lassen volcanic national park hiking trails

Steve1362

Lassen Volcanic National Park is a beautiful park with an excellent alpine environment; mountains, crystal clear lakes, meadows, wildflowers and streams with the extra bonus of hydrothermal areas and other evidence of the still active volcano, Mount Lassen. One of the least visited of the National Parks, Lassen’s roughly two dozen trails ranging in distance from just under 1 mile (1.6k) to about 7.5 miles (12k) for day hiking is the strength of this gem. During our visit, we had the opportunity to sample about eight of the trails and they were all wonderful and, with the low visitation of this park, we had them virtually to ourselves, even on a weekend in August, with the exception of the trail to Bumpass Hell. Bumpass Hell is the signature hydrothermal area of the park and well worth the hike even if the trail can get quite busy; the key, as is often the case, is an early start to avoid the crowds.

Cricket2825

we just visited the park while we were in northern California. Had been out to Redding area and visited Mt Shasta Dam that was built back in the 30's by the Conservation Corps. My dad had worked out there on the project as a young man and I had heard him tell about it and had always wanted to go and visit. Lassen Park isn't very far from the Redding area. Beautiful drive all through the park.

pika_candid_reviews

A very nice park with a lot of pretty hiking trails and destinations. Unfortunately when we visited this year the Lassen Peak trail was closed due to some trail work which in my opinion was not really necessary. It looked as they would build some stone stairs. I don’t understand why to exaggerate in improving the trails. I prefer to walk on a natural trail instead of stone stairs. But the park itself is very gorgeous with a lot of marvelous spots.

bk0620

we visited Lassen after spending several days in the Redwoods. The scenery is simply spectacular.... We enjoyed the hike to Bumpass's Hell. The mud pots and steaming fumaroles made for a surreal hike. It's a fairly high altitude so hiking slowly is a good idea. After leaving lassen we went to the subway cave and walked through the underground lava tube. Really cool and in October we had the park to ourselves. The park was clean and well maintained rest rooms along the roads. The roads were curvy and no guard rails so drive slow!

vincemc

We spent a wonderful day in this national park. The scenery is simply stunning. But what makes this a cut above many other parks is that it is so out of the way. Therefore, it has fewer visitors and does not suffer from the hassles of places such as Yosemite. So one can hike the trails and enjoy the spectacular views in near serenity One of the best national parks in the US.

dae28

Lassen is relatively underutilized. The trails are well maintained in most places and make for easy hiking. Lovely scenery, fascinating volcanic story, a relaxing national park experience.

bintraveling2

We'd never been to Lassen and just fell in love with the Park. We want to go back and camp there so we can spend a bit more time exploring and just enjoying it.

Thephotoguy05

Absolutely loved it! Visited several times, did a different hike each time and LOVED IT each time. We hiked to the peak- stunning views. I had the glorious opportunity to hike on clear days. You could even see Mt. Shasta from the peak. Unbelievable. Also followed some other trails (have unfortunetly forget the names) that were almost equally as fantastic. I felt like I was hiking strait out of a scene from lord of the rings. It was just stunning views all around. And wild flowers were it- it was amazing. Definitely not for the faint hearted however. Some intense hiking, but never regretted. Would recommend 100%

S8682OAjohnd

If you like ANYTHING Volcanic, Lassen Volcanic National Park is the destination for you! Of course, the star of the show is Mt. Lassen itself. However, there is much more to this park than Mt. Lassen. There is a 20+ mile drive around the volcano that offers breathtaking scenery every inch of the way. There are boiling mud pots, fumaroles, and hiking trails all along the drive. The visitor center runs a film daily depicting the history of the actual eruptions and many other very interesting stories. I'm always surprised how few people are there on any given day to enjoy the spectacular beauty. Also, the park rangers offer detailed explanations of the terrain to anyone who asks. Check the weather to make sure maximum viewing will be available when you go. I recommend going in the summer months to ensure your chances of being able to see as much as possible. If you like hiking and some of the most beautiful volcanic scenery in the world, you owe it to yourself to plan a trip to see this park. Cabin rentals are available for overnight or multiple day trips. Information for accommodations can be found online. Have a great trip...you won't be sorry!

Hertmannsknuschper

Because Yellowstone is too far away, I wanted to show my family a taste of that. If you don't have Time to hike than you see one pot and a few fumarols, that's it. The road is nice and the lakes are scenic. But the detour on the way is Not needed

TravDreamer

Wanted to do this hike but didn't get the message that it was near the top of the pass and at 8000 ft elevation. This might be too much for anyone just coming from lower altitude and who has any kind of heart issues. Wish I had know this prior to arriving -- I would have planned our day differently. I wanted to like Lassen National Park more -- but it seemed there just wasn't much to see from the road. I guess you have to have time and energy to hike to all the sights. Disapointing!

joevedo63

My 20 year old son and I (I am 51), did the Cinder Cone Hike on August 16th, 2014. It was a very easy going trip to the Butte Lake Campground, from Manzanita Lake, where we were camping. We left about 7:50 am and it took about 45 minutes to drive. The 6 mile gravel road at the Butte Lake Campground turn off ,is very passable, even for standard sedans. Take your time. We started on the trail head, right off the Day Use Parking lot, at 8:50am . We made it back to the parking lot at 11:50 am. It is well worth it!! So many views of the Lassen Region too. Mt Lassen will be to your West. Snag lake to the south. The painted Dunes are fantastic and they butt into the Lava beds. You can see where you started with Butte Lake far to the North east. I want to do it again for a sunrise or sunset hike. Enjoy!! J and R

H0lly1956

Went on the pretty easy trail to Bumpuss Hell, where you get to stand on top of a cone volcano, with burbling , boiling water and steaming water pools around you. The steam makes noise as it comes out of the earth. We went with a Ranger and a volunteer, Great views of the surrounding park, other volcanoes and Mt. Lassen. 200-300 elevation gain only. Lovely wildflowers. Great visitor Center at the park . Only 1 hour drive from Red Bluff and I-5.

KelM692

We hiked the Bumpass Hell trail, the Terrace/Shadow/Cliff Lakes and Manzanita Lake trails. The trails can be anywhere from easy and flat--Manzanita Lake (awesome trail that circles the lake), to Bumpass Hell which has an easy(though-8000+ ft elevation) upwards climb for a mile then a drop of around 300+ down into the site (remember HIGH elevation!!!), to the moderately strenuous-don't try-this-without-being-acclimated-to-the-elevation Terrace/Cliff Lake trail. The place has gorgeous, uncrowded vistas that are a true gem. It is a must see and a pleasant experience compared to crowded Yosemite.

jbk51691

Trails were all in good shape. Lassen peak trail is open to the top on specific weekends as they are doing major restoration on it. Check before going. All the other trails were in good shape and the roads to get to them as well