Lassen Volcanic National Park

With a history shaped by Native Americans, fearless explorers and gold rush-era pioneers, Lassen Volcanic National Park is marked by soaring mountains, steaming fumaroles, flowerfreckled meadows, and numerous volcanoes.

Situated at the southern end of the Cascade Range geologic province, the park lies at the crossroads of the Cascade Range to the north, the Great Basin Desert to the east and the Sierra Nevada mountains to the south. Featuring many locations on the National Register of Historic Places, intrigue abounds, including at the panoramic Mount Harkness Fire Lookout, Sulphur Creek Archaeological District and Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway Historic District.

The Flora and Fauna

The only national park with all four major volcanic types — shield, cinder cone, stratovolcano and lava dome — Lassen also hosts diverse plant and animal life, thanks to variations in environmental conditions. With an elevation that ranges from 5,000 to 10,457 feet, 300 species of vertebrates are found within three plant life zones. There are also 110 known lichen species in the park as well.

Mammal-wise, you may see black bears, mountain lions and Sierra Nevada red foxes, who live among 216 species of birds, slithering reptiles and fluttering California tortoiseshell butterflies.

Lake Helen

Getty

The Weather

Winter weather and conditions usually extend from November to May, while summer weather arrives June through October. (Spring and fall are shoulder seasons.) Winter conditions are typically experienced well into June in the park’s higher elevations around Lassen Peak. Cooler fall temperatures make for excellent hiking, though snow showers can occur at higher elevations starting around October.

Be sure to keep an eye on conditions and plan accordingly.

The Hikes, Drives and Viewpoints

Subway Cave

A total of eight hydrothermal areas contain “hot water” features linked to active volcanoes, while the Subway Cave affords a short-self-guided tour through a lava tube.

Manzanita Lake Loop

The 1.5-mile Manzanita Lake Loop rings the park’s tranquil lake, offering a chance to spot ducks, geese, muskrats, river otters and beavers. Also a must is the paved, .5-mile Devastated Area Interpretive Trail, a loop that reveals the aftermath of the 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak. Keep a watch for gray and pink lava rocks along the way.

Manzanita Lake

Getty

Kings Creek Falls Trail

See a 30-foot waterfall plummet into a picturesque canyon on the threemile Kings Creek Falls Trail, where mule deer and Clark’s nutcrackers may appear.

Bumpass Hell

Don’t forget to head to kaleidoscopic Bumpass Hell, Lassen’s most recognized hydrothermal area, featuring bubbling mud pots and boiling pools. It’s reached via the three-mile Bumpass Hell Trail, which takes you past wondrous geothermal oddities.

About the Park

Location - Northern California, north of Sacramento

Established - August 19, 1916

Area - 106,452 acres