Best Cabin Camping near Cassel, CA

I have camped at burney falls twice. My first time camping here I stayed in the little cabins they have. (Memorial Cabin Area) That was pretty awesome it’s just a small cabin that has a bed, all cooking and hanging out is done outside the cabin. It has a little porch was pretty cute. The downside to this campground is that it’s pretty obvious that visitors feed the squirrels. The squirrels were more than accustomed to coming right up to us. I put groceries on the picnic table and was unloading the car and squirrels literally ran to the table to attack. I was more than annoyed by this because I don’t interact with wildlife, for their safety to the public who may harm them. My second time staying I tent camped and the first night it rained. (Pioneer Campground) This was no huge deal to me because from what I’ve learned about the outdoors is you’ll never get the weather you expect haha. The next couple days weather started clearing up but was still cloudy. We hiked down to the water fall which is so breath taking and then hiked out to the lake. They have a souvenir shop, firewood and restrooms right on the campground. There’s a small town about 15-20 minute drive to shingle town that normally has little outside events.

This was our first fire lookout, but will not be our last! The drive up to the lookout was tough at times along well-used, but not really well maintained, logging roads. We had a high-clearance all-wheel drive Subaru Crosstrek and while the all-wheel drive didn't seem super necessary, the high clearance certainly was. The trip to the top took about 45 minutes from Hwy. 5, so be sure you have what you need when you head up there.

Along the drive up we did see a bear along the side of the road, but other than a few deer and lots of birds and squirrels, not much other wildlife.

The lookout is great and has two twin or double beds, a table, and a couple of cabinets for storing items. There are no kitchen facilities at this lookout. There is a picnic table and fire ring located on the ground next to the lookout. I don't recall if the table was chained down, but we brought chairs to sit by the fire and enjoy the spectacular views of Castle Crags and Mt. Shasta. There are pit toilets located just a few steps off the road that leads in to the lookout.

Although you do feel like you are way off the beaten path when you are there, do put your gear away each night and day and lock the door to the lookout and you car as day hikers do come up to the lookout, which is a little weird. Not many when we were there, but a few and we were glad that we locked up our gear as to not tempt anyone.

The hiking around the lookout isn't fantastic as you are mostly limited to logging roads, but we hiked around a fair amount nonetheless. It would be a great spot to bring mountain bikes, not sure about the legality of dirt bikes on the logging roads.

The beds were about as bad as you'd expect a bed in a fire lookout to be. We brought our inflatable air mattresses and slept in sleeping bags, but the beds were still really saggy. If you're extra picky about your bed or have back issues you may want to bring an air mattress or something to help stiffen up the bed.

Bring a spotting scope and/or a telescope as there are some wonderful views west to Castle Crags and north to Mt. Shasta. We couldn't see hikers on Mt. Shasta but did see many going up Castle Crags with our binoculars.

Overall it was a great space and also worked well with out dog. We set him up with a dog run when we were outside and then he slept in the fire lookout with us as night.

This will surely be a trip you remember if you stay here. Enjoy!

Manzanita Lake is a really family friendly campground. It’s great seeing the kids ride around the loop on their bicycles and scooters. We had a perimeter site in the A loop, adjacent to the trail that runs to the lake. These sites feel particularly spacious. Due to the type of pine forest, none of them will be private. The interior sites were ok on space for being in a National Park. There is a mix between 3+ night campers and the one nighters, so the park doesn’t completely empty out each day. First come first serve campers would be advised to read the reservation signs carefully, sometimes they are marked a day or two before occupancy and that might be enough time to squeeze in a visit.

There are both plumbed and vault bathrooms, but there is no electricity—so wear a headlamp to the bathroom at night. There is also a water and drain area for dumping dish-wash water, etc. Each site has a bear box, and use of it for all food and food prep, as well as toiletries is expected—campers cannot use their cars. In A loop, we are only a short walk from all things Lake, the laundry and showers, and the camp store. The store has a small menu of hot food offerings available, and the groceries surmount to things found at a gas station plus a few extras like bacon. While travelers should always buy where they burn to prevent introducing invasive bug species, buying wood right outside the park might be a smart choice; the bundles here are $10 each! Ice is $4.65+ for a small 7 lb bag. Showers are $1.75 (7 quarters) for 3 minutes. Many of the groceries are double normal prices. I didn’t dare to check their gas prices! The kayak and canoe rentals are more reasonable. Cabin packages with cook stove, etc, are no longer available with reservations—even though they are still advertised. If staying here for a bit, adventurers will have to drive through Chester to get to other points in the park, like the Devil’s Kitchen (a most beautiful hike). Chester has gas, grocery, hotels, more campgrounds, and some really great local eats. Also check out Drakesbad Ranch if comparing alternatives; we hiked by it on our outing to Devil’s Kitchen and it looks pretty neat.

Waking up to the sound of the wind in the braches of the tall pines, while feeling nothing more than a breeze down below, is a pleasant experience. The drive through Lassen Volcanic is stunning. Under the snow capped peak, wildflowers cascade down the mountainside to frolicking creeks and waterfalls. Emerald lake shines like a deep, green Emerald, and around the corner, Lake Helen is a sparkling Sapphire. The geothermal areas are always interesting and remind us of the forces behind this volcanic tower, and that Lassen is still active. All in all, a great place to car camp.

Nice campground though it can be very crowded. If you have kids it's perfect, close to the lake with a beach area, and activities are offered by the park staff. You can hike or drive to the lake, and of the waterfall, which is easily accessible, is simply beautiful. Watch for black swifts by day, and big eared bats at night by the waterfall. Last time I went, there was an Osprey nest at the falls. The park has a nice visitor center and small store. Sites have a picnic table, food locker, fire ring, there are showers, flush toilets and water. The sites are nice sized and mostly level.

A suggestion if you want to skip the crowds - I've gone in the off season when a smaller section of the campground is open. It is cold at night – but you could hear the waterfall all night – best sleep ever! In the evening I had the waterfall all to myself (bring a bottle of wine)! I saw only two other people there in the morning. There are also cabins that looked nice.

Check out McCloud falls while in the area, it's a nice hike to three different falls. Note, the PCT goes through here if that is of interest to you.