The Drakesbad Guest Lodge in Lassen Volcanic National Park/NPS HO

The continuing aftermath of the Dixie Fire that roared through Lassen Volcanic National Park in California in 2021 is keeping the Drakesbad Guest Lodge and Warner Valley Campground in the park closed this summer.

Attributed to power lines, the Dixie Fire started 35 miles southwest of Lassen on July 13, 2021. From outside the park, the fire raced into Lassen's north and northeast sections, entering the southeast corner on August 5. On August 12, a separate fire caused by a lightning strike on Morgan Summit near the park’s Southwest Entrance merged with the Dixie Fire to the northeast. Ultimately, 73,240 acres of the park were impacted, and the fire destroyed or damaged 12 park structures -- including the historic Mount Harkness Fire Lookout -- before finally reaching 100 percent containment on October 26, 2021.

According to a park release, the guest ranch and campground are closed due to ongoing repairs from the fire. While a combination of firefighting efforts left most structures intact, the Dixie Fire did claim two of five guest ranch duplex units, the annex, and water treatment plant, according to the park.

Damage to the guest lodge and campground is extensive and repairs have taken longer than expected. Park leadership and the park’s concessions operator, Snow Mountain LLC, have agreed to postpone the planned reopening of these sites so that visitors are not negatively impacted by the ongoing work.

After the Dixie Fire, the lodge pool suffered further damage from a flood in 2021 and had to be removed. Restoring the pool is a separate project from the other construction at Drakesbad and is being addressed by the park and Snow Mountain LLC. The pool will likely reopen later than the other areas of Drakesbad.

Last year, record snowfall hampered the teams’ ability to access the Drakesbad Guest Ranch. Once it was accessible, Snow Mountain’s work focused on the rebuilding and repair of cabins that had been destroyed or damaged by the Dixie Fire. This year, staff from the national park are working to repair the water system and restore potable water to the ranch and campground.

The Warner Valley Day-Use Area and its associated trails are open. Trails in the Warner Valley area are largely free of snow and fallen trees, although hikers should use caution when traveling through burned areas because standing dead trees can fall without warning. Visitors to Warner Valley will likely experience increased vehicle and truck traffic along the entrance road due to construction work. Current trail conditions can be accessed at www.nps.gov/lavo/planyourvisit/trail-conditions.htm.

The 2021 Dixie Fire footprint covers 69 percent of the park and nearly a million acres within the region. While there were some high severity impacts, much of the park experienced low to moderate burn severity. Weather, firefighting efforts, and past fuel reduction helped to slow the fire’s progression through the park. To learn more about wildfire in Lassen Volcanic, and to view a short video about the 2021 Dixie Fire, please visit go.nps.gov/lavo/wfire.