Lassen Volcanic National Park

Visited: July 2019

Nearby city: Chester, CA; Redding, CA

In the far northern reaches of California, you’ll find the magnificent Lassen Peak. At 10,457 feet, Lassen Peak is the largest plug dome volcano in the world. Rising at the southern edge of the Cascade Range (which stretches from Canada down into Northern California), Lassen Peak is still an active volcano, its last eruption was back in 1921.

Lassen Volcanic National Park is full of dense forests, blue alpine lakes, fumaroles, mud pots, and boiling hot springs; it’s essentially Northern California’s answer to Yellowstone.

We drove through the park along state highway 89 (Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway). This area gets slammed in winter and, depending on the snowfall, the road fully opens in May or June (but sometimes it might be as late as July! - you’ll find out why in the pictures below). We entered at the Southwest entrance, and stopped at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. Stop here and go through all the exhibits and displays. Then head down the road to see the Sulphur Works, a boiling mud pot right along the road. Be prepared for that distinct, “rotten-egg” smell of sulphur.

Keep heading down the road, as soon as you come around the bend at Diamond Peak, you’ll catch your first glimpse of Lassen Peak.

Lassen Peak served as a meeting site for four Native American tribes - the Atsugewi, Yana, Yahi, and Maidu. The first Americans of European descent to see the peak were 49ers searching for gold. A Danish blacksmith, Peter Lassen, emigrated to California in the 1830s and worked as a guide for prospectors. He and William Nobles, another early settler, blazed the first trails in the area. The peak was eventually named after Peter Lassen. 

The volcano had long slept, until major eruptions started in May 1915. No one was killed in the eruption, but it did level all settlements in a 20 mile radius. Minor eruptions raged on for the following year, and in 1916, Lassen Volcanic National Park was created. And just as abruptly as it started, the eruptions had stopped by 1921. There has been no major eruption since, but the Peak is not extinct. On the southern slope of the peak is a very prominent rock formation that is referred to as the “Vulcan’s Eye.” 

Our next stop was Emerald Lake. Even though it was early July, the snow was everywhere. The lake itself was still covered with ice. It was great to breathe in the cool and crisp alpine air.

Just beyond Emerald Lake is the trailhead for Bumpass Hell. This volcanic area is a popular stop and a relatively easy 3 mile hike. However, the trail has been closed for a few years due to maintenance, but we wouldn’t have been able to take the hike with all the snow cover anyway.

We then stopped at the Lassen Peak trailhead. This is a strenuous and steep 5 mile round trip. There were a few people braving the snowpack to hike up to the top. The snow level at the parking lot for the trailhead was pretty incredible.

We then proceeded down the rest of the way on the Main Park road to the northwest entrance. This is the Manzanita Lake area. There was a big drop in elevation down to the lake, so no snow down here. We leisurely walked around the lake and took in great views of the mountain. There’s a nice museum and visitor’s center. If you have time, you can rent kayaks and paddle the lake.

There are three other areas of the park, but they cannot be accessed by the Main Park Road. They are: (1) Warner Valley (home of Drakesbad Guest Ranch); (2) Juniper Lake; and (3) Butte Lake. We didn’t have time to visit any of those areas.

We really didn’t do this park justice, we basically just drove through for a few hours. But we would like to go back someday to do some hiking to waterfalls, Bumpass Hell area, and maybe even to the top of the peak. Another great thing about Lassen Peak is that it is quite remote and not very well-known, so there are a lot less crowds than similar parks in California and the West.

For more info: https://www.nps.gov/lavo/index.htm