Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Volcanic National Park, United States

Lassen Peak reflected in the deep blue waters of Lake Helen during golden hour, framed by foreground boulders.

Lassen Volcanic National Park in northeastern California is a rare place to see several volcano types, with steaming ground and a snowy peak.

The place

Lassen Volcanic National Park lies in the northeast of California, near the northern end of the Sacramento Valley, with Redding and Susanville the nearest towns. Its centrepiece is Lassen Peak, a plug dome volcano and the largest of its type in the world, sitting at the southern tip of the Cascade Range. Few locations let you see all four principal volcano types in one place: plug dome, shield, cinder cone and stratovolcano.

Heat comes from the Gorda plate sliding beneath the North American plate off the Northern California coast, and the ground here is still restless. Around the peak there are boiling mud pots, fumaroles venting steam and hot springs. Further west the scenery changes to lava pinnacles, jagged craters and sulphur vents, a landscape that looks freshly made.

Elevation makes the weather the main planning issue. Winters are cold and snowy, and snowbanks linger through the year near Lake Helen, which sits at about 2,500 metres and is thought to be among the snowiest places in California. Summer is when the roads, trails and visitor services open, so this is when most people come. Days can be warm lower down but cool and windy near the summit, so bring layers and carry water.

Its story

The Atsugewi people lived in this country long before settlers arrived, and they understood the mountain as a restless force. In their view the peak held both fire and water and would one day tear itself apart, a belief that reads now like a remarkably accurate forecast.

In the mid-nineteenth century, emigrants heading for the fertile Sacramento Valley used Lassen Peak as a navigation mark. Among those who guided them was Peter Lassen, a Danish blacksmith who had settled in northern California in the 1830s, and the peak took his name. A wagon route was later cut through the area, passing the cinder cone and the Fantastic Lava Beds, and travellers left accounts of smoke and glowing rock.

Witness accounts from the cinder cone area describe flames tossed skyward and lava pouring down the slopes, though the reports are inconsistent. Early scientists dated the last eruption there to the late seventeenth century. After the 1980 eruption of Mount St Helens, the US Geological Survey reassessed the risk from Cascade volcanoes, and later tree-ring analysis narrowed the date to a single year.

Lassen Peak itself erupted between 1914 and 1917, in a series of events from minor to major. The area had already been protected as two national monuments, created in 1907 by Theodore Roosevelt, and the eruptions helped secure its status as a national park in 1916.

What to see

Culture

Lassen Volcanic National Park is an active landscape, and the rules you will meet here exist because the ground is unpredictable. The Atsugewi people who lived here long before settlers arrived saw the mountain as a living force, and that view still fits the place. Treat the land with the same caution: leave rocks, plants and mud where you find them, and read the signs at trailheads, which explain both the natural history and the reasons for the rules. Summer visitor services, including the Loomis Museum, run only in the warmer months, so check opening dates before you travel. Shops inside the park are few, so carry what you need from the towns rather than expecting to buy it on the way. Around the geothermal areas, keep children and pets close and never step off the path to get a better photograph. Stay on the boardwalk at Bumpass Hell, because the crust around the pools is thin and scalding.

What to wear

Lassen Volcanic National Park has a thinner record of traditional dress than of its geology, so I won't guess at specific garments. The Atsugewi people who lived here before settlers arrived are known mainly through their knowledge of the land, and surviving textiles from this specific area are not well documented. What people wear now is practical: layered outdoor clothing, sturdy walking boots, and warm hats and gloves even in summer. Lava rock is sharp and uneven, so boots with good ankle support are the sensible choice. Visitors should pack a warm fleece or insulated jacket, a waterproof shell for afternoon showers, and sun protection, because the air is thin and the sun is strong at altitude. Modest, comfortable clothing suits the park's relaxed atmosphere, and nothing about its trails calls for formal dress.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. July to September gives the widest access, as the roads, trails and visitor services open. Snow can keep parts of the park closed into early summer, and late autumn brings cold, quiet conditions with fewer services.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Fly into Redding or Chico, or into Sacramento on I-5 further south, or Reno, then drive. Private car is the best way to reach the park, and rental cars are available in Redding, Red Bluff, Chico, Susanville or Reno.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources