Adventures with Apple : Lassen Volcanic National Park
It’s the biggest gift when we can escape to the wilderness sans wifi and cell service, with quiet streams and long days adventuring together, and when you pair that with exploring another National Park we’ve basically hit the jack pot. Lassen Volcanic National Park may be a lesser known park, it’s smaller and little off the main route through California but friends, it is a must visit. You can drive through the entire main portion of the park in about an hour but can easily spend 3 or 4 days hiking through it. The trails are all fairly short making it possible to hit more than one natural phenomena in a day.
I polled the family and asked if you only had one day in Lassen what hikes would you do and well they all had different favorites so we unanimously decided you need to go for at least 3 full days! The campground at Manzanita Lake is really lovely with nice bathroom facilities, laundry, showers and a general store that has gas and essentials (like ice cream ;). Plus the campground is on Manzanita Lake with a great trail that goes around the lake. It’s perfect for evening strolls, watching the sun set on Lassen and an incredible amount of stars once it’s dark!
Day 1 :
Hit the visitor center to see the photos of the 1915 Lassen Eruption, then head through the park and hit:
Hot Rock - you have to get out a touch it…it’s not hot anymore but when it was shot out of the volcano it was still sizzling hot 3 days later!
Cold Boiling Lake - the edges of the lake look like they’re boiling, it’s an easy lovely walk thru burned out forests and into the lush green lake area.
Bumpass Hell - if you were hoping to make it to Yellowstone and couldn’t, here’s a little taste of it, literally ;) It’s all the sulphur, boiling mud pots, geotheramal boiling ponds!
Sulphur Works - this stop is quite literally right next to the road. You drive right over the boiling geo thermal pools.
All of these stops are either right off of the road or a short and easy walk. Bumpass Hell is the longest one being about 3 miles round trip with just a short portion of it as an incline. The drive through the park gives you a view through the valley, of the lava beds and of Lassen, it’s gorgeous, but if you get car sick be sure to take some dramamine, the road is pretty windy.
Day 2 :
Get up early and pack a big lunch and snacks, fill your water bottles and strap on your hiking boots. It’s going to be a longer day of hiking but oh so worth it!
Head to Lassen first so you can do the hardest hike to kick off the day. Be sure to bring warm clothes, hats and gloves. When you hit the summit you’ll be at 10,000 feet and wow, if it’s windy it is COLD. The views from the top are gorgeous of the valley floor, where you can see the next two stops for the day, Terrace Lakes and Paradise Meadows! This is about 5 miles round trip. It’s a solid hike with a gain of about 2,000 so give yourself some time so you can enjoy the clouds floating over you. This was Bella’s #1 recommendation. She loved being up in the clouds, watching them come in a surround us.
Next up, hit Terrace Lakes. We hiked to the second lake but chose to stay and hang out at the first lake. If it’s warm enough bring your swimsuit, the lake is so clear and easy to take a dip in. It’s an epic lunch spot or place to take an afternoon nap.
End your day with Paradise Meadows. You’ll want to stay for awhile! The hike isn’t too long but it does have a bit of an incline which felt long after hiking so much already but there are plenty of places to stop and enjoy waterfalls and wildflowers. This was Maddie, Aaron and I’s favorite, we were wishing we had packed in happy hour drinks and dinner so we could have stayed and simply enjoyed for longer.
Day 3 :
Pack your lunch and snacks and don’t forget your headlamps and jacket. You’re heading to the other side of the park so fill your tank with gas and be ready for a bit of a bumpy ride. You’ll head out of the park entrance toward Old Station.
First stop is Subway Caves. This isn’t a hike, more of a stop off of the main road with a 1/3 mile walk, but completely worth it. It was Parker’s favorite. The Caves are chilly so put your coats on and bring your headlamps because you’re headed into a Lava Tube. It’s amazing to walk around inside knowing it was created by a massive stream of Lava!
Next up make the drive to Cinder Cone, the trailhead is at Butte Lake. Get ready for a bumpy dirt road once you make the turn to Butte Lake, 6 miles of washboard driving, we promise it’s worth it. The hike is only 4 miles with just the final part being a pretty long, slow trek up the side of Cinder Cone. It’s like you’re walking up a big lava rock sand hill. It’s a hard section but get yourself up there! It’s pretty incredible to look down into the cone and then out over the Fantastic Lava Beds and up into the valley at Lassen. Gorgeous views plus an epic lunch spot. You may just want to jump into the lake when you get done, it’s pretty dusty and warm out there on the volcano sand!
A few last tips for visiting Lassen - go in the summer when the snow has had a chance to melt and if you can, go in July, you’ll get to see all of the wildflowers blooming along the roads and trails! Even in the summer it was still pretty chilly up in the mountains so bring warm layers, hats and gloves for your hikes. There isn’t cell service but in a few spotty areas so get ready to go off line and enjoy it!
Plan the trip friends, go for an adventure and let us know if you hit these hikes which one was your favorite!
