Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area

Stayed here Late September for a night on our way to Yosemite. We called ahead to reserve our location. There are squirrels everywhere but I loved that. If that might be an issue for you and pets be careful. There are holes everywhere and in most campsites. Employees for the most part were nice. Campsites were clean. Trash bins close by at every site. There are fire bins with grate at every campsite. Does smell a little bit like cow. Especially at night. There are plenty of bugs. come prepared! Bring Bug Repellent! Bug repellent scents etc. we were fine. They left us alone. There are 4 ducks that I think were someone's pet then dumped here bcuz they go right up to you. 2 nicely took food out of my hands. Be nice to them! Can fish. Bring everything. All in all 9/10 campsite.

Very nice camping experience! The electric hookups appear to be new and the lakeside sites are very picturesque. I'll definitely go back!

Here is some background of our trip:- We were in sites 4 & 7, while we were not "lake front", I could see the lake and it was a short walk 2 min away. - We visited the week before 4th of July weekend (2022)- Temps were over 100 degrees the entire time (4 days)- We brought 7 kids from 1 - 16 YO, 4 adults. The park/gate staff were nice and helpful. We asked to switch sites prior to the trip and they were super helpful and quick to respond. The bathroom was not terrible and relatively clean for a campsite.The site itself was subpar. It had a lot of trash, leftover spikes, bottle caps, and nails. We had trash leftover in the fire pit and the bugs (flys, fruit flys, roaches, etc.) were abundant and relentless. We filled up 5 fly trap bags in 4 days and it was insane how many flies still remained. They also have the most aggressive squirrels I have ever seen. They scavenged for food on our site but also gnawed through plastic containers to get to food. There are ground squirrels so there are holes in the ground everywhere.The kids enjoyed the lake but a boat or wave runner/jet ski is recommended if you have older kids. They were not renting jet skis when we were there. I was hoping watercraft rental was available but it probably closed during the pandemic. I didn't know you can rent an RV to be delivered to your site which we should have done because the heat/bugs combo was brutal especially for the little ones.I would probably never return because the bugs and squirrels were just out of control. I know it's nature and I expected bugs and animals but this was beyond anything I have seen at any other park we have been to.Bring a ton of sunscreen, water, make sure you store food really well, bring fly traps and extra shade. If you can, get an RV.

Fun place to camp and boat. But the rangers are harassing to the point of ruining your time.

June 2023 - In it's current state, I could not recommend this campground. The campground is plagued with a serious multi-pest infestation. During the daytime, you have swarms of flies and numerous persistent chipmunks. At night the situation is somehow worse with the emergence of a intrusion of roaches. I truly hope that the campground is taking steps to slove these major issues.

We really enjoyed this campground. Mind you, we're really avid tent campers and we do a lot of primitive camping. The fact that this place has flushing toilets is a plus. We booked a water front spot #63 and even though there are a lot of holes from little critters- as long as you watch where you're walking is beautiful. It's a park like setting. I didn't have to worry about bears or raccoons stealing food. We just had some ground squirrels pop up from their holes. Nothing to worry about. The ducks were cool too. It's really relaxing to camp next to the lake. Our neighbors were in sight but not that close. The Rangers never bothered us. Our neighbors had a great time singing into the night but that didn't bother us on a Saturday night. Right down the street is a gas station and some food just in case you need something in a pinch. We walked around the park and it's good size. If you have small kids there is a playground. You can get right in front of it at site 103, I think that's the #. There's even a basketball court. Some of the sites have nice grass but watch out for the sprinklers. They do have a sign posted about it at the front and give you a pamphlet about the park. As long as you keep your setup in the vicinity of your table and fire pit, your fine. We took our small dog and they didn't charge us extra. Don't tell anyone but I let him off his leash because he listens really well and stays right next to me. All in all, we enjoyed this campground and we'll definitely be back. This time of year was beautiful and peaceful. I could see how summer could be brutal with the heat. Bring lots of canopies for shade. I loved the pull through sites. It allowed me to use my canopy attached to my car. That was great for my kitchen. We'll be back in the spring.

Excellent place for camping. Area is highly maintained. Restrooms cleaned daily! Showers. Each site has tree, picnic table, pit. Large size... fits 4 large tents easily! Always return. Small store on site.

I can attest to the pest infestations. Once the sun went down, there were definitely plenty of visible roaches. We had one hanging outside our tent right next to our shoes. Saw a handful on the way to and from the bathroom. At night, there were tons of flying insects attracted to our various camp lights. Our campsite had tons of rodent holes (I only saw a few squirrels, but I did see roaches going in and out of the holes). We happened to go when there was a heat wave in early July, (high of 112 F). There wasn't much shade, so the campsite was quite uncomfortable, border line unbearable. Luckily, we had our own EZ-up and water misting device - that saved our lives. It was still 105 F at 6pm, and didn't get to under 90 degrees until after midnight The showers were decent. Water was very hot, and they were free! However, the men's bathroom didn't have sinks, which was I thought was strange. We saw the bathrooms cleaned once during our one-night stay.In the morning, we saw an official truck drive by the trash and pick up a few bags that were on the floor. Everything inside the garbage bin, which was overflowing, was left as is (see the attached picture, far right side). Maybe they were only collecting recyclables, but I was shocked to see the truck drive away without tending to the overflowing trash.On the positive site, I was able to charge my EV using the 240V NEMA 14-50 outlets without additional cost. All campsites numbered 90 and above have outlets. It also had a TT-30 outlet, and you can use one or the other (not simultaneously)

The campsites at this place are so outdated that the electricity burned up my brand new rig's electric system. We stayed here with several other families and instead of a relaxing vacation, all of us spent everyday losing power dozens of times a day. The one and only staff member onsite wouldn't make a simple call to get the maintenance staff to help us, until she was done checking in cars! This was during over 100 degree temps! Absolutely so sense of the urgency of the situation when 6 rigs are dead without power when it's 100 degrees!

During 2022 trout season was there once a week only to catch one trout the whole season. Watched as other fisherman were having same result as myself. They kicked us out due to hazardous situation. They then closed trout season early due to covid. Told us they would add additional plant the following season but that did not happen. 2023 went 5 times and did not even get a bite. 2024 went 3 days after they planted. Myself along with 37 other carloads fished and 3 fish were caught in a 6 hour period. No park ranger present to monitor the cars trying to park on top of each other and small children not being supervised. Buena vista is privately owned. The owners are a disgrace as business owners as they a making a huge profit on these trout bracelets. They need to plant fish according to the participation not just to increase their bottom line. I will never recommend this lake. They are a disgrace to kern county.