Mom and the two girls on the shore with mountains mirrored in a still lake behind them
December 2024

Kernville and Lake Isabella at Christmas

A couple of days in December 2024 at Lake Isabella and in Kernville, right before Christmas, with the whole family dressed for it.

Where We Stopped
Lake Isabella, Kernville's town park and its Christmas displays, plus the old car on the drive
Where We Stayed
A wood paneled cabin room
How We Traveled
Drove up with the whole family
What It Costs
Forest day use at Old Isabella, $12 a vehicle a day, Sequoia National Forest

Published prices checked November 2026, not what we paid.

Dad and the girls crammed into a sideways selfie in Christmas red
All Three of Us in Red
Dad twirling his daughter in a red party dress under a gazebo
A Twirl With Dad
A girl in a white dress posing on steps next to a Christmas tree
The White Dress
A girl in red crouching among inflatable Nightmare Before Christmas figures
Oogie Boogie's Christmas
The two girls in matching purple jackets on an ornate garden bench
Two on the Bench
A kid in striped pajamas crouching in front of a fairy forest mural
Pajamas and a Mural
Mom and dad leaning in on a bench among Christmas lights
Date Night Bench
Mom looking back over her shoulder at the lake
Mom at the Lake
Dad's selfie in a red flannel with the lake and mountains behind
Dad at the Lake
Mom and dad hugging on the lake shore with a sunburst overhead
Sunburst
Mountains and clouds mirrored perfectly in a still lake
Still Water
A rusted vintage car with chrome grille parked on a dirt lot
Rusting Classic by the Road
A long highway under towering clouds seen through the windshield
Winter Clouds on the Drive
Orange lichen on a pile of granite boulders
Lichen on the Boulders
On the Map

Where This Trip Was

Kernville, CA

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Newer, Valentine's in the MountainsOlder, City Lights From the Rocks