CaliforniaReservoirKern County

Lake Isabella

Lake Isabella is a 1,111,974-acre reservoir on the Kern River in California. Its shoreline falls inside Kern County. Management is in the hands of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District. This guide maps 1 named swimming spot around its shoreline.

Photo: Unknown · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

CountiesKern County

Coordinates35.6716, -118.4272

Surface area1,111,974 acres

RiverKern River

Managed byU.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District

Swimming beaches on Lake Isabella

1 named swimming spot and shoreline access points, from USGS GNIS, Recreation.gov and the Forest Service. None is staffed by a lifeguard unless the operating agency posts one.

Lake Isabella

Chimney Peak Recreation Area

Fee information published; 21.3 mi from the lake center.

Recreation.gov (RIDB)Fee Information Published

Lake Isabella on the map

Lake center, swimming spots and access points.

Get directions

Weather and water temperature

Air temperature and wind from Open-Meteo. Water temperature only when the lake has a public sensor.

Weather data by Open-Meteo

Lake Isabella in California

Its coordinates are 35.6716, -118.4272. Outflow feeds the Kern River. It lies at roughly 2,493 feet of elevation.

Ask the managing agency directly if the level matters for your trip. Nobody publishes a continuous level for Lake Isabella in a form this guide can read, so the page carries access and weather instead.

The closest lakes in this guide are Success Lake (California, 38 mi), South Fork Reservoir (Nevada, 57 mi) and Lake Kaweah (California, 60 mi). In all, 86 lakes in California are covered here.

The shoreline of Lake Isabella has 1 named swimming spot in the datasets we read. These come from Recreation.gov (RIDB). Chimney Peak Recreation Area are on the list. Parking is the usual limit on busy summer weekends.

Water temperature is not measured at this lake by any public agency we read. Most California day-use areas open for the summer season and close outside it. Inland lakes are not monitored the way ocean beaches are, so posted signs matter more here.

Questions about Lake Isabella

Can you swim in Lake Isabella?

Yes. This guide maps 1 named swimming spot around the lake, including Chimney Peak Recreation Area. None is staffed by a lifeguard unless the operating agency posts one.

How big is Lake Isabella?

About 1,111,974 acres.

What other lakes are near Lake Isabella?

The closest in this guide is Success Lake, about 38 miles away in California.