Established Camping
Southwest Walk-in Campground — Lassen Volcanic National Park
About
National Park Service
Lassen Volcanic National Park
The Southwest Walk-in Campground is located on the east side of the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center parking area. A short walk along a paved walkway provides easy access to each site. When snow is on the ground (approximately Nov-May), the location of the Southwest Campground changes to an over-the-snow area south of the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center parking area. Winter camping registration is located at the fee booth located south of the parking area.
Reservation Info
Southwest Walk-in campsites are first-come, first-served only.
Access
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Hike-InBackcountry sites.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonPoor
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
Features
For Campers
- Market
- Trash
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
Very close to southwest entrance
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.
Want Yellowstone Without the Crowds? Start Here
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.
- (20) View All
Spring camping option at Lassen Volcanic
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)
- (6) View All
Location
Southwest Walk-in Campground — Lassen Volcanic National Park is located in California
Directions
Campground is adjacent to the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center Parking Area, which is located one mile from the Southwest Entrance.
Coordinates
40.4366 N
121.532641 W