Manzanita Lake Camping Cabins (CA)

Went mid-June. Expected the roads to be open on the mountain. No, there was no way to get to the thermal features (without driving 3 hours). Too much snow. This wasn't the fault of the campground. What WAS the fault of the campground- showers were closed, laundry was closed, fuel was closed, deli was closed, kayak rentals were closed (an employee had to go home, and there was no back up), heaters in the cabins didn't work (we were provided with portable heaters, thank goodness, it got down into the 30's at night). It was seriously a clown show. Very disappointed in this visit.

Great location, clean cabins

This was a nice cabin along the lake. It was a bit frustrating that rec.gov didn’t share the alert that the showers and laundromat are undergoing renovation and were unavailable during our stay. If we’d known that we didn’t have access to those amenities, we wouldn’t have booked it at this time. Also, make sure that when booking that you wait for the confirmation email with details for the lock pad to open the cabins. We booked it on the go higher up on Lassen and didn’t wait for further for check in details. There is no service for many miles around and we had to drive sometime to get service to call for our cabin code. Use the pay phones if you need to get ahold of help with the cabins vs trying for service on your cell.

We made reservations for the cabins early in the season. From what we read, we knew the park roads provided limited access due to snow. What we didn't expect was the difficulty unlocking the cabin, the access code emailed to us didn't work. Luckily we tracked down a random worker who mentioned he had been helping other visitors with the same problem and opened the cabin. There was no heat in the cabin and the general store was closed. Communication didn't happen, no alerts.
The park is beautiful, the lake and pond amazing!! We had the place to ourselves. With better communication we would have avoided the problems.

Spent two nights in on of the cabins and it was amazing! Close to the lake, rented paddleboards, hiked, and generally spent a couple of wonderful days enjoying the beauty of Lassen. So many butterflies everywhere!

Cabins and campsite were clean. Close to store without being too close. This cabin was a little too close to the bathrooms, which were particularly stinky.

All in all, we loved the cabins and will be coming back...maybe to one that is closer to the lake/further from the bathrooms.

The main bathrooms were closed so it was a long walk if you needed to go .... showers were also being renovated so you had to drive 15 minutes away if you needed to shower. However, the cabin was very nice - clean and cozy and we enjoyed our stay there.

Cabins are nice, and the site by the lake is beautiful. I was disappointed that the store didn't seem to have much in the way of staples, like milk, eggs, etc., which is what I've come to expect from other campground stores. They did have an extensive selection of T-shirts and souvenirs, I just think it could be rounded out with things you need when camping. The staff was very nice. You can rent kayaks here, or just enjoy relaxing near the lake. We will definitely be back.

An abundance of moths in the cabin.

I've been staying at the Manzanita Camping cabins for 12 years. For the first half dozen years, the former management company kept the cabins and grounds in beautiful, meticulous condition. Ever since Snow Mountain LLC took over as the concessionaire, the cabins, camping store, etc. have gone down hill. This year we arrived only to find out that the shower rooms and laundry facilities were under repair and, therefore, offline. At the very least, the company should send out emails to visitors ahead of time with updates on the facilities and services.

Since Snow Mountain took over, everything had gone into disrepair. The main bathrooms are in poor condition with broken toilet paper dispensers, broken toilets and doors, no working lights, etc. The water and sink stations near the pit toilets were all off line or broken as well. There was no proper soap or usable hand sanitizer (the dispenser in the toilets was impossible to use) for the pit toilets. The fire pits were full of ash and or rocks, and the cabins all had items in disrepair such as broken futons, blinds, etc. It is also clear that this company does not bother to update the cabin door codes between visitors or even between seasons!

Lassen and Manzanita Lake are some of the most beautiful spots in all of Northern California, and it simply breaks my heart that this company is not taking proper care of this treasure for all to enjoy. I hope that the Park Service will find a better company to take over whenever Snow Mountain LLC's contract is up.