Butte Lake Campground — Hotel in Chester

One of the less-busy, out-of-the-way, but worth the drive campgrounds in Lassen. The sites definitely vary...some are far more spacious and private, others not so much. We ended up with a small site adjacent to another small site. Our neighbors pitched their tent right on the boundary, so we didn't have a lot of privacy at our campfire. They as lso liked to sit around and smoke weed, and the close proximity meant we had to endure it to. There are also several large group sites, but they can be loud and make the bathrooms and facilities crowded. Beyond that, the campground has great access to a wonderful swim beach, not to mention places to launch a kayak or paddleboard. There are also several great hikes right on the edge of the campground. Definitely hike the cinder cone, and the nature...

Only 1 thing makes me dislike this campground: THE TERRIBLE GRAVEL ROAD that is six miles long from Highway 44 to the campground. Ugh! Hey California, pave the road! Otherwise, the campground itself is wonderful. There is no electricity in the bathrooms, but the bathrooms do have flush toilets and sinks (though no soap or showers). The camp is peaceful, and we loved camping among the giant trees with the sound of rustling pine needles. The camp hosts Jon and Cathy Little are EXTREMELY nice and helpful. Plus, as of June 2023 you are allowed to burn any wood that is already on the ground (not from a live tree). The camp is close to the lake and to the Cinder Cone trailhead. And again, except for the really bad gravel road, the camp is great and it's not too far from Lassen NP, Subway...

Been into camping since I was a child. This one is overall one of the worst experiences… Booked this site for 2 nights. Got there at around 3 pm, first surprise was had to drive 7 miles of unpaved road to get to the camp site (don’t understand why they don’t pave it…). A ton of dust and ash, it’s worse than driving off-road. Then the campground was extremely dusty as well. Trails nearby were pretty cool, especially the Coder cone. But decided to leave after 1 night after feeling respiratory discomfort. Please do not bring your kids here.

The facilities are good as you could expect from a National park. But know there...