Lassen - Warner Valley

Drakesbad Guest Ranch – The only accommodation inside the national park, this ranch was once the home of the Sifford family in 1900. Today, kids can stay in rustic cabins (with no electricity), swim in a swimming pool fed by the hot springs, go for horseback rides (trail rides for kids 6 and up, pony rides for younger kids), play horseshoes, volleyball and badminton. The ranch is open June to October.

Tip: The ranch is located some distance from the main park road, 30 miles to the south entrance.

Boiling Springs Lake – If you're staying at Drakesbad Guest Ranch or in Chester, this is a fun hike. The trail goes along the creek, up through the meadow filled with wildflowers, through a pine forest to the lake. The milky green lake has red colored banks, mud pots along the edges, and a hissing fumarole at the far end. Stay on the trail at all times and don't go down to the lake – the water is 125 degrees!