TL;DR
All the beauty of the mountains in addition to some incredible geological features. You won’t be able to see anything like this anywhere else in California. There’s wide variety of trails to choose from and create your own trip. Plus, no entering lotteries for permits!
Thoughts
Last September, some friends and I spent an extended weekend up in Lassen Volcanic National Park. One of the less frequented parks of the NPS for reasons I (now) don’t understand. Apparently its one of California’s best kept secrets. Truthfully, I didn’t actually know about this park until I decided to pursue my Journey to 59, and I’m a California native. Its located in the north eastern part of the state a few hours south of the Oregon border. The drive there was as simple as it gets. North on I5 and cut east at Red Bluff (We did a small detour through Chico to get In N Out….don’t judge us).
I had started planning this trip earlier this year. I guess having to always jump on backcountry permits at Yosemite got me nervous. It turned out I didn’t need to worry. Late September is officially the off-season at Lassen. While you can apply for permits through fax, you can just as easily pick one up from the Visitor Center. I planned for September to avoid any summer heat and crowds. We lucked out with the weather, just missing an early snow by a few days. Nights were chilly in the mid 30’s and days were warm in the mid 70’s-80’s. We got to see Mt Lassen with a beautiful fresh coat of snow as opposed to it looking like a dirt hill. Also, there were no crowds, let alone people. I think the total people we saw within 4 days was less than 25.
As the name suggests, Lassen Volcanic NP (LAVO) is home to volcanic activity. Its the second most active geothermal area in the continental US behind Yellowstone. Last year they are celebrating 100 years since Mt Lassen last erupted.
I planned out a backpacking loop that would cross some of the distinguished features of the park: Cinder Cone, Painted Dunes, Rainbow Lake, Snag Lake, the PCT, Warner Valley and Devil’s Kitchen. Map and itinerary of the loop we did can be found here. Lassen does have bears, although according to the ranger at the visitor center, ” They’re not like those Yosemite bears”. Bears cans are fine, but you can also just hang your food. (This was true in 2015. Bear cans are now required in Lassen Volcanic).
We rolled into Lassen with a few hours of daylight so we took a short hike (~3 miles RT) to Bumpass Hell. Bumpass hell is one of the more accessible geothermal areas and has a bunch of decks set up to help visitors see the mud pots and thermal vents. Steam constantly rises and the smell of sulfur is close to nauseating. Got back to the car as the sun set and headed over to the campsite. Temperatures plunged once the sun went down to a chilly mid 30’s.
The next day we got up not as early as planned but on our way none the less. Moved our cars to the trail head at Summit Lake. The beginning of the trail takes you through some high sierra forests filled with pines and manzanita. The sky was a crisp blue with not a cloud to be seen (actually we only saw one cloud on this entire trip). We passed several lakes on the way to Rainbow Lake, stopping to eat lunch and take in the scenery. Once at Rainbow Lake we snagged a spot in the wooded area to the south. The effects of the drought clearly seen in the receded lake shore that opened up a wide expanse of beachy sand. No time to rest, as we set off to do a day hike to the Cinder Cone and Snag Lake.
This day hike might have been a bit hopeful on my part. The quarter mile surrounding the Cinder Cone in addition to the Cinder Cone itself is sand. You’re hiking in sand. And if you’ve ever hiked or walked in sand you’ll notice how much more tired that makes you. But at the time you don’t notice it, the volcanic sand is dark with striations of red which gives it an almost painted feel (hence Painted Dunes). Its quite unworldly looking which is why I say its unlike anything else in California. The path to the summit of the Cinder Cone is steep and made of sand and loose rock. Imagine slipping back a foot for every step you take. Once you’re on top you have the option of hiking down into the crater which we opted not to. You have a fantastic view of the surrounding area as well as Mt Lassen.
After our exhausting journey around the Cinder Cone we continued on to Snag Lake. Its a beautiful area and saw a bunch of people camped out in the surrounding woods. Looks like they were fishing. Sun began to set and we were rewarded with a nice alpenglow on the surrounding hills. The last mile and a half we were all in a bit of a daze. The sun had set and we pretty much just wanted dinner.
The next day we parted ways and D and I continued down the PCT to Corral Meadow. I wanted to see the Devil’s Kitchen, another major geothermal area that isn’t as accessible as Bumpass. You can drive to Warner Valley but its a bit out of the way. We set up camp at Corral Meadow, a nice little area close to the stream. We day hiked the next day down to Warner Valley and Devil’s Kitchen. It was worth it, Devil’s Kitchen was much larger than Bumpass Hell and also had a great deal for foliage making it seem primordial almost. Large ferns grew next to steaming streams and vents. We had a bit more energy than expected so we decided to break camp and hike back to the car after. We were ready for a shower.
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