"Lake Isabella" a Lake Isabella Travel Page by SteveOSF

Driving from San Simeon to Ridgecrest (and eventually Death Valley), our path took us past Lake Isabella. Seeing a large mountain lake surrounded by the Sequoia National Forest on the map had us envisioning a pristine alpine lake surround by big trees. So we decided we would stop for a picnic and perhaps a short hike.

We were surprised when we arrived to find the lake's perimeter nearly barren of trees. The wind was gusting strongly. We did not find any nice places to picnic near the highway and the wind was strong enough to deter us from any hiking or walking.

Although the lake is scenic, it was just a bit different that what we had hoped. The strong wind was also unexpected and uncomfortable.

Despite our first impression, Lake Isabella remains a popular place for boating, fishing, hiking, camping, windsurfing, and water skiing.

It is located between east of Bakersfield on Highway 178 at an elevation just over 2,500 feet.