myself, which I didn't mind at all. Weather was perfect, bugs were crazy this year though. One question, why put another picnic table right where someone could put a larger tent?

@SandeepK0CB876 · Camped on Sep 9, 2023 at Campsite #12

Good but its not that cold as we expected. But there are more insects.

@BryannaC9C1F58 · Camped on Sep 3, 2023 at Campsite #16

When I got to my camp site. Two cars were parked in the spot I reserved. I could not find the owners so I had to park off to the side and start setting up camp. Cars were not gone the night I checked in after I came back up from the river. I didnt see a host all weekend I was there to report it. I stayed only one night, sucks I paid for the night to be practically sharing a spot until they left.

@ShaharK987C64D · Camped on Aug 28, 2023 at Campsite #17

Beautiful place. Large camping area.The bathroom were kind of dirty...

@MichaelZ741759 · Camped on Aug 25, 2023 at Campsite #17

beautiful river, tree area, spacious campsites (especially #17). We had great weather in the end of August. Would go back!!

@manuell8DCD758 · Camped on Aug 7, 2023 at Campsite #11

Well located for day hikes: 100 giants, Sherman Peak, Packsaddle cave, 7 teacups and close to Fairview grocery store and restaurant. Little trash scattered around the campground and along the river. Very quiet (weekdays in August 2023)

@EmilyR2265278 · Camped on Jul 16, 2023 at Campsite #5

This campground was cute! We never saw the ranger and never checked us in. We did ask our camping neighbors for close by attractions. There is a way down to the river behind our site, it's a steep walk down but nothing too crazy. We found a cute little spot to wade in the water, be careful with the current, it's strong. About 30 min before camp, there is a beautiful town called Kernville, They have all you need to restock your equipment and there are activities in a store called Sierra South like rafting and kayaking. Trail of 100 Giants is about 40 min away from camp, it's a 1.3-mile trail. We never saw any wildlife in our camp. Many Bugs and wasps at night. No service at all, you can go down to Kernville to get service. Overall it was a great experience would come back, only wish the ranger would've stopped by.

@JenniferS83796 · Camped on Jun 26, 2023 at Campsite #17

No camp host/patrol/support for unruly campers. Bathrooms were filthy with no toilet paper. Neighboring campers loud and up into the morning hours.

@JohnB8383631 · Camped on Jun 18, 2023 at Campsite #15

A great campground. Not too big, not too small. River was raging.

@Bridgeth130E74 · Camped on Jun 18, 2023 at Campsite #19

We only saw the ranger once. When she checked us in on Monday, she saw that there were people camping in non-designated areas and she said someone else would come and say something to them. Noone ever came. There were several parties camping in those areas.They were also cutting branches off of the trees and using it as fire wood on non-designated fire pits they made. They were making the fire very large, similar to like a bon fire. They were very close to our camp site and it took away from our experience of being able to watch the river from our site. The toilet paper was very low. We notified the Kernville Ranger station on Wednesday and they said they would sent law enforcement out, but noone ever came. When we left on Friday, they were still camping in the same spot.

@DavidZ2568952 · Camped on Jun 9, 2023 at Campsite #12

The photos do not do this site justice. Beautiful area to pitch tent that overlooks the river and hillside. Highly recommend. Drivable to both Kernville and Trail of 100 Giants Trailhead. Site 12.

@RachelYB96D817 · Camped on Jun 2, 2023 at Campsite #4

Beautiful space, just far enough from town!

See other campgrounds near Kernville, CA with availability Tonight
See other campgrounds near Kernville, CA with availability This Weekend

Other Campgrounds Nearby

We track all the sites so you don't have to.

Reservation Systems

Campsites Tracking

Campsite Reviews

Available Tonight

Available this Weekend

Cancellations Today

PRO $2.50/month

You're in Control. We never save credit card information or auto-renew subscriptions.

Availability Map Search
3000+ Interactive Campground Maps
Campground Virtual Tours
Save Your Favorite Campsites
Favorite Campsites Availability
Campground Mobile Speed Test Maps
National Parks, Forests & Ranger District Layers
Wildfires & Air Quality Map Layer
Satellite View Map Layer
Campsite SMS Cancellation Alerts
Rent your Property & Cabins
Love's & Super Walmart Map Layers
Cracker Barrel & Bass Pro Shop Map Layers
Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM) Layer
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Map Layer
RV Propane, Parking, Dump, Water Map Layer

Pro is FREE for 7 days. (No credit card information required!)

Thanks to all our Supporting Members

@BranJen - Santa Clara, CA

I wanted to thank you for this site and especially for the notifications feature. Thanks to your site and my subscription I was able to book a campsite I've been annoyingly trying to book for 5 years unsuccessfully. So thank you.

@Wondering - Oregon

Wow! Woke up this morning to a notification that a favorite had opened at Paulina, and when I went to check, it was there. This membership just paid for itself in the first 24 hours I owned it. Couldn't take the site it conflicted with a trip already set, but it truly was there. Thanks Tons.

@CarlaLThompson - Colorado

I just love this site and I tell everyone about it! It's so competitive to secure desired campsites and the alerts really help track when sites free up. The best part of this story is our alert notified a cancellation the next day!!!!!! Just incredible!!!