Best Hikes: Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park is a crowning jewel in Northern California’s crown yet for many it lays undiscovered. Situated on the southern tip of the Cascade mountain range the park is teeming with signs of present and historical volcanic activity, playing host to all five different types of volcano and other geological oddities. While Lassen Peak is the obvious poster child, there are many places to explore – check out the many links to our trail reviews below.
The park is worthy of a multi-day visit, which easily justifies the three-and-a-half hours journey from San Francisco. Compared with an equally distant Lake Tahoe, you’d find Lassen Volcanic National Park a remarkably quiet landscape.
Bear in mind that at these elevations winter makes the single through-road impassible between November and May depending on conditions. So if you want to see everything in the park plan accordingly. However, the Southwest area of the park is open year-round for winter and spring activities.
Below is a list of our trail reviews within and close to the park. Be sure to bear in mind the heightened elevation in the park, bring water, and adjust your hiking expectations accordingly.
Check for park road closures. This photograph was taken in May!
Lassen South:
• Bumpass Hell Hydrothermal Area – 4 star hike | 2.3 miles | Easy
• Brokeoff Mountain – 5 star hike | 6.9 miles | Medium
• Lassen Peak – 4 star hike | 4.0 miles | Medium
• Cluster Lakes – 4 star hike | 10.5 miles | Medium
Bumpass Hell hydrothermal area.
Lassen North:
• Burney Falls – 5 star hike | 1.0 miles | Easy
• Subway Cave – 4 star hike | 0.5 miles | Easy
• Cinder Cone – 4 star hike | 3.0 - 4.9 miles | Medium
• Manzanita Lake – 4 star hike | 1.9 miles | Easy
• Chaos Crags – 3 star hike | 3.6 miles | Easy
Inside the Cinder Cone, near Butte Lake.
Tangents:
• Trail Links: Official | AllTrails Public
• Trailspotting Lassen: All Hikes
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