Lassen Volcanic National Park – A Weekend Getaway!
Lassen Volcanic National Park is home to the largest plug dome volcano in the world known as Lassen Peak. Lassen Peak is 10,457-foot tall and is the only non-extinct volcano in the southernmost Cascade Range. Isn’t that Ah-mazing!
Along with these eroded volcanic remnants that illustrate Earth’s powerful forces, you will also see some pristine blue alpine lakes surrounding the Park’s boundaries. This mountainous landscape is beautified further with dense conifer forests, rich wildlife, and even amazing hydrothermal features underground!
The park has an absolutely gorgeous landscape throughout the year! During the winters and spring, most of the park is packed with snow and the lakes are frozen. Summer brings sunshine with it, thawing the lakes and leading to the blooming of wildflowers all around. This cycle continues, leading to a vibrant and thriving ecosystem.
Lassen is known for its wilderness and it’s absolutely a great retreat from civilization!
Our Top Picks
Did you know?
The Park has four types of volcanic peaks.
Mount Harkness is a shield volcano. Shield volcanoes are broad and rounded built by successive outpourings of very fluid lava.
In contrast, Lassen Peak which is a plug dome volcano is basically formed when lava is too thick to flow great distance.
Another volcano remnant seen is Cinder Cone, which is made up of loose volcanic rock, cinders, and ash that accumulates around a single event.
Finally, Brokeoff Mountain is the remnant of park’s only composite volcano. A composite volcano consists of layers of volcanic rock, lava, cinders and ash which have been erupted from a central vent.
Ready to plan your trip - Check out these details!
On our visit to Lassen Volcanic National Park, we had planned to spend a weekend exploring the park. The Park’s main scenic drive is 29-miles long winding road with some major attractions along the way. The attractions along the road can be enjoyed thoroughly in a day. There are other Lake areas of the Park, which are outside the park’s main road and we recommend spending some time in these remote regions of the Park too.
DAY 1
Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center
So, we started off our Day 1 adventure, by stopping at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center located at the southern end of the Park’s main road. Due stop by at the visitor center as you can get the current road conditions and other information of the Park from a ranger here. A small auditorium inside the visitor center plays a short film, introducing you to the varied landscape of the Park.
From the visitor center, we got onto our vehicle and planned to cover the Park’s attractions along the Park’s main road.
Sulphur Works
Sulphur Works is one of the smaller geothermal areas of the Park. You can see the steaming fumarole here, constantly jetting hot and bubbling water to the surface. On both sides of the Parking area here, you can see these features lined up.
Rain and snow constantly feed these hydrothermal features lying underground. The water is heated by the molten rock beneath the earth’s surface, which proves the volcanic activity still exists here!
As we were exploring this area, the funky eggy smell reminded us about our experience at Yellowstone National Park
Driving north from the Sulphur works, on the Park’s main road, the road continues to be curvy all along, with the hydrothermal features keeping you company. Bumpass Trailhead is one of the Park’s most popular trail. It takes you through the park’s most vibrant hydrothermal area. The trail is relatively easy as you walk through the boardwalk constructed here. The trail is 3 miles long (round trip). Unfortunately, during our visit, the Park was restoring this area, and we couldn’t embark on the hike.
We spend some time at Emerald Lake and Lake Helen with the backdrop of majestic Lassen Peak.
Lassen Peak Trail is the hugely popular and pretty strenuous trail which is 5 miles long (round trip). The trail starts from Lassen peak trailhead. The parking area for this trail is the highest point of the Park’s scenic road at 8512 feet. The trail is a hike up mountain slope of loose rock, which takes you to the top of Lassen’s Peak at 10457 feet. Good Hiking poles are recommended for this trail. Can you trace the trail in the below photo?
Kings Creek Falls Trail
Kings Creek Falls is an absolutely gorgeous and beautiful waterfall located in the park. In order to views the Falls, you need to hike on a 3-mile loop relatively moderate trail that starts from this area.
This three-mile loop trail is beautiful which takes you through the meadows, expansive vistas, forest landscapes, a waterfall overlook, and a climb up a creekside staircase. There we saw some wildflowers and ferns along the way as well.
Lower King's Creek Meadow at Lassen Volcanic National Park
The trail during the first half a mile takes you through Lower Kings Creek meadows. From the junction at 0.6 miles, turn left towards the Upper Cascades section. During the descend towards the Kings Creek fall, we were treated with some mesmerizing valley views.
After another 0.7 miles, you will see a fenced overlook, which provides a clear view of this roaring 30-foot waterfall. We love waterfalls so we took some time to immerse in the views and refuel ourselves before heading back.
You can return to the trailhead via the Cascades Foot Trail which is a steep, narrow stone staircase. You may also choose to return on the Upper Cascades Trail. We would recommend completing the loop from Cascade Foot trail as you get a chance to be closer to the Kings Creek while climbing back.
Look closely near the falls, the large California Red Fir trees on the east side of the Park. You will notice the deep bending of these trees. This is due to the high elevation of the trail resulting of the trail been covered with 15 feet of snow during winters! This snowpack causes the trees to bend as they put immense weight on them.
After the pleasant King’s Creek Falls Trail, we stopped at the Summit Lake Area. This area has campgrounds and picnic benches along the lake and is trailhead to numerous lakes around this region – Summit Lake, Echo Lake, Upper, and Lower Twin Lake, Feather Lake, Silver Lake, and Bear Lake.
Devastation Area
A must stop area of the Park along the main road. In May 1915, the Lassen peak, creating a new crater and at the same time releasing lava and ash. Rocks from the eruptions were thrown away more than 20 miles away to this area.
This area is dedicated to the devastation that was caused due to the Volcanic Mountains eruptions. There is a small interpretative trail of 0.3 miles, that takes you through the history of the eruption.
So by the time, we completed our stroll through the devasted area, the sun started to set. As we were staying outside the Park’s boundaries, we exited the Park through Highway 89 South. Most of the Park’s attractions on the Scenic Drive were covered by us for the Day. With such a varied landscape, we were thrilled with our Day 1 adventure inside the Park.
Lassen Peak views from the Devasted Area of the Lassen Volcanic National Park
Day 2
With the break of the dawn, we were ready to start our Day 2 in exploring the amazing Lassen Volcanic National Park. After a scrumptious breakfast, we had planned to explore two major areas of the Park, one outside the Park’s Main Road and other inside the Scenic Main Road.
No doubt, the main attractions of the Park lie alongside the scenic drive, but if you want to escape from the crowds and hike in solitude, you should head out to one of the remote areas of the Park away from the Scenic Drive.
Cinder Cone Trail
This trail is part of Butte Lake Region. Butte Lake area is located in the northeast corner of the Park and is one of the remote areas of the Park. This region is accessed from the CA-44 highway, with the final 6 miles being a gravel road. Along with several trails, the lake has a beautiful campground surrounded by Ponderosa trees. Fishing, Kayaking, and Canoeing are also allowed in the lake.
Cinder Cone Trail is a challenging trail but provides one with a highly rewarding experience. The trailhead is Butte Lake Parking Area. This trail gives you an opportunity to hike into the Cinder Cone volcano first-hand!
The trail is 4 miles long out and back, with a steep elevation to climb the Cinder Cone Volcano. Butte Lake Parking area is located ~6000 feet and by the time you reach the mouth of the Cinder Cone Volcano, you would have gain 1000 feet in elevation! Initial 1 mile of the trail has a gentle climb and takes you through the woodlands with the lava beds keeping you company throughout. At around 1.2 miles, you will come across a fork, with the towering climb of Cinder Cone in full visibility. In addition to the lava beds, the region is known for the exquisite and vibrant painted dunes. At this fork, you will see the first glimpses of these painted dunes.
Painted Dunes - Natures art
No doubt the ~1-mile incline climb to the top of the cone is heart-pumping! Be sure to carry hiking poles with you, as the surface of the trail during the climb changes to loose rocks and gravel. At the top of the cone, you have some breathtaking views in all directions. You can see the Lassen Peak, Prospect Peak, Snag Lake, Lava beds and more Painted Dunes.
Painted Dunes and Lava Beds from the top if the Cinder Cone Trail
Once you reach the top of the cone, take your time and we recommend circle around the rim of the cone to capture the nature’s beauty around you. If you are up to some more of climbing up and down, you can fancy a small trail that takes from the top of the cone into its crater.
Crater view of the Cinder Cone
With so many things to see, we highly recommend this hike to everyone planning a visit to the Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Subway Cave
Not part of the park’s attraction or boundaries, Subway cave is located on Highway 89 15 miles north of the Park’s northwest entrance Station. From Butte Lake area, we took CA-44 East highway towards CA-89. At the junction, take a right, and immediately within a few feet, you will see the entrance to the Subway cave on your right.
Subway cave is part of Lassen National Forest and consists of a self-guiding trail that takes you through the underground cave trail. The trail through the winding lava tube is ⅓ mile. Subway is the largest accessible tube in the flow. While exploring the lava tube, please carry a flashlight with you as there is no visibility inside the tube.
Manzanita Lake Area
Driving south from the Subway Cave on Highway 89, this area is located at the northern end of the Park’s Scenic Drive. A very popular area of the park with a number of activities to choose from. A developed campground is located in the area.
Manzanita Lake Loop Trail is 1.8 miles easy and flat trail that is definitely recommended. This trail is popular for bird viewing and also to capture some amazing views of the landscape with the Lassen Peak in the background.
Views of Manzanita Lake with Lassen Peak in the background
Do visit the Loomis Museum, which is a historic building and also serves as the visitor center for the north end of the Park. LilyPond and Reflection Lake are also worth exploring in this region. After exploring the hydrothermal features and the volcanic areas of the Park since the last couple of days, this area has more calmness in its landscape.
They say you always leave the best for the last and definitely exploring this area during the final part of our adventure reminded us of that.
With so many popular and crowd favorites National Parks spread across California, Lassen Volcanic National Park receives fewer crowds than many others. But after our adventure of the Park, we feel it is truly worth a visit. If you are in and around California, without a doubt, a visit to this park is a perfect weekend getaway opportunity for you.
The Parks’ features some amazing and varied landscape in its boundaries. You have lakes, forests, high volcanic peaks and even volcanic activity beneath the earth’s surface to explore. As a bonus, the roads inside and outside the park are rarely congested! The Park is a perfect place, with great history and ample beauty all around. Plus the trails and the surroundings are filled with more peace and quiet than you would expect in a National Park.
Plan your visit
-
Snow usually arrives early in the Park and stays for a longer time, so most of the Park's main road is usually closed from late Fall through late Spring.
Summer is the best time to visit the National Park.
-
Closest major airport to the National Park is Sacramento International (SMF) which is located 172 miles south pf park's southwest entrance.
Lassen National Park has in total five entrances.
Three of them Warner Valley (south), Juniper Lake (southeast) and Butte Lake (northeast) are accessible only via unpaved roads.
Primary entry points are located on CA-89, one from southwest part of the Park and the other from northwest.
-
Enjoy a meal or pick up picnic supplies at one of the three in-park restaurants.
Lassen Cafe & Gift is located inside the visitor center.
Manzanita Lake Camper store offers ready to eat meals and snacks.
Drakesbad Guest Ranch provides full-service dinner and buffet-style breakfast and lunch.
Various dinning options are available in nearby towns of Mineral and Chester.
Park does not offer any lodging inside its boundaries.
We stayed in a charming B&B - St Bernard Lodge which was ~ 25 miles from the Park's visitor center. Lodge was excellent with some delicious breakfast and the host were very accommodating.
-
Always check Park’s website for Current Conditions and Alerts of the Park especially if you plan to visit the Park during Winters.
Carrying Hiking Poles will help you while hiking the Lassen Peak and Cinder Cone.
Lassen Volcanic National Park’s website now has a new section highlighting the popular activities of the Park based on the time of your visit.
Read the Park’s safety tips on hiking trails.
Camping is one of the popular activity in the Park. Read about the campground details here.
Feel free to share your experiences of visiting this northern California gem in the comments below and keep following us to read more about our adventures.
Check out more of our travel adventures by following us on our Instagram account!
