Manzanita Lake Camping Cabins (CA)

Our family has come here for years and have always had a great experience

The cabins are clean, cute, and close to the lake. I liked that they do not have electricity, there was little noise pollution and light pollution as a result. For a family-friendly lakeside camp, it felt fairly quiet and uncrowded, even at the peak of the summer season. Great experience! One thing to keep in mind: the "amenities" section of recreation.gov says the cabin comes equipped with a lantern. There was no lantern in my cabin so be prepared and bring your own!

This was an interesting place. The cabin itself was very nice, and the outdoor picnic table and fire ring added to the experience. I would stay there again, but there are a few things you should know. The mattresses were not great, and the cabin was not clean; there was dust and spider webs, so it's advisable to bring your own cleaning supplies. The showers were okay, but they are better enjoyed when you use them after they have been cleaned, and when there is no line; the $5 per day is worth it under those circumstances.

The food selection at the store has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, so it's best not to count on finding anything worth eating there. Bear boxes were available, but the real problems were birds and squirrels. Neighbors who left tablecloths, plates, and cooking items outside experienced constant visits from birds and squirrels. It's better not to leave anything out to avoid such interactions. On a trail, a squirrel even attempted to take something out of a lady's backpack.

Despite these factors, the place still has its charm, and the cabin and surroundings offer a memorable experience.

This was an interesting place. The cabin itself was very nice, and the outdoor picnic table and fire ring added to the experience. I would stay there again, but there are a few things you should know. The mattresses were not great, and the cabin was not clean; there was dust and spider webs, so it's advisable to bring your own cleaning supplies. The showers were okay, but they are better enjoyed when you use them after they have been cleaned, and when there is no line; the $5 per day is worth it under those circumstances.

The food selection at the store has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, so it's best not to count on finding anything worth eating there. Bear boxes were available, but the real problems were birds and squirrels. Neighbors who left tablecloths, plates, and cooking items outside experienced constant visits from birds and squirrels. It's better not to leave anything out to avoid such interactions. On a trail, a squirrel even attempted to take something out of a lady's backpack.

Despite these factors, the place still has its charm, and the cabin and surroundings offer a memorable experience.

cabin had a very dirty floor and the screens didn't fit well, resulting in lots of bugs getting in.

cabin had a very dirty floor and the screens didn't fit well, resulting in lots of bugs getting in.

We stayed in a cabin right next to Manzanita Lake and the lake was beautiful. We had a nice, easy hike around the lake on one day and another nice hike down to King's Creek falls. The falls hike was pretty scenic but would probably have been nicer before the Dixie fire tore through the area. The only downside of our trip was that the Bumpass Hell trail was closed due to snowpack so we didn't get an up close look at the hydrothermal features. Other than that, the park was beautiful and our 5 and 2 year old kids had a great time (my older kid is obsessed with volcanoes at the moment so that helped him to enjoy his experience even more).

We stayed in a cabin right next to Manzanita Lake and the lake was beautiful. We had a nice, easy hike around the lake on one day and another nice hike down to King's Creek falls. The falls hike was pretty scenic but would probably have been nicer before the Dixie fire tore through the area. The only downside of our trip was that the Bumpass Hell trail was closed due to snowpack so we didn't get an up close look at the hydrothermal features. Other than that, the park was beautiful and our 5 and 2 year old kids had a great time (my older kid is obsessed with volcanoes at the moment so that helped him to enjoy his experience even more).

An underrated National Park. Great hikes and beautiful panoramic views without a crowd of people. Thoroughly recommended for 3 days to explore and more if you want to spend a day chilling. Bring a lot of water and sunscreen, it gets sunny during the day, and some hiking in altitude is quite cold, but you can get sunstroke. Nights are not cold, but a hoodie is always welcome to enjoy outside next to a firepit :).

An underrated National Park. Great hikes and beautiful panoramic views without a crowd of people. Thoroughly recommended for 3 days to explore and more if you want to spend a day chilling. Bring a lot of water and sunscreen, it gets sunny during the day, and some hiking in altitude is quite cold, but you can get sunstroke. Nights are not cold, but a hoodie is always welcome to enjoy outside next to a firepit :).