Bear Mountain RV Park, located just south of Bakersfield, CA, had been described to us as the best RV park in the area.
That was said by a long term resident of Bear Mountain RV Park, who claimed to have stayed at several parks nearby, including the more prestigious, Bakersfield RV Resort.
What makes Bear Mountain RV Park great is that it’s cheap. At $150.00 a week, for full hookups, including 50 amp electricity and sewer hookup, it’s a real sweet deal. And every space is a pull through, and all long enough to accommodate your trailer plus tow vehicle.
The pads were quite level. The pedestal was putting out plenty of amperage. Water pressure was good, though not great. Verizon 4G coverage, however, really lacked. The park’s free Wi-Fi, really bad. But aside from all that, it’s very quiet there, with no kids, and loud parties going on.
The driveways are wide, but the spaces are quite cramped together. However, the park manager does a good job of spreading campers apart every other space, if there’s room. But on the other hand, most privately run campgrounds make you pretty cozy with your neighbors.
What you won’t get is plenty of shade. In the warmer part of the year, it’s gets really hot, like well over 100 degrees F. If you don’t have adequate air conditioning, you’re going to cook. Our single 15,000 BTU AC unit was barely enough to keep things tolerable in our 28 foot trailer with the sun hitting us directly.
Another thing you won’t get is close proximity to shopping, dining, and night life. Bear Mountain RV Park is located along Highway 99, but is in the middle of farm fields. You’ll have to drive about 8 miles north before you find stores and restaurants that offer decent selection.
However, there’s an unforeseen advantage to this.
It’s totally safe at Bear Mountain RV Park. Outsiders don’t travel that far away from town to wander into the RV Park, and the people who stay here are mostly month-to-monthers and permanent residents. For the most part, they all know each other, and respect each other’s space. We didn’t encounter any problems at all.
Night time is also pretty quiet. If you’re parked closest to Highway 99, you will hear trucks go by. We were camped at the other end, by the park entrance, and never noticed the highway noise.
And we didn’t encounter any ants. I figured with the high heat and the dry conditions, ants would come marching into our trailer in search of water. They just didn’t come in. At night however, gnats and mosquitoes come out in droves. There’s actually a pond on the other side of Highway 99, and them blood suckers come straight over because of the RV park’s evening lighting. You just have to be diligent about keeping your door closed and your windows sealed.
There are no Nazi-style rules at Bear Mountain RV Park. You can burn a charcoal grill, unload your motorcycles (if you have a toy hauler like us), leave your dog tethered outside, roll out your patio carpet, even hang your wet laundry from your awning. But it’s not like everyone does these things either; it’s by no means a Ethiopian refugee camp. But again, this is largely a park for long term residents, and they tend to be respectful.
Not all spaces have picnic tables, and those that do tend to have really old, weathered, picnic tables. In fact, the table at our space collapsed when we sat on it.
But all things considered, Sash and I will stay there again. You can’t beat the low price, and it’s quiet.
Visit them online: http://bearmountainrv.com/
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