Top 7 Lakes around Ridgecrest

While Ridgecrest itself is in a desert environment without natural lakes, the surrounding areas offer both large recreational reservoirs like Lake Isabella and smaller, man-made park lakes. These park lakes, such as Eagle Lake Park and Walsingham Park, provide green spaces with trails and facilities.

Yes, Lake Isabella, located about an hour northeast of Ridgecrest, is a large reservoir perfect for water sports. You can enjoy fishing, boating, sailing, water skiing, jet-skiing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and windsurfing there. Its calm waters are also suitable for swimming.

For extensive hiking, the area around Lake Isabella, within the Sequoia National Forest, offers over 1,000 miles of trails. Closer to Ridgecrest, parks like Eagle Lake Park provide interconnecting trails through marshy meadows, and Walsingham Park features paved biking and hiking trails. For more options, you can explore easy hikes around Ridgecrest.

Many of the local park lakes are very family-friendly. Eagle Lake Park, Crest Lake, and Walsingham Park are all highlighted as family-friendly, offering easy trails, facilities, and pleasant environments for all ages.

Lake Isabella offers excellent fishing conditions, with the best times typically from February to June and again from September through November. Anglers can expect to catch trout, bass, catfish, crappie, and bluegill.

Yes, near Lake Isabella, you can explore Silver City Ghost Town, an open-air museum from the Gold Rush era, and the Kern Valley Museum in Kernville. The Nuui Cunni Native American Intertribal Cultural Center on Lake Isabella also offers insights into local Native American culture.

Around Lake Isabella, the Kern River Preserve, managed by the National Audubon Society, is an excellent spot for birdwatching, with over 200 species recorded. The surrounding Sequoia National Forest also supports diverse wildlife.

Yes, Lake Isabella is a prime camping destination. The surrounding Sequoia National Forest features 30 campgrounds, and there are eight campgrounds directly around the lake with over 800 units, providing ample opportunities for overnight stays.

For walking, Eagle Lake Park has well-kept, interconnecting trails. Crest Lake offers a path along its perimeter for scenic views. For both walking and biking, Walsingham Park provides paved trails and a botanic garden.

Yes, the Kern River, which flows into and out of Lake Isabella, is renowned for whitewater rafting and kayaking, particularly the Upper Kern due to its higher water levels.

Visitors appreciate the well-kept and easy-to-follow trails at places like Eagle Lake Park, which offers a network of paths through marshy meadows. The scenic views from the perimeter path at Crest Lake are also highly enjoyed.

Yes, along the Kern River, which is connected to Lake Isabella, you can find natural hot springs like Remington Hot Springs and Miracle Hot Springs, offering a relaxing experience.

Beyond hiking and water sports, you can find various outdoor activities. For road cycling, explore routes like the Pinellas Trail loop. There are also numerous running trails around Ridgecrest, including loops around Walsingham Lake and Belleair Beach.