Childs Meadow · Lassen National Forest
Quiet country at the edge of Lassen.
Seven cottages and a timber lodge on 175 acres of meadow and pine. No traffic, little signal, and the volcano ten minutes up the road.
The lodge porch, early summer
Welcome
Slow down. You're far enough away.
Highlands Ranch sits at 5,000 feet on the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, the southwest gateway to Lassen Volcanic National Park.
The days are for trails, trout creeks and steaming volcanic country. The evenings are for a fire, a good glass of wine and a sky full of stars. The lodge was built in the late 1970s and restored with its own reclaimed timber. Around it, seven newer cottages look out over the meadow.
Our storyStay
Seven cottages on the meadow
Gas fireplaces, heated stone floors, premium beds and a private door to the outdoors. Each one is a little different.
Dinner on the deck
Restaurant & Bar
A fire, a full bar and the meadow at dusk
Seasonal American cooking in a vaulted timber lodge, with a wood-burning stone fireplace inside and a long deck outside.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner in summer. Thursday to Sunday in winter. The wine list is a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner (2024).
Four real seasons
When to come
Any time, honestly. Summer opens the high trails. Winter brings snow, quiet and the fire.
After dark
The Milky Way, from your doorstep
There are no city lights for miles. On clear nights the sky over Childs Meadow fills edge to edge, and on scheduled nights Star Chaserz set up telescopes right on the property.
Every cottage has a flashlight for the walk back from dinner.
Wi-Fi in the lodge only. Out here, the stars are the screen.
Until now, Lassen Volcanic National Park’s idea of primo accommodations was unheated camping cabins. But the new Highlands Ranch Resort’s suites, 10 minutes east of the park, has changed all that for the cushier.
Getting here
The middle of nowhere, on purpose
We're on Highway 36E at Childs Meadow, between Mineral and Chester. The drive is scenic and traffic-free.