Campground · Lassen Volcanic National Park
Walk-in tents beside the visitor center; winter camping is vehicle-only.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lassen Volcanic Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lassen Volcanic National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Lassen Volcanic audio tourRecorded for this place
Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center and Café“You're nearing Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center, a useful stop for choosing hikes and getting a handle on the landscape. Start with the three-dimensional geology map, then ask the staff about trail and snow conditions.”
Plays as you drive up to Southwest Campground in the Parkwolf Lassen Volcanic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Southwest Campground is a developed campground beside the shared Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center parking lot at Lassen Volcanic’s southwest entrance. In the snow-free season it has 20 walk-in tent sites. Its draw is the easy access to the visitor center and nearby Mill Creek Falls Trail, not a feeling of being far from roads or buildings. It works well as a convenient hiking base if you’re fine carrying your gear a short way from the lot.
Tent camping is seasonal, usually from about June through October, depending on snow. When snow closes the tent sites, camping is for self-contained vehicles in designated spaces in the paved visitor-center lot; tents aren’t allowed there. Sites are first come, first served, with no advance reservations. Registration uses Recreation.gov Scan & Pay, so set it up before arrival because cell service can be limited.
Wildlife
103 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
44 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
348 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
17 sightingsSandhill CraneMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
47 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
12 sightingsGreat EgretMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lassen Volcanic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateMill Creek Falls Trail3.7 mi · 2.8 hr · 0.1 mi awayA 75-foot waterfall rewards the repeated climbs.
ChallengingBrokeoff Mountain Trail7.4 mi · 6 hr · 0.5 mi awayA steep summit climb with Lassen views and an ancient caldera.
ChallengingRidge Lakes Trail2.2 mi · 1.8 hr · 0.8 mi awayA steep climb to two small lakes in a volcanic cirque.
ModerateBumpass Hell Trail3 mi · 2 hr · 2.2 mi awayA steady first mile leads to a steaming basin boardwalk.
ModerateConard Meadows Shuttle Trail8 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.3 mi awayA shuttle links two lakes, Conard Meadows and a 75-foot waterfall.ChallengingTwin Meadows Shuttle Hike14.4 mi · 9 hr · 2.3 mi awayA faint, long downhill shuttle through high meadows and volcanic country.
EasyCrumbaugh Lake Trail2.6 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.9 mi awayTwo lakes, muted bubbles, and a meadow below Mount Conard.
ChallengingLassen Peak Trail5 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.9 mi awayCinder slopes and ridge switchbacks reach a volcanic summit.
Visitor center · 0.1 mi awayKohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor CenterA 3-D geology map makes volcanic terrain click
Food · 0.1 mi awayLassen Café & GiftA handy stop for sandwiches, espresso, and soft-serve.
Entrance station · 0.1 mi awaySouthwest Entrance StationA quick first stop for passes and a park map.
Sight · 0.8 mi awaySulphur WorksColored mudpots and steam, just steps from the park highway.
Scenic pullout · 0.9 mi awayDiamond Peak Scenic VistaA quick pullout for Lassen Peak and the creek valley.
Scenic pullout · 0.9 mi awaySouthwest Entrance SignA quick photo at one of Lassen’s two roadside entrance signs.
Sight · 1 mi awayMill Creek FallsA 75-foot waterfall worth the hot, hilly hike to reach it.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayBrokeoff MountainA tough six-hour climb opens a view across the old volcano.Parkwolf’s Lassen Volcanic ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
