My wife, son (9) and I spent three nights last week at Drakesbad, in the Warner Valley section of Lassen Volcanic National Park. We'll definitely come back -- it's a wonderful place to stay for solitude, natural beauty, and really good food.

Drakesbad includes three meals per day, prepared by a very enthusiastic and welcoming staff. The facility is very family and child-friendly. The large pool -- at body temperature thanks to water from nearby hot springs -- is terrific after hiking the trails to Devil's Kitchen or Boiling Hot Springs. We stayed in one of the standalone cabins and one night in a room in the main lodge -- both were comfortable and fun.

Some rooms have bunk beds, making it easier for three to sleep very comfortably. Note that there is no wifi and no cell phone reception at Drakesbad, making it easy to get away for real. If you need an email fix, you can drive 17 miles to the town of Chester, which has several hot spots.

I had to laugh at the entire 3-star August 2010 review. That's exactly the kind of person the rest of us who love Drakesbad don't to share a table with either.

There are no phones - cell or otherwise, computers or TVs and electricity is limited. You have to drive in on a dirt road. You may encounter logging trucks. You might not have a shower in your room and you might have to trek to the poolhouse. These are the very amenities of Drakesbad that keep away the riff-raff.

This is a place to soak in A 90+ degree pool at night and look at stars, meet new people at dinner or hang out by the fire or sit and ponder the beautiful meadow and watch the deer go by.

The food at one point was exceptional, had a few problems a few years back, but now has gone back to its previous high standards. The concessionaire is replacing furniture and making some improvements now that the National Park Service has finally awarded them a long-term contract. But the place will always be rustic. Billy and Ed who have been the hosts for years are nicest people you will ever meet and cannot do enough for you.

To say that you can't see Lassen National Park from this location is laughable - true - you need to drive a bit of distance if you want to go to the main park entrance (this is a problem for someone from Los Angeles?) - but amazing, unique hikes take off right from Drakesbad - the Devil's Kitchen, Boiling Springs Lake and Sifford Lakes. And many more locations are available by horseback, so there's no need to leave unless you really want to. Drakesbad is its own destination.

It's not for everybody which is fine by me. If you can't live for a few days without your cell phone without withdrawal symptoms and are horrified by a few potholes, then this isn't for you. The peace, tranquilityand beauty combined by nice people make this a special place. Primadonnas need not apply.

The place is rather unique with a long history.I stayed here to have access to the South Eastern part of Lassen Volcanic NP.There are some excellent hikes to do from the lodge including Boiling Lake,Devils Kitchen,Kings Creek Falls and Sifford Lakes,also much longer hikes if you are energetic.
Rooms are in a central lodge or cabins.My room{5 in the lodge} was adequate but I was disturbed a few times by guests slamming the upstairs door to go out.I have asked the owners, who incidentally are very nice, to put up a sign to stop this.
They have a great hot soaking pool{too hot for doing laps},campfire each night, good meals especially BBQ night ,horse rides.
There is no TV, Internet or Cell Phone reception which for me was great.You come here for nature and to relax.

Located within the borders of Lassen National Park, Drakesbad Ranch is an out of the way hidden gem. We stayed at Drakesbad in a cabin for three nights. It reminded me of summer camp when I was a child. I really enjoyed the experience.

The cabin was comfortable for the two of us with a toilet and sink. There is no electricity in the cabins, kerosene lamps are supplied for your use. We chose not to use the lamps and used flashlights instead. LED flashlights worked well and provided the light we needed.

The food was good. We enjoyed the meals. If you are going to be away for lunch, they provide a bag lunch in the morning. Dinner was very good with a vegetarian option offered.

There are some great hiking trails. Two of our favorites were the trail to Devil's Kitchen, a geothermal area and Boiling Lake, a hot spring-fed sulphurous lake. Drakesbad has a hot spring fed pool (no sulphur smell at all) that is GREAT for relaxing in after a day of hiking. Showers are located near the pool.

They have horses at Drakesbad if you would like to go for trail rides. The most impressive thing about the corral was how CLEAN it was. Manure was promptly removed so flies and strong odors were not a problem!

There were a few extended families that were staying at the ranch when we were there. They all seemed to be enjoying Drakesbad. There is a large "family room" on the first floor of the lodge with a woodstove, fireplace and lots of comfortable chairs. There is electricity in this room, so a it's a great place to curl up with a good book in front of the fire.

NOTE: If you are looking for a place to stay close to Lassen State Park, although Drakesbad is in the park, it is about 1 hour and 15 minutes away from the Lassen NP visitor's center. Go to Drakesbad as a destination and enjoy a day trip to the Lassen NP to see the Bumpass Hell geothermal area, Lassen peak and the park road.