Drakesbad Guest Ranch

What to expect

Drakesbad is a small, old-fashioned guest ranch at the end of a long road in the southeast corner of Lassen Volcanic National Park. It sits on Hot Springs Creek at the head of Warner Valley, at about 5,700 feet, with meadows in front and forested volcanic ridges behind. The draw for generations of repeat guests has been simple: three meals a day, horses, trails to steaming thermal areas, and a pool fed by the valley’s hot springs.

There are 19 units, split between rooms in the historic lodge and bungalows nearby. Comforts are basic by design. There is no cell service and no internet. The lodge has electricity but no outlets in the rooms, and some bungalows have no electricity at all, so lamps are provided. Showers are in a shared bathhouse. People come here to switch off, and the staff run it that way.

The thing to know before you book is the state of the pool. The ranch was hit by the 2021 Dixie Fire, which burned through much of the park’s southeast side, and a flood that fall damaged the hot spring fed pool badly enough that it had to be removed. The ranch stayed closed for several seasons and reopened in July 2025, but the pool was not part of that reopening. Rebuilding was expected to follow, and the National Park Service still lists a swimming pool among the ranch’s amenities, but the operator’s 2026 page does not mention it at all. If the soak is the main reason for your trip, email the ranch and get a clear answer first.

History

Edward Drake, a trapper and miner, homesteaded in what was then called Hot Springs Valley in the late 1870s and 1880s and pieced together about 400 acres around the thermal features. In 1900 he sold the property to Alexander Sifford, a Susanville schoolteacher who had come to the valley to drink the mineral water. The Sifford family turned it into a guest ranch and named it Drakesbad in 1908, borrowing the German word for bath.

The lodge was rebuilt in 1938. In the 1950s the Park Service bought the ranch, and it has run as a park concession ever since, with the old pool and bathhouse replaced under the Mission 66 program in the 1960s. The ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Today it is operated by Snow Mountain LLC under the Lassen Lodging name.

Prices and booking

Drakesbad is an overnight, all-inclusive stay. There is no day pass.

• 2026 lodge room rate: $250 per night, promoted as an America 250 offer to mark the reopening.
• Children: 7 to 14 years are $180 per day. Under 6 stay free.
• Meals: breakfast 7 to 9 AM, lunch 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM, dinner 5:30 to 7:30 PM, with drinks at mealtimes. Meals are best reserved, and walk-ups are taken when there is space. Take-out lunches are sold on checkout day.
• Check-in: 3 to 9 PM.
• Horseback rides: ages 7 and up, 300 lb weight limit, one ride per day per party. Boiling Springs Lake $50, Devils Kitchen $75, Terminal Geyser $100.

Book online through the Lassen Lodging site, email [email protected] or call 877-622-0221. The Park Service notes that stays usually book about a year in advance. Non-guests can reserve a meal or a ride, but ranch parking is for customers only.

Bungalow 1 has ramp access and grab bars, and the bathhouse next to it has a tub with handrails and a zero-entry shower. The dining room is reachable from the parking lot without steps.

Getting there

Drakesbad is not reached from the main park highway. You come in from the south, through the town of Chester on Lake Almanor.

1. From CA-36 in Chester, turn north onto Feather River Road on the east side of the bridge.
2. After half a mile, bear left onto County Road 312.
3. After 4 more miles, bear right to stay on CR-312 and follow the Drakesbad signs.
4. Continue about 13.5 miles to the ranch, passing the Warner Valley Ranger Station and campground.

The road is paved at first and turns to gravel. The Park Service describes it as steep and rutted in places and does not recommend it for trailers or RVs. A normal car is fine in summer if you take it slowly. The Park Service estimates about 1.5 hours from the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center on the park’s main road to Warner Valley.

When to go

The ranch only runs in summer. Heavy snow closes the Warner Valley road in winter, and the 2026 operating season was June 12 to October 12. Early in the season, snow can linger on higher trails and the creek runs high. Mid-summer brings wildflowers in the meadow and the best hiking. September is quieter, with cool nights and the first color in the aspens and willows.

Wildfire smoke is a real risk from July onward in northern California. Check park alerts and air quality before you drive up.

Where to stay nearby

• Warner Valley Campground: a small Park Service campground with 17 sites, a mile from the ranger station by gravel road. It takes reservations on Recreation.gov and is not suited to trailers.
• Chester: the nearest town, with motels, cabins, groceries and gas on the shore of Lake Almanor.
• Elsewhere in the park: Juniper Lake Campground, the other campground on the park’s southeast side, was closed in 2026 for improvement work. The larger campgrounds are on the main park road, a long drive around.

Safety notes

• Thermal areas: The trails from Drakesbad lead to boiling mud pots, steam vents and hot lakes. Stay on boardwalks and marked paths. Thin crusts over scalding water have caused serious burns in Lassen.
• Burn scar: Much of the area burned in 2021. Dead trees can fall without warning, especially in wind. Watch where you stop and camp.
• No signal: There is no cell service at the ranch or in most of Warner Valley. Tell someone your plans before you hike.
• Road: Drive the gravel slowly and watch for oncoming traffic on blind bends.

Nearby stops worth adding

Boiling Springs Lake is the classic walk from the ranch: a steaming, milky-green lake ringed by mud pots. Devils Kitchen is a larger, livelier thermal basin farther up the valley, and Terminal Geyser, a steam vent rather than a true geyser, makes a longer outing. All three can be done on foot or as guided rides from the ranch.