On our way south from Washington, we decided to pay a visit to Lassen Volcanic National Park, and finally finish exploring the park after our last visit in 2023, when the huge snowpack kept Highway 89 closed all Summer.
The first day we mainly spent driving, headed south from Crater Lake. We visited Newberry Caldera on the way, and in late afternoon we arrived at the Manzanita Campground, just inside the park’s north entrance. We got lucky and snagged an open campsite reservation two days earlier, and this made life easier. There were plenty of places to camp in the nearby Lassen National Forest, but we liked Manzanita Lake better.
We spent a mellow evening in camp, cooking dinner and taking a short walk down to the lake. We spent the night inside my camperized Rav4, and in the morning we ate a hot breakfast. Vicki realized that she needed to access the internet, and there was no signal in the park. So we drove north to the town of Old Station, where she got things done, communication-wise. Life was good again, and it was time to explore the park.
According to the park brochure we got yesterday, there were about a dozen or so “Numbered Stops” along the highway, each pertaining to some interesting aspect of the park. The next stop, after the Loomis Museum and the two lakes near the campground, was the Chaos Crags Viewpoint. We visited those other locations back in 2023, so we didn’t bother doing it this round. We saw the Chaos Crags, too, but we liked them so we stopped again this time.
Our next stop was Hot Rock, which we also saw last time. This huge boulder supposedly landed here during the explosive eruption of 1915. According to the newspaper reporter, the rock was still hot to touch afterward.
We drove up to the Devastated Area parking lot. There was a nature trail there, which mostly was about the geology of volcanos. This was where the big gate on the road was locked, last time. There was a great view of Lassen Peak from that spot. A short distance beyond the gate was Hat Lake. All we really saw from the highway was the sign and a meadow. Looking at the google satellite view, it is obvious now that it used to be a lake, which has since filled in with marshy growth. Such is the fate of many lakes during their evolution.
Luckily, our next stop was Summit Lake, located on Emigrant Pass. There are lots of similarly named lakes and passes in California, I’ve noticed. There were two campgrounds next to this lake, making it a popular spot. We decided to get out of the car and take a short dayhike along the shore. It was a lovely day, and we needed a break to stretch our legs. Summit Lake satisfied our needs admirably.
As we continued south, we saw thousands upon thousands of dead trees. They were burnt back in 2021, in the devastating Dixie Fire, one of the largest wildfires in California history. Sure, there were patches of live, green pines, but for the most part, Lassen National Forest wasn’t much of a forest any longer. This fire burned almost a million acres of land, plus several rural towns in their entirety. Along the way, we passed Kings Creek meadow, which had regrown, and was still nice and green.
Then the highway climbed and climbed. Snow appeared along the highway, indicating where it had been plowed through the drifts. It was July, and there was still snow up here! Much like Crater Lake, the upper-elevation snows take a long time to melt. Near the top, at 8500 feet, we stopped at the Lassen Peak Trail parking lot. We saw a few hikers heading up the path. Vicki asked me if I wanted to bag the peak. She said she’d wait. That was very nice of her, but I didn’t really feel like putting on Microspikes and risking my life that day.
We drove a bit further, heading downhill now, and paid a visit to Lake Helen. This lake was still partly frozen! I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting this. Still, it was really pretty in that condition. We took a lot of photos and videos here. And the views of the surrounding mountains were superb.
The thing I really wanted to do was to take the dayhike to Bumpass Hell. With a name like that, who wouldn’t want to check it out! So we parked in the parking lot, then got out to see the interpretive display signs along the side. I then got out our daypack and made sure it had some lunch, water, snacks, and ten essentials. It was only a one mile trail, but I liked to be prepared. Then we walked over to the actual trailhead and discovered a sign saying “Trail Closed.” Closed? I didn’t come all this way to see that. But then I used my Caltopo mapping app and looked to see where the trail actually went. The entire path of it that I could see was covered in snow. Talk about a disappointment. I threw the backpack into the car in disgust. Now I had to come back to Lassen, yet again! I mean, maybe that isn’t such a bad thing, when you come to think about it, but it sure was annoying me at the moment.
So we moved on. The next stop was Emerald Lake, It was further down the hill from Lake Helen, and was a bit more melted, but it was still surrounded by snow, melting out slowly in the July sunshine. It didn’t look particularly emerald in color that day. Maybe it was waiting for the algae to bloom.
Down the hill we drove, winding around ridges and bumps in the terrain. There were great views off to the south, mostly of dead trees. We could also see Lassen Peak and Brokeoff Mountain nearby. Brokeoff Mountain was a volcano that literally broke off and eroded away.
Soon, we came in view of the Sulphur Works, always a popular attraction. We couldn’t find a parking spot in the lot, so we turned around, passed it again, and found a pullout along the highway. It would be a bit of a walk, but I was OK with that, especially after my Bumpass Hell sadness. Vicki, however, decided to stay in the car. She knew better from our last visit in 2023. This place wasn’t called Sulphur Works for nothing. It stank of rotten eggs in a major way. But I wasn’t afraid. My experience with harsh chemicals in my earlier life left me with a less intense sense of smell than most people. This can be a blessing at times like this, but a curse when appreciating fine cuisine with its subtle aromas. Yes, I boldly walked right up and stood next to the boiling stink-water of the Sulphur Works. I took plenty of photos and videos, too. Did I smell it? Of course I smelled it! But I wasn’t super-sensitive like Vicki, so I survived. She’s my Canary in the Coalmine. I probably should have listened to her, but you, dear reader, are the beneficiary. Websites don’t stink. Not literally, anyway.
A short ways further was the park’s main visitor center. We stopped and headed inside. We remembered from the last time that they sold hot food! And it was past our lunchtime. We grabbed some hotdogs, ate them, then explored the building. We learned about Lassen, and about volcanos and their geology.
They had wifi at the visitor center, so I used it to figure out a plan for the rest of the day. Then we headed south on Highway 89. Our goal was to get closer to the eastern Sierra, a place we knew well. We didn’t have to race home, after all. We made vague plans to check things out and maybe get some fishing done. And away we drove.
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
<< Back to Part 10 Onward to Part 12 >> 
hikingtales.com 