The 18 best free attractions in Bakersfield

This destination is an absolute hidden gem! I was blown away by the quality of the many exhibits that were on display. I would go as far as to say that the Kern County Museum is the best museum of this kind. Their recreations California history make you feel as if you have walked into a Time Machine. I was very surprised at how many reconstructions they had, as it took us almost 5 hours to see everything. We could have stayed longer too! If you are driving through the area on your way to the metropolitan centers to the north and to the south, I would HIGHLY recommend stopping by.

Great place though weathered. It’s huge with tons of old buildings to peer through the windows at and read small pieces of info. Not ADA compliant and lots of rough walking so don’t bring anyone not ready for a good hike in the sun with no rest spots. The “store” is behind the cashier at the entrance but you can’t go in. She has some water bottles but not guaranteed. Ask her to bring anything of interest to the window for viewing. Overheard one teen ask his parents, “Are we done? Can we go yet?” But they even have a train there! And so much more of historical relevance re how things worked. There’s an exhibit in an old dance hall that, if it’s open, shows the costumes of the singers and their instruments that entertained in the olden days. Anyway, I enjoyed it thoroughly and the lady collecting the money was pleasant though not knowledgeable about the history. There’s also a huge clock tower.

I came to experience the Bakersfield vibe, and the Kern County Museum delivered that and more. The Haggard house was well arranged. It was almost like being a neighbor. The whole experience was great, but the Bakersfield Sound building was like Hard Rock Cafe or R&R Hall of Fame, but pure country... loved it!

My in-laws were the 1st people married at the Church 59 years ago at the towns Centennial celebration for all to view! Brought our kids today to check it out. There were not any docent around at all. Beautiful grounds.

This was our second visit to this amazing museum and we will be going back!!! My son took me here for Mother's Day and I got in free he only cost $10. There is so much too see we had to come back. This time an older man was giving tours of old vehicles, wagons etc. He was so friendly and knowledgeable we enjoyed learning so much about the history of transportation. This is a great place to visit before it gets too hot. Everything is pretty much outside so we're good walking shoes and take water. There were two exhibits that are still not open and we hope to catch next time.

A mostly outdoor museum with many historic structures. Their auto collection is quite nice and displayed very well. Just outside of the auto hall is a great display of local old neon signs. Overall, it was a great experience.

We went here for the safe trick or treating and the whole family loved it! It was the closest to trick or treating from when I was a kid. Super cute decorations, dance floor, bounce houses, food vendors, a movie, and more. We'll be going here every year from here on out.

Hart Park is a fantastic spot for anyone looking to enjoy some time outdoors year-round. Whether you're out for a relaxing day or an active adventure, this park has something for everyone. My favorite time to visit is during the fall, when the trees are absolutely stunning, providing a perfect backdrop for any activity. There’s so much to do here — you can take a leisurely walk with your dog, have a family BBQ, or even float in the river on a warm day. The park also offers fishing spots, frisbee golf, hiking trails, and biking paths. For those who just want to enjoy nature, interacting with the ducks or relaxing by the water adds a peaceful touch. No matter what you’re in the mood for, Hart Park has it all! The only downside is the overwhelming cat population, which the city has yet to address. It would be great if they took steps to manage this issue, as it detracts from the overall experience.

I love going there for the fishing and quiet, had a few good bites the only thing I've been catching are turtles 🐢 i send them back in the water tho. I recommend going out there before school starts, get some Fresh air feed the ducks and geese. There are areas to BBQ

Excellent park. Plenty of space and access to trails. Nice lake and some amazing trees. I’d come here again

Hart Park is my favorite retreat, my home away from home. It is only minutes - yet a world away - from town. There is a lake in the middle, with an island, and the river runs past the park. There are so many birds, both water birds, including ducks, geese, herons, egrets, cormorants and coots, and non-water birds, including peacocks, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, a flock of parakeets, and a host of others that I don't know the names of. There is a guy circling the island on a paddle board this morning. Once I saw a beaver, I think - all I could see was its eyes and brown forehead above the water as it swam by in the early morning. That was one sighting in 40-plus years of coming out here. There are tree squirrels, ground squirrels, raccoons, skunks - which you might be surprised to see, as I was, emerging from holes in the ground, and cats. Lots of cats, which are fed daily by the Cat People. Once I saw a coyote, which was tailing me and my very large dog until I pointed my walking stick at it and told it to leave us. The only unnatural sounds that mar the peace out here are occasional cars that drive through, especially on weekends, with their music blasting, and gunshots from the shooting range. Why they have a shooting range in a park I don't know, but I hate it. My current dog won't even get out of the car, stays hunkered down on the floor because that sound scares her so badly, so I don't bring her out here anymore. It can get really busy on holidays and weekends, so I don't usually come out here then, but early weekday mornings are the best, the closer to sunrise the better. It is so beautiful and peaceful.

Nice large park on the Kern River. Be very careful about going in the river! Lots of trees in the water and a strong current can trap swimmers and down them. Wear a lifejacket and be aware of hazards down stream. Or, stay out of the water and enjoy picnic areas, playgrounds, grass and ponds available at the park.

Hi I have floated a section of the river on a river tube when it's hot, the cool water feels refreshing. Wear a lifejacket over 308 lives have been lost in the Kern River unfortunately it's been out of towners. Hiking is absolutely invigorating. There's many trails leading up to the hilltops. In summer season there's an increase in Rattle snake encounters. Please don't panic or scream if you see one. Please they're way more scared of us. Just step back and give them a big round about and carry on with the hike. With Gratitude GS😎

Great place to relax and enjoy or hike and jog. Also good place for a picnic. Water, ducks and geese.

This a cool little museum! The workers are kind and friendly, and it's awesome that they showcase small local artists. The yearly pass is a good deal to come and see all of the different exhibitions.

What a quality art museum! It was small but well organized and the art exhibits were beautiful. I took a tour with a school group and it was wonderful,, even the kids were interested!

We enjoyed the 2nd Saturday art event. The staff is friendly and helpful. It is a small museum and very clean and beautiful. The neighborhood park next to the museum is pretty with ponds and a playground, but I did not feel safe there with the kids.

The KHSD Visual Art Showcase is amazing every year. I'm so happy BMOA hosts this event for our incredibly talented high school artists. The artwork that is displayed year round from artists across the globe is amazing. Most people don't realize what a gem the BMOA is for our community. Please do yourself a favor and go to one of their events, take a class, or check out the current exhibits.

Went to see our grandsons art from Munsey school on display. Was a fun experience. Never been to the Museum of Art before. It's only across the street from our home

Always a joy to walk leisurely through the exhibits, reading about the artists and appreciating their talent.

Great art and a beautiful garden area to stroll around in. Worth visiting if you are in the area.

Very fun place! I want to call it a hidden gem, but it’s not hidden at all, it’s right there off of Hway 58. Such a cool shop, big, and so many possible activities! Probably the best random restroom stop we’ve ever made! All the staff were hardworking, cheerful, friendly. Highly recommend.

A large, fun themed farm park for the family. They have a grocery store like many other similar farms, but once purchase the tickets to the back, it is huge!! Pay extra to pick 🍓 🫐 🍇 blackberries, and so on. There is a huge jumper, tall slide, volleyball area, basketball 🏀, and so on. Took the tractor 🚜 ride (included in the basic general admissions as well) around the farm, very beautiful day so definitely enjoyed it. Would visit again.

oh my God oh my god oh my God. Most wonderful fresh fruits I've ever eaten. The figs were beyond amazing. I've never had figs so sweet and perfect and beautiful inside in my life. I was told they were "experimental green figs" and grown just on the other side of the parking lot - truly "local"! We ended up going back in and get a second container of the figs they were so good. We also got some peach/plum/apricot combo fruit (sorry, don't remember what they were actually called) and they were very sweet and amazing. We also got two Okie pies, Salsa Verde which was, according to my brother "one of the most delicious things he's ever eaten" and the blueberry pulled pork. Both excellent! Absolutely a cool place to go through and get some really good food.

Had an amazing time with my kid visiting here. Plenty of fun and interactive activities such as citrus picking and the petting zoo. The staff is friendly and helpful. Looking forward to the next return.

Amazing fresh fruit, fresh pies, meat pies, jams, honeys, dried fruits, nuts and every other produce you can imagine. Wish we had time to pick our fruit. Absolutely loved it and wish we could've stopped on the home.

A cool little find just off Highway 58! It’s a charming farm that offers homemade treats like pie, fudge, cookies, and more. For a small fee, you can visit the petting area with various animals, including goats with a fun obstacle course – super cute! We tried the cherry pie, and it was absolutely delicious. Highly recommend this spot for a quick snack break and some kid-friendly entertainment.

For years I've traveled back and forward from Arizona to California never stopped at this fine establishment. These are some of the finest people I've ever met. Pictures are a thousand words and it's a must to go see them. If you remember the old Knox berry farm back in the 60's this is a must stop for you and the family. I guarantee that you will enjoy them and there farm products like we are and will be going back again. They love Dogs to. Don't miss out!!

I gave it a 3 Stars because it was Very trashy sadly but true people pick up after yourself such a great place to see the autumn leaves falling from the trees!! Overall it was cool

Great place to ride your bikes!

Took a leisurely walk through the park during the golden hour and captured all the beautiful colors. Any families were out tonight. Kids were swinging on the playground, teenagers were zipping around on electric scooters, couples sitting on lawn or at tables for their picnic dinners, drink vendors were serving up refreshments.The main restrooms were open and relatively clean. Plenty of lighting everywhere. Wish I lived closer because I would visit more often. ☺️

It’s a good place to walk, but last week the water was to dirty and looks bad for taking photos, but you can go and walk or for a picnic moment

River park has a great place for running walking on trail as electric scooters or bike, Place for fishing Slides for little kids Picnic tables bbq Restroom available but they need cleaning Play area is designed for children 5 to 12 with adult supervision recommended Lot of biking food carts Recommended for peaceful mind

Nice park. Little pond with ducks and people fish here. Has kids playground,sideways and picnic tables under covered area . BBQ pits and plenty of parking near the shopping area and lots of restaurants

The best park in Bakersfield, came here to watch the sunrise recently and did a time-lapse, beautiful

This park is really nice and a great place to hold birthday parties or baby showers. Any event really. It has beautiful scenery to take photographs. My kids love coming here. The bathrooms are still gross, I mean it's a public bathroom so standards are already low as it is.

Amazing park, lately there's been more safety issues so bring your significant other or some mace. Beautiful place to be though!

Best time to visit is when the rainfall is average to above average and the temperatures stay cool in March. Beautiful colors and if the air quality is good, the sky and water reflection looks a deep blue.

I love that this the place offers flat walking paths or if you want to challenge yourself very steep hiking hills. Everyone is friendly and it's a dog friendly area with doggy bags trash bins and then eat a little clay areas for kids or adults. There's even a bocciball court

A beautiful place to walk the outskirts of a panoramic view. Can be very hot on a summer day so make sure you have the proper amount of shade. Not a super long walk.

This was definitely the most beautiful place I visited in Bakersfield. The sunset looked amazing and there was a lot of space to walk around and relax.

Beautiful view overlooking the bluffs on Panorama drive. On the cloudy mourning that these photos were taken, the vista beyond the unincorporated part of Bakersfield, including the oil fields, country hills, the Kern river, and horse ranches below the bluffs were crystal clear and quite spectacular to see.

Love to take picture and do some walking with my dog. Nice place

I grew up in Bakersfield. We used to go down the bluffs down to the river. It's a beautiful park and walking area with the nice view of Kern county. When I come to visit, my sister, sister-in-law and I go for walks up here. We don't realize how far we're walking because we're doing a whole bunch of talking but there are markers that let you know. If you need to unwind this is the place to unwind.

Love coming to walk or even find a nice tree to lay and read a book. My dog loves going on walks here it’s very spacious and gorgeous

Beautiful park. Very dark at night; bring flashlights. Mature trees and green grass. Several spots right next to river. Lots of ducks, geese & tree squirrels. Close to Ming lake. Grounds are well taken care of and clean. Restrooms dirty but we brought our own. They advertised showers but they don't work. Broken sink in one restroom and the other restroom is closed for repairs.

We absolutely love it here! Very spacious sites with some right on the river! Ming Lake is a rocks throw away for some fishing! Can't wait to go back! UPDATE!!! The second time we came back they had gardeners doing cleanup and maintenance at 7:30 in the morning they even had a tree Shredder making lots of noise it was a disaster this trip I don't know if they do that continually but it definitely made our trip very annoying

The water is so fresh we always have a good time here. My advice if your kids get in the water get them a life vest! The view is so beautiful that's one thing that I love about this place

This is a very clean park that is managed by the county. There are no hookups but water is available and dump station. There are bathrooms but did not use them. There is a bike trail and Ming Lake for water sports nearby.

Very scenic environment, nice relaxing vibe on quiet days. The park is large and provides space for many activities and can accommodate large gatherings of people.

A very enjoyable experience. Great campsite. We will return.

I came across this on google maps and have been meaning to check it out. It’s really a wonderful place, with a lot of foliage growth. I had no idea this was in the middle of our city. I only went about a third of the way in, but I can’t wait to bring the dogs and come back in the spring as well.

FORAGERS: there's an ABUNDANCE of elderberry bushes. You'll also find some brambles, wild rosehips, Gooding's willow, and inedible gourds. Cool place to go for a walk at. Be careful though, the ranchers who live in the area think everyone is sus. They kept a close eye on me. Not just when I was near my car but on the trails too. They had someone drive by every so often, just watching... They won't acknowledge your existence though, they're just paranoid. Kinda funny since they put so much effort into it being a nature preserve for people to hike at but whenever someone's there, they make it unbearably uncomfortably with their dead eyes carefully watching your every movement. DO NOT GO ALONE unless you're ready to keep yourself alive. I don't trust them. I'm a white male and my gut was telling me that they're not worthy of trust. If you're someone who identifies as a woman or if you're a more obvious member of LGBTQIA+ , please bring something to keep yourself alive. Bakersfield is super conservative / misogynistic. Them cowboys think they're hotshots that can do whatever they want because they got a tail between their cowardly legs

A great place to make you feel like you're out of the city. They do a good job of keeping the trails maintained. I can't wait to see what it looks like when all of their young plantings mature.

It's a great please to loose the leash and explore. I like the benches properly put every quarter mile or so, very clean.

Such a beautiful walking trail and natural preserve. Perfect for dates and just enjoying the day.

A family-friendly hidden gem. Clean trails, lots of diverse native plants and animals. Very peaceful and quiet place to teach kids about nature. Many tall trees for shade, with a lot more that have been planted. Informative signs along the trails. Bathroom was clean. Bakersfield Cactus in bloom was very pretty. Stands of Elder, Yarrow, Cottonwood, and Sycamore. Definitely a special place.

I have found that this is a good location to take my dogs out and get some exercise myself with a little jog and being able to be at one with nature the only downside I have found that there is not much shade and getting to the water to cool off seems to be kind of difficult as well

Nice park with picnic tables and benches with beautiful views . There is something here for every age. Play structure and walking / biking / running paths. Safe area with a lot of people . The park is also very dog friendly.

Visited this park for the first time. What a beautiful well maintained and clean park. This is wonderful place to take a leisure stroll with different elevations among vast green grass and a water creek feature . City Parks have done a great job with designing and providing such a beautiful park!

This park offers a nice open area to get outside and enjoy the weather on a good day. There are lots of paved paths and benches weaving through grass fields surrounding a little lake. There are grills and shaded areas for large groups. There's also a playground and bike paths.

A really nice well maintained park with many areas for spreading out so you're not crowded next to other people. The bike path took you around to the other lake and over the bridge to a park that has workout equipment. There's some great picture spots and we really enjoyed ourselves. Bring your bikes or scooters.

Beautiful park. You can charge your car and also your toddler can play.

Great park! Very large for long walks or smooth bike rides. Be vigilant for the occasional creeps zombie'ing around and watch out for fast cyclists and zooming PEV's. During the summer time they play movies for the family ("movie at the park")

Very spacious and nice city park. Couple of cool ponds plus numerous streams. There’s a playground, however, it’s geared towards smaller kids. Plenty of wide open space and shade trees to relax or play games.

Tonight was the Thursday Night Concert. Country music with the Devyn Brinsfield Band. Great turnout as the early summer temps were lower. People talk about missing the fountain but with it gone the audience has a better view of the performers. I visited with many friends and enjoyed pizza by the slice from Mountain Mike's. Good vibes all around!

Nice theater, watch a movie in six months. Nice sesting and clean place. The only thing I hate is the way overpriced drinks and popcorn. I would watch a LOT MORE movies if the stuff was priced correctly. But you do you and rip people off and I will continue to visit once in 6 months, probably a year. My suggestion to Regal would be to stop ripping people off with your overpriced charges on drinks and popcorn, you might see a lot more people watching movies.

Love bringing my wife here For the freshest popcorn in town Like the new seats

This is an incredible spot to come socialize with friends family and others. There's a lot of great restaurants here, they have a movie theater and a lot of great shops in the plaza. Every once in a while they home little social event for the community which are incredible.

really nice place to kill time and just walk

We love to go in the summer, they have Concerts by the Fountain. It's always a good time, lots of dancing. We especially like watching one of our favorite local bands Mento Buru.

A beautiful shopping center with many fantastic eateries and shops. The place is gorgeous in the evenings.

It's nice that the park is adopted by La Vida Nueva, and they clean up the park every month, but the amount of ground squirrels is ridiculous. Can only blame nature, for that; well, also, the people who love leaving food &/or feeding them. Stop feeding the squirrels!

If you're planning to have a picnic, bring a ton of stuff to clean the tables. They are filthy. Not they weren't cleaned in a week filthy, but not cleaned in months filthy. There's many vagrants and shady folks around as well. The playground is in decent condition and my 6yo enjoyed them, until we found human excrement between the rock climbing walls. Also the ground squirrels were super cute and rampant for my kiddo to chase... Hence the one star. Avoid if you're looking for a nice spot off the highway, to enjoy a picnic.

Went for a morning bike ride. Nice quiet park. There is a well maintained, graffiti free skate park. Restrooms were closed, im guessing, due to the homeless people roaming around.

Nice shade cover. Restrooms are rough but at least there are some. Kids enjoyed it.

I'm rating only for the skate park we did not enjoy the park area because of the homeless that were lurking around. I took my twin 7 year old boys with their scooters and even though some of the drops are to advance for them. They had so much fun on some of the other skate park drop ins. I would say that the skate park itself is not as slick as some others we have been too which made it better for beginners like my boys. Overall extremely satisfied with the skatepark. We also went when it was not super busy it's definitely a teenage/older crowd. We didn't want to worry about to much cross traffic so we went when it's less busy.

Not a good park for kids. The field is infested with gophers and is covered with holes / trip hazards. The play structures are broken and borderline derelict. Clearly in need of maintenance and currently a safety hazard for children.

It was nice it was night time stopped for a break after an 18 mile bike ride. Nice and quiet and peaceful

I went on a nice little picnic and fed the ducks it’s an awesome place to take pictures under the big trees or you could also feed the pigeons and birds and watch their different personalities and feathers as they eat their bread. Overall a nice park but if you want to use the restroom goodluck.

This is a beautiful Park however it needs a lot of cleanup. There are people doing drugs right out in the open. It's more of a homeless people Park, there are people that talk to themselves out loud walking around yelling at the air. I am surprised that the park rangers allow all of this I thought Parks were for kids to come play there are people's clothes laying around in the water along with trash if only it could be kept clean and not have people laying around doing drugs and sleeping all over the place it would be a gorgeous Park

Was a great park. Sat and watched a sunset. Had a wonderful time just walking around and looking at the scenery. Had a little dog just running around having fun.

I love Mill Creek Park. My dogs always enjoy coming here, too. It has an old time appeal with the ducks and the water. The bathroom is not always open, though, and when it is it's a little creepy to use. Bring your own TP.

Nice to walk during the day I wouldn't suggest it at night but it has gotten a little better with the new police center

I like this park so much, one of the places where you can have a peace of mind while watching the ducks in the river.

Great place to walk around and watch the ducks and feed them just stay away from the rest room dirty stinks like pee.

Lovely little place with a wide collection of books. They also have a lovely cat that is people-friendly.

Family owned private bookstore that will help you find what you are looking for. They are patient and kind and won’t be annoyed with you for asking for something that is hard to find. A priceless treasure!

Russo's has a huge selection of books at awesome rates. You can order online to pick up at the store for no shipping fees, which is convenient. There's only been once or twice I couldn't find something I was looking for and it was usually an indie author.

It was my first time at Russo's Books and I loved it! I saw 5 books right off the bat without even trying. Good selections! The staff was very attentive and helpful even though they had a poetry reading going on (whoop's I didn't check the calanders of events). HELLO INDEPENDENT BOOK STORE DAY I know I will definitely go back very soon, more than likely next weekend to explore more this hidden gem in Bakersfield. I'm getting ready to move up here soon and this will be my go to book Shop :)

Small, personal little bookstore with a wide variety. You can call to order and order online. The woman working was very kind. I got a huge bookhaul even with a signed copy of one I bought.

Booked ordered on 1.7.21. On 1.19, status was changed to "payment received and completed." On 1.27 I sent an email asking for the status of the book. I was told that the book had shipped on either 1.13 or 1.14 and that they would reship if the book was not received by 2.4.21. On 2.3.21, they emailed to ask if I had received my book to which I replied no and that I'd like a refund. As of 2.6.21, I have not received another response from Russo's books. Update 2.17.21: I never did get the book. After my review, Russo's reached out and processed a refund for the book and shipping. Update sometime between May and June 2021: The book randomly showed up one day. I kid you not. Lol. Judging by dates stamped on packaging, it had recently sent out. Ummm...thanks.

Nice and quaint book store. When you're looking for a newly released book they'll have it in stock. If not, they can order it and it'll be ready for you in a couple of days. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Plus, they support the troops and provide military discounts.

Fast and easy check out if you do not know where to look or how to look they will help you find it

This rating reflects their audio book selection (see Libby). More emphasis was put on modern books and romance novels... Very few classics. Gulag Archipelago? Nope. Augustine? Nope. The list (or lack thereof) goes on. I don't want to listen the "Hard and Fast" series ... Or "Duke's Temptation"... Where's all the Hemingway? Zero books from Wordsworth. But, you've got the complete "Fast Track" series by Erin McCarthy, an erotic series about a single mother finding loooooove on the race track... Maybe that's what we want in Bakertuky, but I want more!

love it there. my kids love it so much fun. so much to do.

Great library!! Fabiola is awesome with all of her help!

everyone was very nice and helpful :)

I love reading

Beautiful spot to stop for a break. I’ve driven past many times, but took the opportunity recently to stop in and take a quick look around. I will certainly have to come back or more lengthy visit. Lovely displays and huge variety of products in the store. Everything appears to be either from the farm itself or locally sourced. We took home some jams and jellies and an apple pie. The apple pie is delicious!

Not a petting zoo or anything even remotely close, at least in August when we went. But you can see some typical farm fowl and goats through a fence by the parking lot. The store though was amazing. Awesome homemade, farm-fresh goods at reasonable prices. Plenty of places to sit inside and outside, and the workers were polite, knowledgeable, and quick. Bought some hot pistachios and some organic treats.

Stopped because I saw the signs as I approached heading up 58. Glad I did. I enjoyed the unique citrus fruit offered as well as the apples and other fruits and neat treats of all kinds. Prices are good as well. I don't usually like grapefruit but enjoyed the Oro Blanco. Mild. Juicy. Good. Would definitely recommend a stop.

I haven't had a chance to do the U-pick yet, but I've always had good service whenever I come through. Their savory okie pies are a delight and never miss. I only tried the apple pie once but it's a touch on the sweet side so I'd give that particular pie a 4.5/5 but a 5/5 on everything else. This is the first time I've tried the fruit and it was all delicious. The cherries are sweet and tart and the strawberries are plump and juicy. I definitely recommend buying anything that's in season because it is all good.

Lots of activities for all ages. We went during October where you recieve a free pumpkin with purchase of the wrist bands. My only suggestion would be to have some kind of help getting the pumkin back to the car. There was 4 of us and trying to carry 4 pumkins was rough..flat carts would have been a great feature..my son enjoyed the giant pillow!

This was a good 2 to 3 hour adventure with several activities to do. The corn maze was fun, a few fair type games also. Lots to do for kids and adults. Gets a little crowded on the weekend.

You definitely have to stop by and check it out they have a lot to offer. You must try their chicken pies bomb 💣. We were making our way back home from Utah, and we need a little break so no place better when you are going or coming 😉

Excellent and well maintained hiking trails. Great for newbies. Dog friendly. Clean restrooms. No cost entrance for the trails. ( not sure on price for the tent camping ) Well marked/mapped trails.

Always such a great time. Ranger is super friendly, water is available along the trail, and wildlife is typically all over during early morning or late evening. Plenty of parking if going for the day, or typically plenty of camping spots (free) for a weekend adventure.

Visited on Sun. Very few people. Great views, however I didn't see any wild life except a few interesting birds and rabbits. Many picnic areas and a biking trail 5 miles out with tow creek crossings. The weather changed dramatically from sunny to wind and hail within 1 hr. I ended up biking in heavy hail on the way down.

Look to explore more it was fun while we were there but we had our 6-month-old grandson with us so we just did a Griswold look around

The BEST place to hike or enjoy the outdoors in Bakersfield. The preserve is open every single day (other than like 1-2 holidays- check their website or google to find out!) and is FREE to enjoy! I have been on quite a few of their trails and absolutely enjoy the calming atmosphere and the beautifully well-maintained trails. What’s fantastic? Is they also allow dogs on the preserve (with a leash) and Have dedicated event days where you can bring out your entire family and children and get to enjoy fun activities with the education staff (All of their special event days and volunteer days to work with the Rangers are posted at their kiosks). Coming here throughout, the different seasons is fantastic because there are so many different things to see with every new time of year! Right now I have gotten to see tule elk!! The staff are super friendly and knowledgeable… and the organization as a whole is really awesome. They are a nonprofit private organization (The Wildlands Conservancy) and have 25 different preserves!!! I definitely recommend this location if you are looking to get a good hike in or just come with friends and family to have a picnic or walk around or come to an event or even go camping! (Which is all still free!)

We visited the place in the second week of March 2024—absolutely stunning landscape. The place transports you to another world filled with tranquility galore. There are several trails to explore; they also have a designated area for wildflower viewing. Entrance is free. An information desk is also available, + several brochures with maps of trails and other helpful information. There is free parking; however, when we arrived there around 11:00 AM, the parking was full near where the trails begin. We were lucky to get one spot after several minutes of circling the area. We also spot almond and lemon orchards (Bakersfield) on our way. I highly recommend visiting this place.

A reset trip from LA this spring. Located a few miles north of the grapevine where it dumps into the central valley. Drive from the middle of the city to the entrance was about an hour and three quarter. Provisions were available (AKA In n Out) at the discount stores area right off the 5 hwy. Wildflowers are just coming up (mid march) and should continue if not bust out over the next few months. I will return to explore deeper into the higher peak loop trail, not for those who aren’t necessarily emphatic for a long hike. Go there, you’ll love it long or short.