Background

We have a new favorite from among California National Parks. Lassen Volcanic NP is a four-hour drive away from the San Francisco Bay Area (about as far as Yosemite), has distinctively lush vegetation, and has none of the crowds of summer visitors that Yosemite attracts. The last advantage is hard to ignore: We were able to find a very nice camp site at the first-come-first-served Summit Lake South campground, on Saturday morning, Labor Day weekend.

What We Did

We arrived at Lassen around 11am. On our way to Summit Lake we saw several smaller lakes and decided that we would definitely visit them on the next day. We were afraid that there might be no available sites at the campground, but it turned out there were several to choose from. We quickly set up our tent and headed to the forest for a walk.

The forests in Lassen NP are, no doubt, lusher and greener than those around Yosemite Valley, even though the Lassen area we are discussing has an elevation of approximately 6000 feet compared to 4000 in Yosemite Valley. We hiked down the trail to Kings Creek then up to Kings Falls. It is possible to walk to the very base of the falls, but we left this exercise for our second visit to the park.

On our second day at Lassen, we decided we had to climb Mt.Lassen. In the last few years we have perfected our approach to hiking uphill, so we had little difficulty getting to the top. There were several informational boards along the way, and we used those as an excuse to stop and catch our breath. From the top the sight was impressive, if not unique. We were even more impressed by the thought that Mt.Lassen used to be just a small part of the now long gone Mt.Tehama. At the top, we also had our daily amount of disgust. We tried to find a secluded corner from which to enjoy the sights, but it turned out that every such place is being used as an improvised bathroom. The park authorities should look into this matter and install a proper facility.

Our descent back to the parking lot was quick and uneventful. We decided to visit Emerald Lake and relax there from the long walk. The water has a mellow green shade which pales to a beige at the shore.

On the next morning we drove back to the Mecca of Computer Innovation. On our way out of the park we stopped at Sulphur Works, a place where the ground is extremely hot and boiling water flows out (there is also the characteristic H₂S smell).

We will definitely return to Lassen to explore more parts of the park. On our next visit we would like to see the Painted Dunes and Bumpass Hell. Lassen should be a good place for cross-country skiing in winter, however it is not clear what accomodations are available during that season. Yosemite might win on this one.

How We Got There

Lassen Volcanic NP is located in Northern California. To get there, follow I-5 North from Sacramento, then take road 36 East from Red Bluff.