Best Cabin Camping near Shasta, CA

The Trinity River Adventure Inn cabins are a group of three cabins located on the bank of the Trinity River. The closest town for supplies is Weaverville, about a 15 min drive west. The towns of Lewiston and Douglas City are closer, but hit and miss on when things are open and what they offer. All three cabins can be rented individually, and I am sure if you group needed the space, you could rent all three at the same time. The other cabins were occupied during our stay, but that wasn't an issue. Each cabin is different, there is a large A frame cabin for larger groups, a smaller fisherman's cabin closest to the river for one or two people, and a mid size cabin for groups of 3-4. The A frame and the mid size cabin both have patios to bbq (grills provided) and hang out on, full kitchens, and very comfortable living room and bedrooms. Everything is provided, from cooking utensils to bedding/towels. Just bring food/drink. There is even satellite tv and wifi. Firewood is provided for the wood burning stoves. There is a large grassy area that slopes down to the river for people staying in all three cabins to use. There is easy access to fishing right out the backdoor of the cabins, and you could put in and take out kayaks if the water level is high enough. Boat launching facilities are located a few miles away. It is a fantastic location central to Trinity Lake, Lewiston Lake, Whiskeytown reservoir, and the beautiful Trinity Alps, with plenty of boating, swimming, water skiing, hiking, backpacking adventures within 30-60 minutes.

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!

Ripple Creek Cabins are located about an hour north of Weaverville, along the upper Trinity River. Each cabin is self contained and comes with cooking utensils, linens, towels, and full kitchens. There is also a picnic table and BBQ provided for each cabin. The property sits on the bank on the Trinity River, with easy river access for swimming and fishing. There is also a large grassy area for all to use that has bocce ball and horseshoes. There is easy access to the Trinity Alps Wilderness for hikers of all levels, as well as access to Trinity Lake about 20 minutes south for all that the lake has to offer. The cabins are pet friendly and wifi is available. There is no phone service or television. Each cabin has a wood burning stove, shower and toilet, but otherwise are a bit spartan compared to some cabins. But with all the easy access to outdoor activities, all you need is a place to cook, clean up, and sleep. Great to rent for couples, families, or large groups. It is a bit of a drive to Weaverville, so be sure you have all your supplies you need. The small towns of Coffee Creek and Trinity Center are closer, but may not have everything you need. Each town does have a couple of great places to eat during the Summer, specifically Trailhead Pizza in Trinity Center.

Henson's Hideaway is located between Weaverville, CA and Trinity Center, CA, along Highway 3 on the west side of Trinity Lake. It is centrally located to a number of the Trinity Alps trails, as well as boat access to the lake. Also, it is an easy drive to get food, supplies, beer, etc in either town. The road is plowed year round and the cabin is only a few minutes off of Highway 3.

Cabin Review: Henson's Hideaway is bookable on VRBO https://www.vrbo.com/300244) and Michelle is very easy to deal with, and very accommodating. Prices vary depending on the time of year and holiday weekends, so check with the listing page linked above for up to date info. The cabin itself is fantastic. There is a large deck downstairs that opens into a garage that has been converted into a bonus room with TV/Satellite, a pool table, extra full bathroom, and additional sleeping areas. The pool table was a fantastic unexpected bonus for a cabin in the woods. Upstairs is a very comfortable main living area with a bathroom, bedroom, full kitchen, dining/living room and a deck outside with seating for at least 4 adults. It was a very comfortable cabin with plenty of creature comforts, the kitchen was well stocked with cooking/cleaning/silverware etc. It was plenty of room for two couples, two toddlers, and two labs. The only downside was that it doesn't have a bbq. They don't keep one around because it attracts mountain critters, but people are allowed to bring their own if they would like. As always though, check with the owners for the latest info. I have posted a few pictures I took, there are more at the link above.

Product Review: As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At the Henson's Hideaway, I tested the Renogy ELumen Multi-funtionial Flashlight (https://www.renogy.com/renogy-e-lumen-multi-functional-flashlight/.)

The flashlight comes equipped with a flashlight (obviously) with three settings (high, low, strobe), a recessed seatbelt cutter, a glass shattering hammer, a compass embedded in the butt of the grip, a solar charging panel built into the flashlight handle (here is where you can insert the old joke about solar powered flashlights, but it does work thanks to a built in lithium ion battery), LED side lighting (both red and white lights, including a strobe function), a magnet for mounting/storage and USB input/output to charge the flashlight or charge electronic devices off the flashlight's battery. Enough of the specs, on to the review. This flashlight rocks. It is plenty light for nighttime wandering around a camp/cabin. The LED side lighting is great for illuminating a small space without blinding anyone, similar to a lantern, the red strobe LED side lighting is great for roadside emergencies or to use as a beacon. I haven't had to test the glass shattering hammer or seatbelt cutter, knock on wood, but they both look like they will do the trick, and the flashlight is living in the center console of my truck for just such emergencies. It charges quickly via USB and seemed to charge quickly enough from a fully dead battery to work fine, I just set it on the dash of my truck while I drove to the cabin and when we got there it worked all weekend. The only downside is the compass, I have tested it a few different times and places and it is always a few degrees off from my other compass and the one on my smart phone. Close enough to be useful in general, but I wouldn't trust it trying to route-find.

Henson's Hideaway receives 5 stars and the Renogy Flashlight receives 4 1/2 stars due to the minor issue with the compass. Overall it is a fantastic item that is light enough to backpack with, especially given the multi functionality of the product. I highly recommend car campers and backpackers alike get one for their travels, especially given the very reasonable price of $25.

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.

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!