It’s been quite a while since we’ve gone camping. We’ve traveled and hiked and biked, but haven’t camped in several years. We had two days and one overnight to squeeze in a trip, and had read about camping cabins in Lassen Volcanic National Park. That’s within a reasonable traveling distance so we decided to go, just after Labor Day.

Lassen Volcanic National Park is in northern California, with the park’s northwest entrance about an hour east of Redding. The camping cabins at Manzanita Lake are fairly new, built in 2011 next to the  Manzanita Lake Campground.

 

We arrived mid-afternoon on a warm, cloudless day and checked in at the nearby camp store, where they provided us with the  key to our cabin and a battery-operated lantern. We also bought ice and firewood.

The cabins have no electricity or plumbing, but do have a propane heater. The bathrooms are vault toilets a short walk away. There’s no running water there either, but there is a dispenser of hand sanitizer at the door.

Our cabin had a double size platform bed with foam mattress, a small table and two chairs. The best feature may have been the sweet little front porch, also with two chairs and a  table. It proved perfect for enjoying early evening wine and for coffee in the morning.

In the late afternoon we walked down to the lake, where fly fishermen and women in full gear, including waders, emerged from the forest and ventured several yards into the shallow water to cast their lines. A few colorful kayaks dotted the lake’s center from which folks also fished. A couple walked down from the campground with their wine glasses to sit on a lakeside log and enjoy the waning daylight. Clearly experienced with the location, they told me the hike around the lake is well worth doing, and identified which spot to be at during sunset for a spectacular show of color reflecting off Mt. Lassen. With not enough time this trip before we needed to start our planned campfire dinner, we made a note to do it next time.

The dinner we planned was jambalaya in a cast iron skillet cooked over the fire. Having chopped and sliced the fresh ingredients the night before and put them in plastic bags, all we had to do was heat the olive oil and toss in the contents along with rice, a can of tomatoes, a carton of broth and some herbs and spices. It cooked perfectly over the next hour and we couldn’t remember having a tastier jambalaya. But for some reason, everything seems to taste better when it’s cooked outdoors.

As we ate dinner in the fading light, I looked up and saw a deer at our campsite, maybe 15 yards away from where we sat. Its arrival had been completely without sound and it was a lovely, peaceful addition to our evening. The buck eventually moved away into the forest as silently as it had come. Having seen the warning posters by the lake about mountain lion sightings, we were glad our visitor was a deer.

After enjoying sitting by the fire in the moonlight and night air, which was rapidly verging on cold, we put out the embers and headed into the cozy cabin. We had covered the mattress with bedding and also had sleeping bags and pillows, and while we didn’t actively turn on the heater, it must have gone on automatically because we were never cold even though the outside temperature dipped into the low 40’s.

The next morning was sunny, but so chilly we could see our breath. There’s really nothing like that first early morning cup of coffee when you’re camping.

 

We’d heated the water on our camping stove, which sat on my absolutely favorite piece of camping equipment – our Coleman camping kitchen. It packs up compactly but unfolds into this wonderful platform to prep, cook and clean up, with multiple hooks and shelves and all kinds of places to put things. I love it every time I use it, and that morning was no exception as we cooked our corned beef hash and eggs. Just like the night before, the meal tasted perfect outdoors as the sun rose higher and warmed our site.

 

Our animal visitors that morning were several golden-mantled ground squirrels darting around, and one even found our wine cork from the night before and began nibbling on the wine-soaked purple end!

After we returned the key and lantern to the store, we stopped at the nearby Loomis Museum and got information about day hikes. We chose the Chaos Crags trail, about four miles out and back.

Parts of the trail were pretty easy; others were steep, rocky and uneven. It starts at 5,910 feet with with an elevation change of about 850 feet. Gorgeous views of Mt. Lassen emerge about midway through.

Now that it’s November, the main road through the park is closed due to snow and most of the park’s recreational activities focus on sledding, Nordic skiing or snowshoeing. The cabins are closed for the season too, but September was a great time to relax there, even if it was only for one overnight. Longer next time, I hope.

Question: Do you have a favorite rustic cabin spot in a national or state park?

 

Notes:

We had no cell coverage at the cabins.

The cabins are closed for the winter. They’re open from the end of May to mid-October.

There are 20 cabins total: one-room, two-room, bunkhouse and ADA accessible cabins are available. Outside each cabin is a fire ring, picnic table and large bear-proof storage container.

Flush toilets, showers and laundry facilities are located at the Manzanita Lake Camper Store.