Overview
Lake Isabella is an approximately 11,200-acre reservoir on the Kern River in Kern County, about 40 miles northeast of Bakersfield at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada. Isabella Dam was completed in 1953 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is operated for flood risk management, water supply, and recreation amid Sequoia National Forest lands surrounding the communities of Lake Isabella, Kernville, and Wofford Heights.
At a gross pool of 2,605.5 feet on the Isabella Project Datum the lake stores about 568,000 acre-feet, with roughly 38 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth near 185 feet. Broad open water where the North and South Forks meet, flooded timber, and desert-foothill shoreline create a distinctive southern Sierra reservoir setting.
Isabella is a major destination for boating, camping, and fishing for bass, trout, and other species managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Upper and Lower Kern River attract whitewater paddlers below and above the lake. Corps and Forest Service recreation areas provide extensive public access.
Water levels are managed by the Corps around a gross pool of 2,605.5 feet IPD, with winter flood-conservation space historically limited near 2,560.4 feet IPD and spillway design-flood elevations near 2,627 feet IPD. Dam-safety restrictions reduced storage for many years before remediation work; elevations still swing widely with snowmelt and irrigation demand, so monitoring current lake levels is critical for ramps, fishing, and shoreline hazards.
Current Conditions
Lake Isabella is currently 41.88 feet below full pool and has been falling over the past week.
- 7-day trendFallingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeDown 1.80 ft
- 30-day changeDown 9.87 ft
- Drought conditionsNo Drought
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Lake Isabella is a 11,200-acre reservoir on the Kern River (North and South Forks) managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District.