Veronica Hill of California Travel Tips offers a guide to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Located about 50 miles from Redding in Northern California, Lassen National Park is named for Lassen Peak, which is the largest plug dome volcano in the world.
The last Lassen eruptions were between 1914 and 1921, and it remains, along with nearby Mt. Shasta, the most likely volcano in the Cascades to erupt in the next few decades.
They say this is the least visited of our national parks, and I find it really hard to believe because there’s so much to do here!
Most of the Lassen National Park attractions are located along Highway 89, which circles around the park. All four types of volcanoes are found here, including shield, plug dome, cinder cone and composite varieties.
Start your Lassen tour at Loomis Museum, where you can check out historic displays of Lassen’s 1915 eruption, then take the short 1-mile walk along the Lily Pond Nature Trail.
From the southwest entrance, begin at Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center, where you can grab a bite to eat at Lassen Cafe — the only restaurant in Lassen National Park — or stock up on water or picnic fare.
If you’re looking for Lassen National Park lodging, Manzanita Lake is a great spot to go camping. Bring a tent or RV, or rent one of their cozy wooden Manzanita Lake cabins which start at $59 per night. The lake is a great spot for catch-and-release trout fishing, and they also offer kayak rentals!
There are several places to go hiking in Lassen National Park. The Devastated Area Trail is a 1/2-mile loop that showcases evidence of the 1915 eruption. Plan on around 20 minutes to explore the paved interpretive trail, which is where much of the lava and hot rocks settled after the eruptions. Along the trail you’ll see Hot Rock, a 27,000-year-old boulder that was blasted 3 miles from Lassen Peak; and Puzzled Rocks, which were torn from Lassen’s Summit.
Two miles away, you’ll find Summit Lake, which is a great place to stop midday for a swim or a picnic. There are two campgrounds here as well!
Continuing along Highway 89, you’ll come to Kings Creek Falls before arriving at Upper Meadow, which is a great place to stop and stretch your legs.
Be sure to pack a hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water and snacks before attempting the strenuous 5-mile round-trip hike to Lassen Peak, which sits at 10,457 feet. To avoid the heat, start early in the morning, or come during the cooler fall months.
While you’re in Lassen, you have to do the Bumpass Hell Trail. It’s three miles round trip and it’s the signature hike in the park. Set alongside glacial Lake Helen, this 16-acre hydrothermal area sits on the eroded vent of Bumpass Mountain, a dormant dome volcano. Here, you’ll find more than 75 fumaroles, turquoise-colored hot springs and mud pots fired by molten lava just 5 miles below the surface.
This area was named for Kendall Bumpass, who lost his leg after falling into a boiling mud pot. Bumpass discovered the area in 1864 while hiking, and he called the place “Hell.” The name stuck.
Boiling pool is one of many unique features in the park. Although the temperatures of these hot spring pools vary, most fall between 150 and 200 degrees. A highlight is Big Boiler, which is the largest fumarole in the park, and the hottest in the world for a non-erupting volcano.
If you’re not up for the 3-mile hike, another great place to see volcanic activity is at Sulphur Works, which sits right off the highway near the southwest entrance.
One word of advice: Stay on the boardwalks and trails. People are severely burned each year when they ignore this caution.
Thanks for joining us at Lassen Volcanic National Park. See you next time!
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