Summit Lake South Campground

Summit Lake South Campground has 49 sites in loops C, D and E along the grassy south shore, at roughly 6,700 feet on the park’s main road. It is separate from the North Campground across the water. This is a wooded tent-camping base with a short walk to the lake, not a lakeside site at every pitch.

Each site has a picnic table, fire ring and food-storage locker. Vault toilets and drinking water are seasonal; there are no showers, utility hookups, cell service or camp store. South’s small pads and parking do not suit RVs or trailers, though small tent trailers are allowed. Reserve before arriving because connectivity is limited or absent in this part of the park. South has no accessible campsite; the accessible site is at North. Keep pets leashed in the campground; they are not allowed on park trails.

The lake is a short walk from camp, and a short trail along the east shore links the South and North campgrounds. Swimming is generally better from the north shore. The Cluster Lakes Loop trailhead is also a short walk away, and the park identifies this as its closest campground to the Lassen Peak Trail.

Campers repeatedly praise the dark sky and views of the Milky Way. Some find the sites close together, so the quiet depends partly on who is camped nearby.

Decades of social trails and campsite widening left the area with poorer forest health. In 2019 staff removed hazardous trees; in 2020 park staff and American Conservation Experience crews planted about 125 pounds of seed and 4,000 plants across the North and South campgrounds.