Lassen Volcanic National Park
- crshoots
- Jan 23, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 24, 2022
My Mom and Step Dad had come out to celebrate with me, at Lake Tahoe, CA, for my twenty-ninth birthday (June 2019) in California and they made the most of the trip by taking a road trip to Northern California! After thier journey they told had me that I should go check out Lassen National Park, McArthur-Burney Falls, and Lava Beds National monument while I was still in the area.
It took a little planning but I was finally able to check two of the sites off my list! I was able to take this trip on August 18-25, 2020. Timing was a bit unfortunate due to the August 2020 California Lightening WIldfires. I reasearched the status of closures of the different sites I was planning to visit to see if I needed to cancel the trip. Lava Bed National monument was closed due to the fires so I was not able to visit and see the site.
I started from the Bay Area and made my way out to Westwood, CA. The Airbnb I stayed in was about thirty-nine mins from the park. I got settled for the evening and finished planning for the day ahead exploring Lassen National Park!
On August 19th I woke up early and got a move on things! When I arrived to the park the ash from the Wildfires had creeped into the athmosphere creating a very eerie apocalyptic sky. I had blue skys for maybe the first 30 minutes of driving through the park. It was a crazy thing to expeience. In the pictures below you can see the orange ting in many of them. It was pretty scarey. I kept thinking if it was a good idea to be hiking and breathing in the ash. I did have to wear a neck gator for COVID-19 but I didnt think it was helping much to not breath in the ash. Any who the park rangers assured me that they were monitioring the fire status and to continue to remain informed through thier website and social media to see if they were planning to close the park. I got lucky that the fires kept away for the rest of the day and I got to see a unique Lassen NP. The stops I made in Lassen NP were:
-Emerald Lake- This lake lays 8,100 feet above sea level. Even with the athmosphere being orange you could still see the beautiful color of the water. I had taken a walk around the lake and took in the sites. The closet peak you see is Eagle peak. The lake is found at the base of Eagle Peak.
-Sulphur Works- This hydrothermal site is located right beside the road so it made it super easy to see up close! It was crazy the amount of stream that was coming from the site and the constant bubbling of the mud. It was pretty mesmerizing and fun to take slow motion videos of! One of the most notable/memorable sensations of this sight is the rotten egg smell it exudes. It took some getting used to but it was so cool to see!
-Bumpass Hell- this is a three mile trail that takes you along the parks largest hydrothermal area. It is easy to access and fun to explore. The park has built a boardwalk over the site to get you safely as close as you can get. Sulphur works is stinky but this takes the egg!! (see what I did there!) It was really neat to see the site with different perspectives and heights to you can have an appreciation for what you're seeing. I did read to arrive here early so you don't have to struggle to find parking. I learned while visiting that Bumpass Hell got its name from Kendall Bumpass. He discovered the area while looking for stray cattle. He managed to sink one of his feet into one of the hot mud pot and burned his foot. After telling people about what he had "been to hell" he went back and burned his foot in another hot mud pot but this time the burn was so severe he needed to get his leg amputated. Now you know why its called Bumpass Hell! That being said make sure you stay on the designated boardwalk and trail!
-King Creek Falls- 2.7 mile out and back trail. I LOVED this trail! There is something so purifying to the soul as you walk by a river and water fall! Along the walk you pass beautiful lush green scenery, falls, and a snaking gorgeous river. I highly suggest checking this trail out! I felt like it was almost out of place for a place of devastation from a site of a historic volcano eruption. Kings falls was beautiful and had an observation spot to sit at which was nice to rest after the good workout the hike gives!
-Manzanita Lake- I had so much fun taking a little walk around this lake! It was absolutely impressive to say the least! I snapped some really cool picture perfect pictures from this spot! Check out the picture below. It was so peaceful and I even made friends with a chipmunk haha!
-Lassen peak- (or Mount Lassen) is a 10,457' active volcano that is located within the southern most cascade range. It last erupted in back in 1921. In a photo below I am standing next to a rock that was thrown into the sky from the eruption. It was really cool to see Mount Lassen and I kept thinking about how pretty the sleeping giant was and praying I could complete my trip without expierencing any other natural disasters.
A major thing I learned about this park while I was there exploring was that the mountains you see, from Brokeoff mountain to Mount Conard, were once a part of a large volcano. The large volcano was estimated to be 11,000 feet tall and 39,370 feet in width. This volcano was called Mount Tehama or Brokeoff Volcano. Standing and looking out to the mountain range blew my mind to imagine how large that volcano was! In the pictures below I have a shot of what was on display in the park to give some perspective. This Volcano was active from 590,000 to 387,000 years ago. Search it online and check it out!
I only had a day in the park but I made THE MOST out of it! I highly suggest taking a trip to experience this beautiful park as well!
When I had been planning my trip I did use these links:
Sulphur Works- filmed with iPhone
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