Summit Lake South

Close to hiking trails and next to a pristine alpine lake, Summit Lake South or North is the central place to camp in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Halfway between Manzanita Lake and Lassen Peak, Summit Lake offers a wide variety of sites for RV's and tent alike. A bonus is Loop D which is exclusively First Come - First Served.

Close to hiking trails and next to a pristine alpine lake, Summit Lake South or North is the central place to camp in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Halfway between Manzanita Lake and Lassen Peak, Summit Lake offers a wide variety of sites for RV's and tent alike. A bonus is Loop D which is exclusively First Come - First Served.

lots of walk every day nice views wonderful hiking to cold boiling lake

lots of walk every day nice views wonderful hiking to cold boiling lake

We found three day hikes that weren't crowded, but they didn't go to the famous spots either. One day we saw a bear happily munching manzanita berries and paying no attention to us, one of the highlights of our trip. About the campground - I really liked the woodchips that have been placed in the campsites. It made the area seem much cleaner. It would be nice if campers didn't go out on the trails and pick up green wood - it's so smoky! We really appreciated being well separated from the RVs - we walked through that area on a day hike and it was noisy over there. There was a large area for tents that wasn't reservable near our campsite. I wish it had all been reservable.

Mt. Lassen, Summit Lake South is clean, quiet and beautiful! Because it has fewer improvements (pit toilets, no electricity, and smaller vehicles - and some tent-only areas), it makes for a fantastic outdoor experience. The campsites are well-positioned to provide a certain level of privacy, but close to lake and trails leading to Kings Creek, Warner Valley and Bumpas Hell. All accessible without having to drive to the trailhead. We especially love going swimming (or floating) on Summit Lake after a good hike, in the late afternoon. It's cool, but after a few minutes you feel fine and the views are amazing as you look up at the trees and peaks. It's also significantly less noisy or crowded (compared to the North Campground and picnic area).

Nights are also fantastic for stargazing, and my kids and I like to lie down on the campsite road (around 11pm, when there are no cars) where you still feel some warmth, and look up at the stars and Milky Way. Stunning!

As a comparison - we have camped at Manzanita, which has more amenities (a camp store, firewood, fuel, etc.), but it's a lot more congested with people, cars, campers, trailers, etc. So, it all depends on what you want! Enjoy.

We found three day hikes that weren't crowded, but they didn't go to the famous spots either. One day we saw a bear happily munching manzanita berries and paying no attention to us, one of the highlights of our trip. About the campground - I really liked the woodchips that have been placed in the campsites. It made the area seem much cleaner. It would be nice if campers didn't go out on the trails and pick up green wood - it's so smoky! We really appreciated being well separated from the RVs - we walked through that area on a day hike and it was noisy over there. There was a large area for tents that wasn't reservable near our campsite. I wish it had all been reservable.

Mt. Lassen, Summit Lake South is clean, quiet and beautiful! Because it has fewer improvements (pit toilets, no electricity, and smaller vehicles - and some tent-only areas), it makes for a fantastic outdoor experience. The campsites are well-positioned to provide a certain level of privacy, but close to lake and trails leading to Kings Creek, Warner Valley and Bumpas Hell. All accessible without having to drive to the trailhead. We especially love going swimming (or floating) on Summit Lake after a good hike, in the late afternoon. It's cool, but after a few minutes you feel fine and the views are amazing as you look up at the trees and peaks. It's also significantly less noisy or crowded (compared to the North Campground and picnic area).

Nights are also fantastic for stargazing, and my kids and I like to lie down on the campsite road (around 11pm, when there are no cars) where you still feel some warmth, and look up at the stars and Milky Way. Stunning!

As a comparison - we have camped at Manzanita, which has more amenities (a camp store, firewood, fuel, etc.), but it's a lot more congested with people, cars, campers, trailers, etc. So, it all depends on what you want! Enjoy.

We reserved two campsites at Summit Lake South for the last night of a 5-day Boy Scout backpacking trip through Lassen Volcanic National Park. I was very impressed at how clean and well-arranged the campsites were here. Our overnight stay was terrific! Summit Lake is a beautiful setting in the heart of the park. Oh, and the backpacking in this park is fantastic--such a wonderful variety of natural beauty, without the crowds of Yosemite.

We reserved two campsites at Summit Lake South for the last night of a 5-day Boy Scout backpacking trip through Lassen Volcanic National Park. I was very impressed at how clean and well-arranged the campsites were here. Our overnight stay was terrific! Summit Lake is a beautiful setting in the heart of the park. Oh, and the backpacking in this park is fantastic--such a wonderful variety of natural beauty, without the crowds of Yosemite.