Butte Lake

At Butte Lake, you and your pooch get the chance to camp near real, live volcanoes! That's right -- this peaceful and remote campground is found in the Lassen Volcanic National Park, where 300 volcanic domes gargle and belch out steam before your eyes. These incredible natural features make this part of the country truly like no other.

The campground at Butte Lake is made up of approximately 100 sites, each containing a fire ring, a picnic table, and a bear box to store all of your food, toiletries, and dog snacks during your stay. You'll have to travel off of the beaten path -- 6 miles off, to be exact -- to reach the camping area down a rough gravel road. To make things a little easier, there is drinking water on-site, as well as trash collection and recycling.

Because this area has such unique volcanic activity, it is home to some amazing animal and plant life. To protect these beings, the park has some fairly strict rules enforced. While pooches are allowed in the camp, they basically are only allowed to go where a car could go -- think road shoulders and campgrounds. Not only do park officials not want doggos disturbing the flora and fauna, but the sharp volcanic rock can seriously harm their paw pads! If you'd like to take your pupper for a hike, why not check out some of the amazing trails in the nearby parks and forests that allow dogs to roam the grounds?

Butte Lake also has a lot of the standard canine rules in place. These include monitoring your dog throughout your stay and keeping them on a 6-foot leash. Bring along lots of poop bags so cleanup is a quick and easy affair. You are allowed to leave your dog in your car while you go explore the terrain -- but only if the temperatures are extremely mild. Even then, it's best that you continuously check on your pooch and make sure the vehicle is parked out of the sun. 

For those that just can't resist the opportunity to get up close and personal with live volcanic activity, Butte Lake makes for a great place to explore -- as long as you abide by all of the rules!