Manzanita Lake Campground — Lassen Volcanic National Park

If you like camping with modern comforts, this is your spot. They even had laundry (you’ve got to bring cash though). It’s busy, so it won’t be quiet, but it was a great place to meet people.

Simple but beautiful campground. Use Recreation.gov to reserve a site. If you dont have reservation you still need to log into the site to claim a spot. Fortunately there is wifi at the visitor center (not at the park store).

Keep in mind that there is no water available. Need to bring your own.

Also, no cell service but campground is sparsely tree covered. We were able to use Starlink just fine at our site.

Lots of hiking nearby.

Access lake manzanita from this bucolic setting. Rental kayaks and paddle boards are overpriced so bring your own. See Lassen's offerings while staying at a great spot.

We enjoyed staying at Manzanita Campground when we made a last minute change of plans to have cooler weather. The elevation makes a big difference! We were in two different sites as we made same day and next day reservations. Yes, some of the spots are tight, but we were able to get two nice sites that felt more open. I loved being able to hike right by from the campground on multiple hikes. Sadly, due to staff shortages, the wonderfulv Loomis museum which chronicles the eruption is closed during the week days. Bathrooms in B loop nicer than in A loop. But A loop closer to lake. Be ready to level your camper.

This campground is huge and busy, but I was able to get a first come, first serve camp site last minute on a weekday. The lake is incredible and Lassen national park is a really special place so it’s a great spot to check out the rest of the park! The hiking is incredible and there is a trail that goes around the lake.

We stayed here the first night of our visit to Lassen. This campground is huge. It was almost full and we had a hard time figuring out which sites were available that night until we asked the CG host. We found a pull through that was available that night only.

There is a gift shop and limited groceries available that is next to Manzanita CG. They have showers and laundry which we did not use. They even have gasoline.

The park itself is fabulous.

Our family stayed 3 days and 2 nights, the sites are on the smaller size. We stayed at B13. Restroom were clean, rangers come and clean it almost everyday. Trash is picked up every other day. Bear box was large, easily 2 coolers and more. Lake is just a short walk away and the story carry all the essentials that you might need

Stopped here for a night before beginning of backpacking trip in Lassen. There were people in our spot when we arrived (we got there quite late), but they moved when we informed them we had another car coming. Bear box at D22 was broken. Good, flat ground for multiple tents. Unclear where drinking water was available. Individual working at shop was not very helpful.

Absolutely beautiful campsite area. Bathrooms were basic, buy clean. We'll be back.

Lovely campground. Bathrooms basic, but clean. Private lots

We drove up to the the other side of Lassen 30min away and saw the Sulphur Works hydrothermal vent. We also saw a small bear and deer there. The lake is a short 5 min drive or less away and the museum has a Junior Ranger program which is a book of neat educational tasks for the kids to complete so that they can show it to a ranger and get a Junior Ranger Badge. Breathtaking views of the forest and lots of neat rocks from the volcanoes. I would stay there again! There are things that you don’t see anywhere else there.

On our honeymoon, my wife and I stopped in Lassen Volcanic NP. We were blown away. So gorgeous. This was one of the only campgrounds open at the end of May. Most sites were filled on a Monday night. We did not have a reservation but I would recommend making one. The sites are right next to each other and there is not much seclusion. There is a pretty rigorous hike with a trailhead just down the road. We loved the park, and the campsite was good. FYI lots of pollen around this time. My white truck was yellow after the night. We were here in late may.

Lots of people.

Stayed a couple of days in the big forested campsites. The geothermal features are unique (especially if you haven't been to Yellowstone). There are rental kayaks nearby and plenty of hikes. We did a really interesting cindercone hike.

This campsite is pretty awesome. We stayed at site #21 in loop D. The sites were very large and came equipped with a fire ring/grill, bear box and picnic table.

We had a great time exploring the park and hanging out around Lake Manzanita.

Lassen National Park is beautiful and we hope to be back soon. Even during a busy Labor Day Weekend the park was crowded but nothing like a bigger national park (think Yosemite) in a regular weekend. It was nice being able to experience the park without feeling totally overcrowded.

The camp store was very convenient if you forget anything!

This campground is BIG. there are four loops of sites.  I am a tent camper so this area can be on the crowded side for me with not enough privacy.

That being said the lake is beautiful. Easy access for kayaks and canoes.

The sites are clean, have table, food locker and fire sit.  Bathrooms are flush with showers available.  Close by are cabins to rent on the lake and a store, rentals and even gas,

Great jumping off site to get thru Lassen Park. Can take 45 minutes to get to the other side but there is lots of hiking and incredible views.  And crazy geo thermal sites such as Bumpass Hell.

I love everything about Mount Lassen including the Manzanita Lake camping ground.

UNFORTUNATELY the lake allows no water Recreation due to a over population of beavers; Beavers are apparently dangerous.

It is located less than a mile from the entrance. Large and well shaded sites. Very affordable!

All the amenities including gas, laundry and showers.

Stock up on supplies as the store is limited and expensive!

I have camped at Lassen Volcanic National Park twice. And this campground is definitely the family friendly, rangers in sight, store nearby type of campground here. It’s right next to manzanita lake, and easy to access the area off the highway. My first time here I was more than excited to see bumpass hell, unfortunately this was in June of 2018 so bumpass hell was closed for construction. I still enjoyed my time here because the park is very beautiful. We drove up to summit lake and did some exploring in the area. Summit lake also has a campground that only holds a few sites. It’s a more relaxed and quiet campground since there aren’t really stores nearby.

I used to go to Lassen as a child, but have re-fallen in love with it as an adult, heading back with my children. About a million times less crowded than Yosemite and just as beautiful, Lassen does not disappoint.

Similarly, the campground at Manzanita Lake is miles above any similar campground in the centrally located parts of Yosemite (though outer campgrounds in Yosemite can be nice).

Plenty of space, good prices, beautiful trees and most of all an absolutely beautiful lake all make this campground a winner. Pretty much all of the campgrounds in Lassen are great, but this one has the benefit of being one of the larger ones, so it's (when we were there) easier to find a good spot without reservations. Can't wait to head back.

Spacious campsites with soft dirt/gravel that makes tent camping pretty comfy. Bathrooms were in good shape. The camp store is a close walk and has everything you would need. Stunning views of Lassen Peak from the lake.

California Hidden gems.

Simple to reserve/access campground near Northwest entrance of Lassen. Whole deal was easy enough to be combination somewhere between "vaguely memorable" and "appreciably easy." Fully unobtrusive experience. Racoons (er sumthin weird) kept me company a fair portion of the eve. No bother.

Very large camp near the western entrance of the Lassen Volcanic National Park. Situated on the banks of Manzanita Lake. There are numerous tent, RV, and a few cabin sites available that you can get with little advance notice, unlike many other national parks.

Manzanita has a small camp store with supplies with supplies, hook-ups, and dumpstations availability for RVs, and there is a boat launch for kayaks and canoes on the lake. You can also rent kayaks and canoes and fishing is also widely popular with licenses available in the store.

The camp is also a short drive from the very cool and historic museum that has information about the volcanic history of the park as well as early photographs of the 1915 eruption. It is well worth a visit and has a junior ranger program available for kids, plus general park information. Manzanita is probably the largest camp location within the park and is busy, but there is plenty of opportunities to escape into Lassen.

We love this campground for all of its extras while still feeling like you are in the wilderness. The campground has cabins, as well as tent and trailer spots. If you forget something, there is a small store known for its soft serve ice cream. You can rent kayaks and stand up paddle boards. Each site has a bear box which is great for keeping the chipmunks out of your food. Great views and day hikes in the Lassen National Forest.

Great camp site. We kayaked on the lake and were close enough to the showers by the general store. The park rangers did rounds at night to keep howling animals (coyotes probably) at a distance. It was a great location to drive from. We visited Lassen peak, the cinder cone, butte falls and bumpass hell.

An easy camp spot. The further down the loops the better the sites are. Some sites are close to others. The walk down to the lake isn't far. Nice for a get away! They also have cabins that you can reserve and a small store at the campground.