Outside Lassen Volcanic National Park

Located in remote northeastern California, Lassen has few towns of any real size around it, although you will find a smattering of places to stay in unincorporated areas near the park's southwest and northwest entrances. The nearest actual town is the small logging center of Chester, which has a handful of eateries and lodgings and is about a 40-minute drive from the southwest entrance. You'll find more options another 35 miles east in the larger high-desert town of Susanville. About an hour west of the park in the northern reaches of the state's Central Valley, the small city of Red Bluff (population 14,300) and the area's largest metropolis, Redding (population 92,000), have a wide variety of restaurants and hotels. Redding, in particular, has a handful of distinctive places to stay and eat and some notable attractions—it's also a gateway for visiting beautiful Shasta Lake, about 10 miles north.