Openings · last 7 days
15
Booking reality
Campsite Sniper detected 15 site openings here in the last 7 days
01 · Detected Opening History · the openings record · file CS-232819
When Headquarters reopens
Headquarters's openings record: every site-date Campsite Sniper detected turning available, logged and time-stamped. Refreshed hourly.
Openings · last 30 days
36
Openings · last 90 days
38
Only 38 openings in the last 90 days: not enough recent activity for a reliable pattern. A free Campsite Sniper alert watches around the clock instead, and pings you the moment one opens.
02 · Availability Outlook · Sep 18, 2026 – Mar 19, 2027 · of 42 monitored sites
Of the 7,320 tracked site-nights (Sep 18, 2026 – Mar 19, 2027): 6,695 open for online reservation · 589 reserved · 36 on sites not offered for online reservation (first-come, first-served or administrative).
Where the open windows are
8.5% of tracked site-nights are not currently open for online reservation. 6,695 of 7,320 remain open; here is where they are.
Load status
Sep 18, 2026 – Mar 19, 2027Not open online8.5%
Open site-nights6,695 / 7,320
Reserved (of online inventory)589 / 7,284
Weekday openings3,890
Weekend openings2,625
Of the open site-nights on mapped sites, 3,890 fall on weekdays and 2,625 on weekends (Fri–Sun). The split covers the 6,515 open site-nights on mapped sites; 6,695 site-nights are open across all monitored inventory.
Open dates by month
Sep 2026 – Mar 2027January holds the most room. 1,240 of 1,240 site-nights are still open there.
Holiday windows
Sites open per night · of 39 sites| Window | Night | Sites open | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor Day | SAT Sep 5 | 0 | None open |
| SUN Sep 6 | 0 | None open | |
| MON Sep 7 | 0 | None open | |
| Thanksgiving | THU Nov 26 | 33 | Open |
| FRI Nov 27 | 34 | Open | |
| SAT Nov 28 | 35 | Open | |
| Christmas | THU Dec 24 | 39 | Open |
| FRI Dec 25 | 39 | Open | |
| New Year | THU Dec 31 | 39 | Open |
| FRI Jan 1 | 39 | Open |
Labor Day: no online availability on any tracked night. Thanksgiving: 33 sites are available for the complete three-night stay. Christmas: 39 sites are available for the complete two-night stay. New Year: 39 sites are available for the complete two-night stay.
Best-availability sites
Most open site-nights · tracked window| Site | Open site-nights |
|---|---|
| 005 | 178 |
| 008 | 178 |
| 009 | 178 |
| 004 | 177 |
| 006 | 177 |
The 5 sites with the most open site-nights in the current snapshot. Pair a bookable date with a free alert to cover everything else.
Next windows
As of Sep 18, 2026 snapshotNext open dateMon · Sep 21
Next open weekendFri · Sep 25
The next bookable night is Sep 21; the first open weekend starts Sep 25. Campsite Sniper can watch later dates for you.
Stays and site detail
6,515 open site-nights across 39 sites at Headquarters, from the same hourly snapshot as everything above.
Multi-night stays. 185 2-night, 175 3-night, 78 7-night openings where a single site is free for every night, per Campsite Sniper's current snapshot — soonest Sep 21 at site 002.
RV length. Longest recorded site here is 30 ft. 23 sites take 25 ft. 14 sites of 39 have no recorded maximum and are not counted.
All 39 sites with current availability
| Site | Max RV | Hookups | Open site-nights | Longest run | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 005 | 30 ft | None | 178 | 174 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +166 more |
| 008 | Not recorded | None | 178 | 174 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +166 more |
| 009 | 30 ft | None | 178 | 167 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4 +166 more |
| 004 | Not recorded | None | 177 | 174 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5 +165 more |
| 006 | Not recorded | None | 177 | 173 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5 +165 more |
| 007 | Not recorded | None | 177 | 173 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5 +165 more |
| 039 | Not recorded | None | 177 | 160 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4 +165 more |
| 042 | Not recorded | None | 177 | 146 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +165 more |
| 010 | Not recorded | None | 176 | 159 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +164 more |
| 012 | 30 ft | None | 176 | 168 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6 +164 more |
| 043 | 30 ft | None | 176 | 160 nights | Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +164 more |
| 030 | 30 ft | None | 175 | 168 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7 +163 more |
| 036 | 30 ft | None | 175 | 146 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +163 more |
| 011 | Not recorded | None | 174 | 167 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8 +162 more |
| 014 | Not recorded | None | 174 | 167 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8 +162 more |
| 037 | 30 ft | None | 174 | 167 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8 +162 more |
| 002 | 20 ft | None | 173 | 139 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +161 more |
| 003 | 30 ft | None | 171 | 134 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +159 more |
| 021 | 30 ft | None | 171 | 134 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +159 more |
| 033 | 30 ft | None | 171 | 118 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7 +159 more |
| 044 | Not recorded | None | 170 | 150 nights | Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 9 +158 more |
| 035 | Not recorded | None | 169 | 146 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6 +157 more |
| 038 | Not recorded | None | 169 | 139 nights | Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 9, Oct 10 +157 more |
| 031 | 20 ft | None | 168 | 76 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 5 +156 more |
| 013 | 30 ft | None | 166 | 152 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 27, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 11, Oct 12, Oct 13 +154 more |
| 028 | 30 ft | None | 166 | 153 nights | Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 14 +154 more |
| 026 | 30 ft | None | 165 | 125 nights | Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 9, Oct 11 +153 more |
| 029 | 30 ft | None | 164 | 103 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8 +152 more |
| 027 | 30 ft | None | 163 | 116 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7 +151 more |
| 017 | 30 ft | None | 162 | 132 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 11, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 14 +150 more |
| 019 | Not recorded | None | 161 | 92 nights | Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 9 +149 more |
| 015 | 30 ft | None | 158 | 112 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 11 +146 more |
| 018 | 30 ft | None | 158 | 69 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6 +146 more |
| 016 | 30 ft | None | 157 | 86 nights | Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 11, Oct 12 +145 more |
| 024 | Not recorded | None | 151 | 44 nights | Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 11, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 14, Oct 15 +139 more |
| 025 | 30 ft | None | 148 | 76 nights | Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 30, Oct 6, Oct 11, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 14, Oct 19, Oct 20, Oct 21 +136 more |
| 022 | 30 ft | None | 144 | 75 nights | Sep 30, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 9, Oct 10, Oct 11, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 18 +132 more |
| 020 | 30 ft | None | 136 | 71 nights | Sep 23, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 13, Oct 14, Oct 15, Oct 18, Oct 27, Oct 28, Oct 29, Nov 1 +124 more |
| 023 | 30 ft | None | 135 | 64 nights | Sep 21, Sep 23, Sep 30, Oct 6, Oct 11, Oct 18, Oct 19, Oct 20, Oct 21, Oct 22, Oct 25, Oct 26 +123 more |
About Headquarters
Overview
Headquarters Campground is situated along the Kern River, 6 miles north of the town of Kernville. Hiking, fishing, kayaking and rafting are popular activities.
Recreation
Hiking, fishing, kayaking and rafting are popular activities in the Upper Kern River area. Click here to learn more about the area, including safety and permitting requirements and a listing of local outfitters.
Facilities
Headquarters Campground offers a mix of standard, RV and tent-only sites. Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided, as are vault toilets and drinking water.
Natural Features
The campground sits within Sequoia National Forest at an elevation of 2,800 feet in an open area overlooking the Kern Wild and Scenic River. Some sites overlook the river and lie in the shade of oak, juniper and cottonwood trees. Sites sitting further from the river are more open and have little to no shade.
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.
Nearby Attractions
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.
Visitors enjoy making day trips to Sequoia National Park and Giant Sequoia National Monument.
42 monitored sitesRVs up to 30 ftNo hookups34 shadedPets OKFire pitsMax party 10
Getting there
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 4 miles north on Sierra Way (Mountain 99) to the campground.
Po Box 1640, Kernville, CA 93238760-376-1815
BoatingCamping
View on Recreation.gov ↗ Get directions ↗
03 · Field Photos · roll CS-232819 · facility
Photo gallery
Roll CS-232819 · Headquarters · Kernville CA7 frames · facility
FAQ
How do I get a reservation at Headquarters?
Reservations for Headquarters are made through Recreation.gov. The current snapshot shows substantial availability: 6,695 of 7,320 tracked site-nights are open (91.5%), though availability can change. Campsite Sniper has also detected 38 site openings here in the last 90 days, so further dates may appear. Pick a site on the map to see its calendar, or set a free Campsite Sniper alert. You complete the reservation yourself on Recreation.gov.
Does Campsite Sniper book this campground for me?
No. Campsite Sniper sends alerts and direct Recreation.gov links. It never books, pays for, holds, hoards, or resells reservations.
How current is this availability data?
Campsite Sniper re-checks public Recreation.gov availability for this facility every hour and republishes whenever anything changes. This facility's data last changed at Sep 18, 2026 14:17 UTC; an older timestamp means nothing has changed since that time, not that checking stopped. Always confirm final availability on Recreation.gov when you book.
How often do new openings appear at Headquarters?
Campsite Sniper detected 15 site-date openings at Headquarters in the last 7 days, 36 over 30 days and 38 over the last 90.
Can I get a multi-night stay at Headquarters?
175 three-night openings are showing, counting only runs where the SAME site is free for all three nights. The soonest starts Sep 21 at site 002. Confirm and book on Recreation.gov.
Which sites at Headquarters fit a 35-foot RV?
No RV-analyzable site here has a recorded maximum of 35 ft or more; the longest recorded is 30 ft. 25 of those 39 sites have a recorded maximum length and 14 do not; they are not counted as fitting.
Which month has the most availability at Headquarters?
January 2027, with 1,240 open site-nights in the current snapshot of 1,240.
When is the next open date at Headquarters?
As of the Sep 18, 2026 snapshot: the next open date is Mon, Sep 21 and the next open weekend starts Fri, Sep 25. Detected openings can add earlier dates at any time; a free Campsite Sniper alert catches those the moment they appear.
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