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Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Lassen Volcanic National Park

564 Reviews

Manzanita Lake Campground's pet-friendly tent sites and cabins provide a comfortable base for exploring Lassen Volcanic National Park. Dogs must be leashed at all times within this established campground, which features a mix of tent and RV spaces alongside rustic cabin accommodations. Each site includes a fire ring, picnic table, and access to bear-resistant food storage. The campground can get busy during summer months with families and their pets circling the loops on bicycles. Sites on the perimeter of Loop A feel particularly spacious despite the pine forest offering little privacy between campsites.

Summit Lake North Campground offers additional pet-friendly options with its lakeside setting at 7,000 feet elevation. Dogs are allowed on leash throughout the campground's two loops containing approximately 40 sites. The swimmable lake provides cooling opportunities for pets during warm summer months, though mosquitoes can be problematic during peak season. Both Mt. Lassen-Shingletown KOA and Hat Creek Resort & RV Park provide more amenities for campers with pets, including full hookups, showers, and designated pet exercise areas. The KOA maintains seasonal operation from April through October with established pet policies that welcome dogs of all breeds. Volcanic Country Camping & RV also accommodates pets with dedicated sites featuring picnic tables and fire rings where campers report enjoying fishing opportunities with their dogs nearby.

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Best Dog-Friendly Sites Near Lassen Volcanic National Park (140)

    1. Manzanita Lake Campground — Lassen Volcanic National Park

    40 Reviews
    Mineral, CA
    6 miles
    +1 (530) 595-6121

    $15 / night

    "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."

    "Very large camp near the western entrance of the Lassen Volcanic National Park. Situated on the banks of Manzanita Lake."

    2. Summit Lake South — Lassen Volcanic National Park

    8 Reviews
    Mineral, CA
    3 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 595-6121

    $22 / night

    "Like its sister site to the north, this camp site is next to Lassen’s Summit Lake at approximately 7000 feet."

    "Summit lake is a great place to hang.  There are campgrounds on either side of the lake and this one is the more primate of the two - no flush toilets. "

    3. Summit Lake North — Lassen Volcanic National Park

    7 Reviews
    Mineral, CA
    3 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 595-6121

    $24 / night

    "Another great campsite within the gorgeous (and uncrowded) Lassen Volcanic National Park, this one is on the northern shore of a Summit Lake, a blue, pristine lake near 7000 feet."

    "Our decision for our final resting place -pun intended- was situated between two rocks on the flattest stony ground we could find. We had heard gusts could reach 70 mph at night."

    4. Big Pine Dispersed Camping

    7 Reviews
    Old Station, CA
    10 miles

    "Our parking spot is big enough for our travel trailer, right next to the creek. Clean, quiet, safe. No traffic. But No cell service."

    "Right next to the creek and big spots! Our motorhome drove down here just fine. Caught a bunch of trout in the creek and had an absolute blast. Quiet and safe and lots of shade."

    5. Christie Hill Basecamp

    6 Reviews
    Mineral, CA
    6 miles

    "Just off the main highway. Gravel road in. We had a Ford van that had no problem driving over the dirt and gravel road. There are sites with fire rings and relatively flat ground."

    "I only had to drive a little ways in to find a nice spot with a fire pit and space for my camper. I’ve been here for hours and haven’t seen or heard anyone. I also have full reception with Verizon."

    6. Butte Creek Campground

    11 Reviews
    Old Station, CA
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 257-4188

    "Free site; vault toilets and some fire pits/ picnic tables; quiet, simple, close to hike extinct volcano and lake. Really perfect"

    "Off the beaten path and limited cell reception. Clean natural sites and vault toilets. Basic!"

    7. 31N17N - North Manzanita Dispersed Camping

    5 Reviews
    Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA
    7 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 257-2151

    "About one mile south of the northwest entrance, so it’s convenient. Follow the instructions from other campers as they’re spot on."

    "Overall a great place to camp if your looking for a free option to camp/boon dock very close to the park."

    8. Volcanic Country Camping & RV

    7 Reviews
    Mineral, CA
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 595-4422

    $20 / night

    "35 per night plus $2 pet fee

    Sites very close together. Bathroom old but works. Poor T Mobile service. No wifi."

    "We’ve been on a road trip through California living in a van so after hiking lassen all day we were on the lookout for a shower . This place had a hot shower and toilet !"

    9. Hat Creek Resort & RV Park

    7 Reviews
    Old Station, CA
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 335-7121

    "My wife and I and two dogs stayed at campsite 51. Wonderful site with hook ups. easy to find and loved the proximity to the PCT."

    "Fishing in camp and nearby. Friendly staff. Had originally reserved a back in site, but emailed to hopefully get a pull through. Got a quick reply, and all taken care of."

    10. Mt. Lassen-Shingletown KOA

    12 Reviews
    Shingletown, CA
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (530) 474-3133

    "Convenient to Lassen Volcanic National Park"

    "It's close to the dog park if you have a dog. The bathroom/shower is 3 sites down. Very clean. 

    Also close to the walking trail, basketball/volleyball courts& a neat tree swing."

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Recent Dog-Friendly Camping Photos near Lassen Volcanic National Park

45 Photos of 140 Lassen Volcanic National Park Campgrounds

Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Lassen Volcanic National Park

564 Reviews of 140 Lassen Volcanic National Park Campgrounds

  • G
    Jul. 3, 2022

    Mt. Lassen-Shingletown KOA

    One of the Best

    Great campground. Strong WiFi, adequate and clean restrooms. Sites are level with some trees. Convenient to Lassen Volcanic National Park

  • Azizah T.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 4, 2020

    Manzanita Lake Campground — Lassen Volcanic National Park

    The campground with access

    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.

  • Brian C.
    Sep. 1, 2018

    Summit Lake North — Lassen Volcanic National Park

    Great National Park Campground

    Another great campsite within the gorgeous (and uncrowded) Lassen Volcanic National Park, this one is on the northern shore of a Summit Lake, a blue, pristine lake near 7000 feet. There are two camping loops with tent sites and small RV trailer sports available. No hook-ups, but flush toilets and sinks nearby.

    Sites can be further inland near the forest with a parking lot that separates you from the lakeshore. In the summer, the lake is great for swimming.

    There is another campsite on the southern side of the lake that is very similar, but we prefer the north campground in that the sites are closer to the lake itself. Numerous hikes are available within the area.

  • Brian C.
    Sep. 1, 2018

    Manzanita Lake Campground — Lassen Volcanic National Park

    Great Camp in Lassen National Park

    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.

  • CThe Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 6, 2021

    Mill Creek Resort

    Nice Private Campground

    This campground is just south of Lassen Volcanic National Park.  It has two main sections, one for RVs and the other for tents.  There are a small number of RV sites with full hookups and then a larger number of tent sites.  The RV sites are fairly small, but felt separated enough to have some privacy.  The tent sites are a bit more rustic.

    The other slightly odd part is that most of the RV sites were filled with people who came and stayed for the entire summer, year after year.  We were the only not long-term camper in the RV section.  

    Pros:

    * Close to a lot of amazing scenery with Lassen

    * Well kept, clean, quiet campground

    * Camp store/restaurant is great

    * Laundry on site

    * Access to a nice little creek w/swimming hole

    Cons:

    * Camp store is open limited days

    * Tent sites only have pit toilets which are not the best maintained

    OK:

    * No fires in the RV sites

    * Showers were not always very clean

  • Sarah P.
    Jul. 16, 2018

    Gurnsey Creek

    Quiet, family and dog-friendly campground

    This is a first-come, first-serve campground within the Lassen National Forest, about 14 miles from the southern entry gate of Lassen Volcanic National Park. My family and I arrived on a Thursday afternoon in June and there were plenty of campsites available. There were more people arriving on Friday and Saturday but still a handful of sites were available and it never got very crowded. The campground is near a highway but it stayed relatively quiet the whole time, since there's not much traffic on the road. The campground loop roads are not used much and make for a safe area for kids to ride bikes or scooters nearby the campsites. The only complaint I had about the campground is the large amount of cut wood logs that were stacked around the camp sites. It made the view a little less scenic but provided for a large amount of firewood. If you enjoy a quiet and serene camping experience near a National Park, I would definitely recommend this campground! It's also near the town of Chester, which has gas stations, restaurants, and a grocery store, as well as Lake Almanor, which has boating, swimming, and hiking trails.

  • D
    Aug. 12, 2023

    Manzanita Lake Campground — Lassen Volcanic National Park

    Manzanita Lake Campground - Tidy but Tight Spaces

    Manzanita Lake Campground is the campground closest to the north entrance to Lassen Volcanic National Park. It is best accessed from California State Route 44/89. My wife and I reserved space A8 for a four-night stay beginning August 7, 2023. 

    While the campground is well-maintained, I cannot, under any circumstances, recommend that space for anyone camping with an RV or travel trailer. From all appearances A8 looked perfect. But appearances can be deceiving. Looking at an online map of the campground A8 appeared to be a pull-through site which it is. The problem is the site dips down from the access road, bottoms out slightly, then rises again back toward the access road. It took us nearly an hour to locate an area within the space that would allow us to attain a reasonable level so that our refrigerator would operate on propane. And our travel trailer is only 18-feet in length. Once the trailer was reasonably level, the entry step was approximately 18 inches from ground to the step (see images).

    Despite the initial difficulties, once settled, we found the campground to be quiet even though there is not a lot of space between sites. The camp store offers some grocery items but is mainly dedicated to the sale of tourist merchandise. It does have a gas pump offering only 87 octane regular gas at $4.99 per gallon - cash only which is below market price for the area.

    We would camp at Manzanita Lake Campground in the future but would be highly selective in our choice of sites - driving through the various loops we noted that very few are close to level.

  • Michael I.
    Apr. 17, 2018

    North Battle Creek Campground

    Awesome Campground to get away from the crowds

    This is a great spot that I almost didn't review because I don't want anyone else to know about it. The campground is approximately 30 minutes off of Hwy. 44 on dirt forest service roads. The roads were in great condition in August of 2017, to the point were a two-wheel drive low-clearance car would have made it without issue, but would likely take longer than 30 minutes.

    The campground itself is nice with sites being reasonably spread out. This was our first visit to this campground but in talking with some of the friendly neighbors many people come back to this same campground year after year.

    There are two sets on campsites, drive-up and walk-in. The walk-in sites can be a bit of a hike away from the parking area, so if you do plan to camp there (I believe they are all first come, first serve), do bring a wagon, cart, or backpack to carry your gear in and out. It did seem like a few folks may have been able to talk the host into opening the locked gate so that they could drop off their stuff before parking their car in the designated lot. The walk-in sites are located right next to the reservoir and there is a separate bathroom building for those sites. The remaining drive-up sites are still close to the reservoir, maybe a short 500-foot walk to the closest access point.

    The reservoir is beautiful and is plenty big enough for some great kayaking or paddle boarding. There were also many people fishing both from the shore and from boats or floats.

    Four-wheeling and dirt bike riding seemed to be another common way to spend the day for many folks at the campground, likely exploring the miles and miles of forest service roads surrounding the campground. Although we didn't notice anyone with a telescope, this area was incredible for stargazing. Camp near the reservoir or bring your telescope down to the shoreline as the rest of the campground is pretty heavily wooded, but don't miss out on enjoying one of the most amazing night skies you may ever see.

    We drove in and out once each day we stayed at the site to hike inside Lassen Volcanic National Park. While it wasn't a short drive we enjoyed being away from the RVs and large groups of people camping within the National Park campgrounds.

    Next time we come here, and we do plan to go back, we will plan in a day or two to simply enjoy the reservoir and area around the campground. There is plenty to do between exploring and just relaxing in the relative quiet, and well worth a day or two to not go anywhere and just enjoy the area.

  • jThe Dyrt PRO User
    May. 19, 2025

    Redding RV Park

    I'd stay here again

    Full hookups in back in spot for $55. Mostly pull throughs in Park, which cost more. Shower, restrooms, dog park. Propane for sale here.

Guide to Lassen Volcanic National Park

Camping with your furry friends near Lassen Volcanic National Park offers a fantastic way to explore the great outdoors while keeping your pets by your side. Here are some great options for pet-friendly camping in the area.

Dog owners appreciate the amenities at these campgrounds

Tips for camping with dogs near Lassen Volcanic National Park

  • Summit Lake North — Lassen Volcanic National Park: Ensure your dog is comfortable by bringing a portable water bowl and plenty of food, as this campground has drinking water available but no hookups.
  • Cave Campground: Keep your dog leashed and be mindful of wildlife in the area, as this campground is known for its beautiful surroundings and proximity to hiking trails.
  • Hat Creek Resort & RV Park: This family-friendly spot welcomes pets and offers a variety of activities, so make sure to bring toys and a comfortable bed for your dog.

Dog-friendly activities while camping near Lassen Volcanic National Park

Frequently Asked Questions

Which campgrounds in Lassen Volcanic National Park are pet-friendly?

All campgrounds within Lassen Volcanic National Park are pet-friendly, though with specific restrictions. Manzanita Lake Campground is a popular option with spacious sites that accommodate pets. Summit Lake North is another excellent pet-friendly option located on the shores of pristine Summit Lake. Remember that while pets are welcome in campgrounds, they must be leashed at all times and cannot be left unattended. For camping options outside the park with more lenient pet policies, consider nearby accommodations in Shingletown.

What are the leash requirements for pets at Lassen Volcanic National Park?

Pets must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet at all times within Lassen Volcanic National Park. This requirement applies to all developed areas including campgrounds, picnic areas, parking lots, and paved roads. The leash rule is strictly enforced to protect wildlife, vegetation, and other visitors. Mt. Lassen-Shingletown KOA, located just outside the park, offers a more relaxed atmosphere for pets while still requiring leashes in common areas. Pets should never be left unattended, even in vehicles or at campsites, due to wildlife concerns and temperature fluctuations that can be dangerous.

Are dogs allowed on trails in Lassen Volcanic National Park?

Dogs are not allowed on trails within Lassen Volcanic National Park. Park regulations restrict pets to developed areas only, including roads, parking areas, campgrounds, and picnic areas. This protects both wildlife and your pet from potential hazards like hot volcanic features. If you're looking for nearby pet-friendly hiking options, consider visiting areas outside the park like North Battle Creek Campground, which offers beautiful forest trails where pets are welcome, or Rocky Point Campground - Lake Almanor which has pet-friendly hiking paths.

Are there any pet daycare or boarding options near Lassen Volcanic National Park?

Several pet boarding options exist near Lassen Volcanic National Park for days when you're exploring non-pet-friendly trails. Redding RV Park, about an hour west of the park, offers a dog park and is near several pet boarding facilities in Redding. Mill Creek Resort, just south of the park, can provide information on local boarding options. In Shingletown, there are small pet boarding businesses that cater to park visitors. It's essential to book these services in advance, especially during peak season (June-September), as availability is limited in this rural area.

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