Best Cabin Camping near Colusa, CA

Some of my family has camped here in the past at one of the tent sites. We decided this time around to reserve one of their cabins. We stayed at the Diamond P cabin which has the best view of the lake within this group of cabins. You can walk to the lake (it’s about 100 yards) from this location. Though it does fill up fast (by 11am it was pretty full). They have a large portable toilet there for use. We spent our time at the pool which is near the flushable toilets and the ice cream parlor, restaurant, and camp store. The pool goes from 3.5’ ft to 5’ back to 3.5’ ft.

The cabin was great. Two bedrooms, each with twin bunk beds and a full bottom bunk and twin above. Small bathroom with shower, mini fridge, hot plates, microwave, and dishes. Dining table and futon in the living area. Nice wide front porch to sit on and enjoy the view, communal tables and bbq for all the cabins. This unit also had a swamp cooler to help manage the heat.

Check in is 4pm and check out is 11am. There is also a small game room with a pool table, a baseball field, paddle boats, and kayaks to rent.

The down side is how quickly the easiest access to the lake fills up. Everyone has to drive over from the tent RV site to access the water. There are other places you can drive and park to get to the water, but there it a drop off into the water from there vs a gradual walk in.

The camping area is first come first serve.  Very peaceful.  There are platforms that are right on the creek where you can pitch your tent.  We have an 8×8 tent and it was a little tight, so if your tent is bigger than that, you might want to call to get exact dimensions.  Otherwise, there is a large open field for camping too.  

Lots of shade and decent space between platforms. Close to the parking area, though the creek is between the parking and the camping platforms, so you can't drive directly up to your site.  Very clean showers and restrooms nearby.  No picnic tables at the individual sites.

One downfall (though very understandable) is not being able to have campfires or camp stoves, even in the winter.  You cant really cook any food, BUT the cafe onsite had very tasty food if you want a hot meal or coffee.  

The camping fee includes use of the hot springs too, which are amazing.  Clothing optional, and I would say not that many people had clothes.  The trail to the hot springs is right by the camping area, and a nice little hike.

Having visited Lake County many times, I wasn't expecting much from this camp ground. I had intended to camp at Boggs Forest - my usual hangout for mountain biking when in the area. Turns out it's closed to camping now, so I took a flyer and looked at this park. I managed to grab what appeared to be the last spot available for the Friday and Saturday night stay I had planned. And it was a spot next to the water! 

The spots are a bit close, but there are many options available - from waters edge on the creek or lake, to hilltops with views of the lake. 

The bathrooms were clean, but I showered at the back of my van and didn't need to obtain any tokens to use theirs. 

There are hiking trails, a boat launch, bbq pits, food storage lockers and a pretty good amount of trees to shade the camp sites. 

I think next time I'd opt for a spot along the creek instead of the lake. They look to be better shaded, but may get more drive by traffic. 

I did happen to be here during a heat spell - 104 was the high yesterday. The shade definitely helped! 

I will be back since it's a convenient location for me - 20 mins from my father in Lakeport, 30 mins from Highland Springs and 40 from Boggs Forest. Oh… and the bugs are not at Al what you might expect. At least for me. They weren’t bad at all. I didn’t even need the screens on my van, but the zapper was busy at dusk. Update as I’m still here: for some reason the toilets no longer flush. After all those beers I figured it’d be polite to use a toilet to return them to their maker, but the first bathroom had a large deposit waiting for me. I tried to flush it, but nothing. Went next door. Only per in this one, and it wouldn’t flush either. Oh well. I added to the color of the bowl. Oddly, the faucet worked. At least I was able to wash my hands.

Perfect for what it is which is a basic parking lot RV park. The amenities are pretty great, lovely pool, petting zoo and my favorite the fenced dog park. Oh and they have a dog wash with leash clip!!! So many parks miss the opportunity for dog friendly features. They have the cleanest bathrooms i have ever experienced at an RV park.

My only disappointment was the wifi connection specifically in communal spaces close to the office where it makes sense to have strong connection. Their rec room would be a perfect place to hey some work done if only the wifi was powerful enough. Since i was working on the road I was specifically in need of this amenity. I heard certain RV spots had great reception but unfortunately not ours.

Thousand Trails Lake Minden

Tiny Park, Giant Heart

We spent three weeks at Lake Minden and, to be honest, judged it too quickly. It’s one of the smaller Thousand Trails parks, and when we first rolled in, we weren’t sure it was going to be our kind of place. That changed fast.

Right off the bat, we were greeted warmly at the gate- no awkward waiting or guessing, just a “Hey there, welcome!” kind of vibe. Our assigned spot had a bad electric hookup, but moving one space over solved that and actually gave us a better view. So, win-win. 

The park, like many Thousand Trails locations, is clearly from a different era. The facilities, the grounds, even the layout- it all shows its age in the same way most of these long-standing parks do. But here’s the difference: it’s obvious they take care of what they have. You can feel the pride in the upkeep, and honestly, I’d take a clean, cared-for 50-year-old park over a neglected new one any day.

The community here is what made the trip. The staff pour real effort into the activities- they’re on time, thoughtful, and welcoming. Friday potlucks were the soul of the park. We forgot our plates and silverware more than once (parent brain), and Barbara, the activities director, always had us covered without missing a beat. That kind of care doesn’t go unnoticed.

Easter weekend took it to another level. My toddler had the time of his life painting eggs and coloring puzzles, and my wife - who’d never painted an egg before - might’ve had more fun than he did. The Easter egg hunt was packed with families and even staff with their kids. Prizes for the winners, candy in the eggs for the rest of us- my toddler’s too young for the sweets, so I had no choice but to help. That’s what dads are for, right?

There’s an ice cream social every Saturday, and it’s as delightful as it sounds. Tons of toppings, lots of conversation, and just a genuinely happy way to spend a weekend afternoon. We missed candy bar bingo this time, but it's already on the list for our return trip.

Special thanks to Gwen, the park manager, who couldn’t have been more welcoming. The assistant manager warmed up by the end of our stay, which made us feel even more like part of the community.

Facilities were surprisingly polished. The showers were spotless, stocked, and looked freshly upgraded with woodgrain tile and real stall doors. Toilets and sinks were just as clean, and even when I accidentally left my shampoo in the shower, I found it days later placed neatly on the side counter. That’s rare. Housekeeping here clearly cares.

The lodge is small- more like a retrofitted mobile trailer - but full of charm. It’s where most activities are held, and there's a cozy back room with a pool table, board games, a decent little DVD collection, and a small library. My toddler played Connect 4 like a champion (even though he mostly used it as a coin-drop game), and, tried valiantly to reach the pool balls.

Now, the lake. It’s... functional. Let’s be honest, it’s a man-made basin with some concrete leftovers that litter the sides that look like the Ghost of Swimming Pools Past. Not the prettiest, but they do stock it with fish and the docks looked newly redone- one rebuilt while we were there, looked really nice when they finished. I didn’t bring my gear, but next time, I’m sneaking out for some dad-time with a rod and reel.

There’s no pool at this park, but the grassy areas made up for it. Annual sites had a huge open field behind them where my son ran wild playing ball and chase. Minden must’ve mowed the day we arrived because the smell of cut grass hit us like nostalgia. They kept it mowed weekly, and my kid was hypnotized by the riding mower going up and down the stretch. In fact there's enough gassy area I thought a great spring/summertime regular event would be water days- think slip'n slides and mist sprinklers set up for the kids. That would be fun... and a cool relief in those hotter days.

There’s a playground with a raised soft-chip base, multiple slides, and just the right level of challenge for a toddler. He had a blast. Even the dog park, while nothing fancy (just a weed-sprouting rectangle), gave our Silky terriers a space to run a few laps. I may or may not have snuck them into the field after hours for some frisbee time. Nobody tell.

Connectivity was solid- I had full AT&T service for calls, texts, and data the entire time. It was a quiet park, minus one domestic dispute from a neighboring site that cleared up fast (and they moved out the next day). Otherwise, peaceful and calm.

Now, let’s talk about traffic flow- because this one got me. The park is built around a lake, and the road looping around it is one-way, enforced with a strict 5 mph speed limit. That’s great if you have kids or dogs and you want a calm environment. Not so great when you realize halfway to the store that you forgot your wallet. What should’ve been a quick grab turned into a 10-minute drive out, a 10-minute drive back in, and then… yep, 10 minutes out again. I’ve taken shorter road trips just to get ice cream. Lesson learned.

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Stay Summary & Scores

Restroom & Shower Facilities: ★★★★★

Exceptionally clean, stocked, and well-maintained. Modern-feeling shower stalls with privacy and woodgrain tile. Toilets and sinks equally spotless.

Lodge Amenities & Common Spaces: ★★★★☆

Compact but full of charm. Activities room, pool table, games, small library. Retrofitted mobile unit, but used thoughtfully and consistently.

Overall Cleanliness & Maintenance: ★★★★★

Top-tier. Grass is cut regularly, restrooms shine, playground looks freshly maintained, and even left-behind items are handled with care.

Recreational Activities & Family Engagement: ★★★★★

Thoughtfully organized events (especially Easter), ice cream socials, egg painting, RC airplane shows, dog races, and a family-friendly vibe across the board.

Staff Hospitality & Park Culture: ★★★★★

Gwen leads with warmth. Barbara is the MVP of activities. Assistant manager needed some time to warm up, but did. Felt truly welcomed.

Lake & Waterfront Quality: ★★☆☆☆

Man-made and a little tired. Some concrete remnants along the edge. Not great for swimming, but fish-stocked and dock area recently improved.

Pet-Friendliness: ★★★☆☆

Dog park was weedy and basic, but functional. Open spaces nearby helped. Waste bins were present and clean.

Site Utility Functionality: ★★★★☆ First electric hookup was faulty, but the second was fine. Rest of the site utilities performed without issue. Easy to park and level.

Traffic Flow & Accessibility: ★★★☆☆ 

Strict 5 mph limit is great for safety (especially with kids) but makes trips around the loop feel like slow motion. One-way loop adds time - especially painful if you forget your wallet and turn your day into a 30-minute regret. 

General Atmosphere & Community Vibe: ★★★★★ Welcoming, peaceful, and filled with community spirit. The kind of place where strangers become friends over potluck and board games.

Pros: If you are a person who likes to either stay all day at your campsite or are a water sport/water toy type person this campground is for you. Cons: Bathroom near our campsite wasn’t working. Campsites were overgrown with foxtails, not good for my dogs. Trash in our fire pit. A few campsites away from ours had a huge poison oak plant at the back where you park your rig. A walkway near the campground popular for fishing had a tree fall on it, instead of clearing the tree, the park rangers closed it off. Not much hiking in the park, and if you decide to walk the couple short hikes, don’t bring your dogs, NO DOGS ALLOWED. For the number of workers this park employs you would think these things would be dealt with, but no. I guess this is typical of State Parks in California, so much potential but sadly California parks slowly deteriorate.