Lake of the Woods is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in southwestern Kern County, California.

[3] The community is in Cuddy Canyon in the San Emigdio Mountains, along the Ventura and Kern County line.

The name "Lake of the Woods" was bestowed by pioneer Mrs. Florence Cuddy, when the community was established in 1925.

There were 480 housing units at an average density of 136.3 per square mile (52.6/km2), of which 274 (67.7%) were owner-occupied, and 131 (32.3%) were occupied by renters.

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 833 people, 346 households, and 217 families in Lake of the Woods, 88 percent of the residents being white — significantly higher than the population of the United States as a whole — which has a population about 75 percent white.

In common with some of the other Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass, Lake of the Woods had a significant vacancy rate when the census was taken in March 2000 — 129 of the 475 housing units were unoccupied, compared with just 9 percent in the nation at large.

Kern Regional Transit provides bus service to Lake of the Woods Thursdays and Saturdays during the summer to Frazier Park, Lebec, Pinon Pines, and Pine Mountain Club.

Cuddy Hall, owned by the local Lake of the Woods property owners association, is a community center that is available to the public.