Southwest Walk-in Campground — Lassen Volcanic National Park

Right inside the Lassen Volcanic Park, just to the right after entering is the campground. It was $14 per night and was the only campground in the park that had spots available at the time. Tables and fire pits, close to the parking lot. Nice bathrooms, as well as a dish washing area in the back of the bathroom building, which was really nice. Sites were walk in/hike in only, but because the parking was relatively close, it was easy. Very close the the visitor center.

Unlike the impressive but always incredible Yosemite, Lassen is a gem of a national park rivaling Yellowstone, but without the crowds. There are mud pots, alpine meadows, and lakes to swim and fish in. This particular campsite near the southern entrance is a walk-in, but by walk-in, we mean 20 feet from the paved parking lot.

Sites overlook a forested valley of the park. Bathrooms with flush toilets and sinks are nearby and could be had without reservations, on a first-come, first-served basis, a rarity for many national parks.

Across the parking lot (75 yards) is the Lassen Lodge, which has a great museum, ranger station, junior ranger program, information center, gift shop, and cafe. It’s a great base-camp from which to explore the whole of Lassen as it only takes about an hour to drive from one end of Lassen to the other, with numerous spots to explore along the way.

Winter and Spring are harsh at Lassen Volcanic. When we originally planned our year-long trip to all of the national parks, we did our best to avoid the massive snow packs that limit accessibility to the parks. Sometimes, though, this was unavoidable.

We found out that when the park is covered in snow, it is possible to park overnight at the visitor center and camp in the snow just adjacent to the lot. Since the park is not the quickest to drive to, we decided this was a good option.

We ended up just setting up our small air mattress in the back of our car, but several others were camping on the snow nearby. Use of the visitor center is possible during your stay, including 24-hour access to the vestibule with great indoor restrooms.

During our time in Lassen Volcanic, we learned about the park at the visitor center, hiked as far as we could in the snow along the road, and enjoyed a ranger-led snowshoe tour.

You can read much more about our five days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Lassen Volcanic)