National Park #7: Lassen Volcanic
#7 of 59 National Park Series
6/30/16 & 7/2/16

While some parks are established to protect the land from people, Lassen Volcanic National Park was established to protect people from the land.

Located in North East California, the park’s recorded history starts with the standard “unintentional” purging of Native Americans in the early 19th Century. The subsequent gold rush in nearby areas would draw a series of European and American explorers to the region, who in the ultimate pioneer pissing match, would rename the volcanic mountain 5 different times: “San Jose Mountain” in 1821, “Mt Joseph” in 1827, “Snow Butte” in the 1830s, “Mt Joseph” again in 1841, and finally “Lassen Peak” in the 1850s.

An active volcano standing at 10,457 feet, Mt Lassen and the surrounding geothermal area quickly became known for being extremely dangerous. In one famous story, a pioneer with the excellent name of “Kendall Vanhook Bumpass” was leading a journalist around a boiling hot spring when he managed to fall in and lose his right leg. In honor of his sacrifice, the area where he fell in later became known as “Bumpass Hell.”

In order to add some degree of regulation to the area, Teddy Roosevelt would make Mt Lassen a National Monument in 1907; however, as if it was mocking its new protected status, the Volcano would become increasingly volatile over the next decade, until finally erupting 1915, spreading ash to areas as far as 200 miles away. The eruption would spring lawmakers into action and in 1916 the protected area would be expanded into a National Park, with dedicated resources being sent to monitor the volcano for future eruptions.

Today, 100 years after that eruption, the Volcano remains active. The combined danger of rock avalanches and the fact that the area receives the most snowfall of any region in California means the park can only remain open for 3-4 months per year (usually mid-June to September).

I arrived in late June, which meant that although the temperature was warm (65F+), there were still areas of the park with several feet of snow on the ground. Luckily, the main road (known as the “Scenic Byway”) was completely clear and offered amazing views of both Mt Lassen and the surrounding peaks:

Seeking to do something mildly impressive with my life, I took the Scenic Byway up to 8,500 feet, where it intersects with the trailhead for Mt Lassen. Despite having no snow equipment, I had convinced myself that growing up in the Midwest qualified me to hike in the snow and I stubbornly set out on the 3-mile hike to the summit. Fortunately, the trail itself is not particularly difficult and only rises an additional 2000 feet- that said, the deep snow, altitude, and a procession of extremely ill prepared leisure hikers (highlights included a middle aged woman who was afraid of heights and a family with three small children) meant that progress was very slow:

The good news is that the higher I went, the less people I saw and by the time I reached the summit I was one of only a handful of people up there:

Besides Mt Lassen, that park has a lot to offer, including an abundance of boiling hot mud springs, giant volcanic rocks, and one particularly cool “underground lava tube” that can be hiked through. This “tube” strongly resembles an abandoned metro station and its eeriness, complete lack of light (I had to use a headlamp), and absence of other tourists would lead me to nickname it “Murderers Cave”:

Last but certainly not least, on the way out of the park I had to chance to hike around Manzanita Lake (where today’s cover image was taken) and then hike up to the nearby Kings Creek Falls- which is a large waterfall at the end of an easy 2 mile trail:

Located only 3 and a half hours from San Francisco and receiving only about 400,000 visitors per year, Lassen Volcanic is an awesome park to visit. Although there is quite a bit of snow on the ground, the weather is warm and I was able to wear a t-shirt and shorts for most of the hiking expeditions (I would recommend light waterproof pants on the Mt Lassen hike to account for sliding in the snow). I spent two full days in the park, which seemed sufficient; however, a quick drive-thru tour without climbing Mt Lassen could easily be done in one day.

I am off to Oregon’s only National Park, Crater Lake. So long for now!

-Morgan