I hate parks that take advantage of weary travelers and this is one of them. Even at 9 o'clock at night I could tell this place was nothing to look at. What's worse is the first thing you read on the sign is "There is NO "No hookup" or tent camping rate". The rate is $33 for 1-2 persons and $3 each for anyone over 3 years old. THAT is why I put it is not kid friendly. There's not much else to say except it's the only game in town and they seem to know it. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This campground was nothing more than a large parking lot with little ambiance. Pull-through sites were easily accessible and were level. As soon as we were hooked up, we discovered a very foul offensive odor and surmised that the campground was apparently located next to a sewage treatment facility. Rates of $36 per night with no discount were the highest we paid on our entire two-month trip and were definitely not justified for a campground of this caliber. We camped here in a Motorhome.
The other reviews here are right on. This place is fine for an overnight, or if you need to be in that immediate area in an RV. There isn't much else around. I was driving from Quartzsite, AZ to San Francisco, CA and got tired at Barstow. It was a convenient place to pull into for the night. The hookups worked, that's all I can say. The desk man was friendly enough to tell us not to worry about disconnecting the car as long as people could get past us. But, I do think he overcharged me because I probably looked as tired as I was and clearly didn't want to continue down the road. I disagree with the truck stop comment in the other review. It's better than a truck stop. How's that for a slogan? We camped here in a Motorhome.
We have now stayed here, in this dark and spooky place about 6 times. We would rather not. But it is not so bad once you get used to it. Yes, the Park is nothing but dirt. And yes, it IS very dark and creepy at night. But our two Black Lab dogs love it and we have even gotten to know the strange Guy at the front desk. No, we do not even try the bathrooms OR the laundry, leaving well enough alone. My DW is more relaxed while staying there now. She just makes sure the deadbolt and door lock are fastened at dusk. I have raised our rating to a solid *7* based on the fact that all this RV Park needs is a healthy shot of Bill Gates' Money. We camped here in a Motorhome.
For an easy in and out from the I-5 freeway, this would be a good choice for overnighting. The price is kind of steep for what you get, but there isn't much else out here. Sites were nice and level, plenty of them, and there wasn't a lot of noise from the freeway. Also truck stops for refueling and several restuarants (fast food and franchise) within walking distance. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Oh my goodness ! Well, i guess i'll learn to pay attention to this service. What a dump ! Everything you say about this place is true in spades. You would be better served to just pull into the many truck spots and take your chances with the truckers. I can see why KOA pulled its name off this one. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Like someone else said, this is a spooky place. It's very dark. We were one of about 4 RVs on the lot. The restrooms were not secure. It's clear that the truckers who park right outside the park also use the restrooms, which as a woman, I find really creepy and scary --not because they're truckers but because anyone can approach the restrooms at any time. Because the park was so empty, it did give us ample opportunity to let our dogs run for a bit before we left in the morning, without bothering any other campers. That's about the only good thing I can say for this place. BTW, the AAA guide says that this park is shady with gravel. There are scrawny trees and it's a dirt lot. There is no shade. In Central Valley heat, this place would be unbearable. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Only reason to stay here over night is if you absolutely can not drive any further. I can't believe they even charge a fee. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We rated this a 5 out of 10 because of the overall condition of the campground. But, as a previous poster said, it is about the only game in town on the North/South 1-5 Run. There are people living in the campground as permanent residents and they come and go at all hours. We pulled in from Phoenix, dog-tired, and locked everything up, and crashed out. After dark the place is kinda spooky and reminds one of the movie: "The Hills Have Eyes"... There IS Wi-Fi Internet access through the truck stop, if you are willing to pay for it. WE will over-night here again as it is a one-days run from Redding and another one-days run to Las Vegas from Lost Hills. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Don't pull into this park after dark as the roads are deeply rutted and unmarked. It took some doing to find a site to get into and the help of one of the park guests. Lot of electrical problems with wiring being out of phase. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This park is meant for one purpose only, to stop on the I-5. The park was clean, but the sites are dirt (dust). They have a little playground that is old, but nothing was in disrepair. I couldn't tell if the pool could be used - we just wanted to spend the night. The person at the front desk was nice. Fast food restaurants are walking distance. You can definitely hear the highway. Expensive for what it is, but there are little other options when traveling from No. to So. Calif. We would stay here again if the need arose. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We travel all over the country and this is by far the worse campground we have ever stayed at. I would recommend staying as far away from this campground as possible. The people are so rude at the office. We were unable to use the swimming pool because, they refused to clean it out. The bathrooms and showers were so disgusting. And when we washed our laundry there were a million bugs in our clothes. I can't believe that this park is even aloud to be open. Also you are so cramped next to the other trailers. With other peoples vehicles in the middle of the road. All dirt roads with a lot of pot holes. I would much rather sleep at a rest area then ever stay here again!! We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Review Rating
[ 5 / 10 ]
December 2005
$28
This is a very utilitarian park. All dirt, can be dusty if windy. It lacks quality amentities but I use it frequently on my trips from Northern California to Southern California. It helps to break up a long boring drive on I5 into two more restful segments. I use the full hookups and pull throughs, period. It's easy to walk my dogs. My experiences with the office person has been pleasant over the last 2 years. It is far better than the rest stops on I5 because there are no trucks running their motors all night. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 1 / 10 ]
September 2005
$28
Traveling from South of Los Angeles going North to the Bay area is a long drive without many options for RV parks. I checked in the Woodalls and the other travel directory I carry & found this park. The ad said it had all the things I wanted for an overnite stay but noted reservations were required. When I called to make the reservation I had to give my Visa infor. (That has never been the norm at other parks I've reserved a space in). When I finally found the place as it is off the road and behind a restaurant area & no signs to direct you, I was met with a very rude clerk, but being tired I shrugged it off & drove to the spot he assigned me. The park was almost completely empty except for a few weathered & old looking trailers. I hooked everything up & found that the electric didn't work. Called the office & asked him to come out & check the hook up, he refused. Told me to move to another spot...or I could leave. When I asked about TV hook-ups, he said there were none, but he'd credit me $4.00 for no electric if I didn't want to move. The park was dirty, windy, dust everywhere, litter (liquor bottles), lots of bugs, semi trucks right outside the park & road noise plus it smelled really bad. I was shocked as it was advertised as a KOA Park & I thought it'd be at least half way decent. When I got home, I posted an e-mail to KOA with my complaint. They responded about 3 days later, that Lost Hills RV Park was no longer a KOA park & they could take no responsibility for the situation I encountered. I've just found this website (thankfully) and will now check here before I travel. The books that probably most of us carry, which reference available RV parks are not always current even if you have the latest edition. It's a hard lesson to learn when you've made reservations & find you'd have been better off staying in a Rest Area along the highway. But when you're tired & have to stop there's not much you can do except alert others & never go back. Lost Hills RV Park will never see another $ of mine!! Thanks for the website...at least I got to vent & may save someone else from getting 'taken'.... We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 3 / 10 ]
February 2005
$31
Pretty bad. Dirt sites -- until it rained when everything became a huge sucking mud hole. Poorly maintained roads with huge potholes and mud puddles. The ONLY good thing about it is it's far enough off I-5 that road noise wasn't an issue. Way too expensive for such a lousy place. We camped here in a Motorhome.
While I think KOA's have not been the top notch sites in the last few years, this one hit
a new bottom. All dirt (with a very entertaining sign to not drive on the grass), exceptionally poor odor, noise level, and view (of a truck stop). The new motel across the street was cheaper than the all dirt spot here. The pool was filthy and lots of strangers using the facilities. Will certainly not do this one again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 5 / 10 ]
2004
$30
What a depressing place. No paving, dirt and dust everywhere. Thank goodness the wind
didn't blow. Some type of industrial plant (fertilizer or something) next door which put a stench in the air. No security at entrance or on bathrooms so you get to share bathrooms with truckers parked next door at the truck stop. Not much campground choice in this stretch of I-5 however. Why don't the owners fix up places like this? Could be a money maker. Not recommended as is. We camped here in a Motorhome.