We’ve been wanting to take a weekend in Lassen Volcanic National Park for at least a few years now. Before we left San Jose in 2015 we had a list of places we wanted to go to/see which we hadn’t yet done. The list included places like Alcatraz and Sequoia National Park, etc. We made it to most of them, but never got to Lassen Volcanic National Park – or to Winchester Mystery House, despite walking by it all the time because it was just down the road from us. We have now been back in California for nearly two years and finally visited!

Weekend in Lassen Volcanic National Park

Have you heard of Lassen Volcanic National Park?

We haven’t always known about Lassen Volcanic National Park. Several years ago we only even came across it by either looking at a list of national parks or looking at a map. Unlike Pinnacles, it’s not newly recognized. What is today Lassen Volcanic National Park, was first recognized nationally back in 1907. It began as two separate monuments: Cinder Cone National Monument and Lassen Peak National Monument. 

So why didn’t we know about it before? Well, there are 60 national parks and some of them are just more popular! The U.S. has some amazing nature. In California, Yosemite is the national park that tends to overshadow all others, plus there are others like Sequoia and Death Valley which get a fair amount of attention. While we won’t deny that Yosemite and those other parks are amazing, we think Lassen Volcanic National Park is a special place too.

Another reason the park may see fewer visitors is that many parts of it are inaccessible most of the year. The park is located in northeastern California – and not north like the Bay Area, but actually up there. Many parts of the park are open May through October but are still weather dependent. Last year the road to Bumpass Hell didn’t open until the end of August! It was just a short time it was open at all.

Lassen Volcanic National Park, Here we Come!

It was exciting to finally be getting our weekend in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Initially, we didn’t plan this as a weekend in Lassen Volcanic National Park – well it was kind of last minute in general actually! But after our first Friday, we decided otherwise. Might as well see more of the park, especially since we paid the entrance fee which is good for 7 days. There was plenty to do in Lassen Volcanic National Park to fill our time. Plus the other activities we were interested in were just as or nearly as far to drive to from Redding.

Friday: Driving, Coffee, Etc.

The drive went okay. It seemed to me like we had a bit of traffic up all the way through the North Bay, but Kyle’s interpretation was that there wasn’t very much traffic. Since Kyle drives far more than me, we have different interpretations of the word “traffic” as it applies to the Bay Area. 

Kyle made falafel wraps for us the night before and so I started eating some of mine on the way there along with some chips. Then, while he was getting gas in Red Bluff, I headed next door to Starbucks for a morning coffee and a dessert. We had a gift card and I usually like to follow my meals with dessert and I hadn’t packed any! The night before I had this dream where I went to Starbucks and I wanted a half peanut butter drink, half strawberry. Turns out they don’t have a peanut butter drink and I am not sure they do halves either so I went with a Tall Serious Strawberry Frappuccino and a big chocolate chip cookie.

When they called my name I just stared at my drink because it did not look like what I was expecting. I was going to take it anyway but the barista must have been able to tell something was wrong so she re-checked the drink name and saw I had ordered a Serious Strawberry Frappuccino. She made a Strawberry Acai. After my actual drink was done they let me keep both! Kyle and I shared the drinks. The Strawberry Acai was tasty and refreshing. I would like to order it again. Though it would be easy to drink very quickly.

Friday First Stop: Stop off and Visitor Center

Making our way up to Lassen Volcanic National Park we came across a nice little stop off with a parking lot. There wasn’t much to do there but we were starting to get an idea of the scenery to come. It was actually the trailhead to Brokeoff Mountain, but that wasn’t on our itinerary. It was also looking like fall here which we liked.

Not long after getting back on the road, we entered Lassen Volcanic National Park through the Southwest Visitor Station. Our first stop once inside was at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. 

We spent a little time exploring and looking at the exhibits but didn’t take our time here because we had places to go! It’s worth a stop to learn a little more about what you are about to see, though. The exhibits were fairly interesting and, in some cases, funny.

Friday: Sulphur Works

Since we weren’t going to be able to visit Bumpass Hell and weren’t sure if we would make it to Devil’s Kitchen, we HAD to do Sulphur Works. Plus it’s easy to visit if you are entering through the south end. Bumpass Hell was one of the big things we wanted to see, but the trail was undergoing some intense renovation that would last for over a year – so it was a no-go for us.

The internet calls this a “0.6-mile trail”. The trail is all sidewalk though so I couldn’t call it a hike, more like a walk. Basically, you come to a parking lot and then you go to the right and walk along the sidewalk. Across the road is another sidewalk. So you pretty much don’t need to be fit at all to see Sulphur Works. It is accessible for the disabled as well. Anyway, it was pretty cool! 

On both sides, you can see steam rising up from fumaroles and mud pots. On the left side, there are bubbling mud pots which you can look at up close. Just not too close! On the other side, we also had some nice landscape views of the forests beyond this area. There are also a few informative plaques where you can read information about what you’re seeing.

IMPORTANT: Do not go off the sidewalk. The ground may look solid but you are taking the risk of it not being solid and walking into bubbling burning sticky acid. While I saw some people with their dog, I believe pets aren’t allowed and I wouldn’t want to risk your pet accidentally crossing over either.

At first, we didn’t notice the strong sulfur smells we were expecting, but then we’d occasionally get blasted with the odor. Just smells like eggs! I didn’t even think it smelled that “rotten”. Most of the time it didn’t even seem as bad as the building where I used to tutor in Jacksonville. 

Friday: Beautiful Lakes

We passed by two very pretty lakes and stopped at both. First, we came across Emerald Lake. The name accurately reflects the color. It is rather unique for an alpine lake because it has such a vibrant green color. The lake is shallow enough to allow the sun to warm the water enough for algae to survive, thus creating the emerald hues.

The second was Helen Lake. It used to be Sapphire Lake which also makes sense as it is a vibrant blue – the traditional color for alpine lakes. It’s now called Helen Lake because it was named after Helen Tanner Brodt, the first woman to climb Lassen Peak.

I think we would really enjoy going swimming or kayaking or canoeing or something like that in these lakes, but we do not have that equipment. They are not very large but are so pretty and calm. It was a bit cold for us to go swimming considering it was October. Even in July, I’d imagine the water would still be on the chilly side, though. Anyway, we just stopped and walked around at both. If you’re wondering if they really look like this – they do! It’s legit.

Friday: Kings Creek Falls

Next up, we had planned King Creek Falls. We thought about doing Mill Creek Falls but decided on King Creek Falls which is a 2.7-mile hike. Basically, you hike down to the main event of the falls – the large one which you see in pictures if you Google it – and then you have the option to either hike back the same way you came, or hike a different way for part of the way up. The other way is a little shorter but much steeper. We went the other way and are so glad we did because it was gorgeous!

The hike to the falls made its way through the forest, along rivers, and even opened up to sweeping vista views at times.

At some point, we passed a couple who was looking for two family members who had been missing for an hour and a half. We told them we didn’t see anyone matching the description they gave us but would be on the lookout. As we descended further, they yelled at us letting us know that a mama bear and cubs had also been spotted on the trail where we were going. Between these two things, suddenly the path seemed a little scarier! Fortunately, we did not encounter the bears and we later (on Sunday) learned they found the two missing family members later that day.

Like this photo? Purchase it at our store.

Before arriving at the proper King Creek Falls we came across this waterfall. We wondered, “Is this it?” It was definitely pretty but not as large as we pictured. But, we noticed that the path appeared to continue on a little ways.

Note: having visited a number of waterfalls in the past year, we’ve found that photos do not always accurately reflect the size – they can appear much larger or smaller in real life.

I told Kyle there would surely be a sign or something to make it obvious and so we continued.

And after a bit more walking, we made it to the falls. There are two different overlook areas – quite close to each other – where you can check out the largest part of the falls at 30 feet tall.



The autumn accents were a nice touch. We both think it’s the most beautiful place we saw in Lassen. My favorite part was the ascent back up – not normal for me but it was gorgeous! The falls in Upper Cascades area just fall on these nicely polished rocks, almost too perfect. 

Friday: Dinner at Champa Garden

Next, we headed to our Airbnb in Redding and checked in before heading out for dinner. We were HUNGRY. I had come up with a list of possible food places from my list from the last time we went to Redding. 

After reading the list Kyle said how about the Thai-Laotian place. I was thinking no to that one because it was a sit-down restaurant and we were trying to be on a budget. The weekend in Lassen Volcanic was a little last minute so we didn’t plan ahead to bring a ton of food and the extra time we’d have there (we left earlier Friday) meant we’d need to eat out more than our last Redding trip. We discussed the other options but decided to go with this anyway since not only was it what Kyle really wanted but also I didn’t feel like a grilled cheese which is all I could really get at the cheap burger places. 

I’m glad we went because it was really good! It was also healthy and filled us up. As we walked up to the restaurant we could see the people with their food and could tell it was going to be good and that the portion sizes were large. Kyle loved his soup – Kaow Poont ($9). They had a few vegetarian options – which I believe are also vegan – and the menu also said that you can make other meals vegetarian on request. I ordered the Vegetable Hot Plate ($10). It tasted fresh and was just a little spicy which was good.

Saturday: Brunch at JJ’s Diner

Even though we both ate past being full at dinner and Kyle is normally not a breakfast person, we were both quite hungry for breakfast. I already planned on JJ’s Diner because I knew that it was likely we would be hungry and I really thought we should eat before we did the big Cinder Cone hike. We had a little bit of a drive to get to JJ’s, but this was good because it meant it was closer to our activities and we wouldn’t have to drive as far to get to them after we ate.

The diner definitely had a local, casual feel. There was a woman who was waitressing and a grandma-like woman in the kitchen cooking, who also served our food. She asked if we wanted coffee but I didn’t see it on the menu so we said no – I wasn’t sure how much it would be. There were two men at their own tables each but they were conversing and talking to the waitress. It was clear they all knew each other. The slightly older guy had more of a history there, though we learned from their conversation. At one point we heard a funny conversation between the younger man and the waitress:

Man: “Where do you source your eggs from?”

Waitress: “We source them from Costco.”

Waitress after thinking for a minute: “I really like their packaging.”

I had looked at the menu online and on our way over discussed options with Kyle. I decided the best thing would be for us to order the Vegetable Hash ($10) and Full Stack of pancakes ($6) and share them. That is what we did and it did work out quite well. The hash also came with a choice of toast, biscuit, or pancake. I chose a biscuit. We were both stuffed by the end and couldn’t even finish the last couple bites of pancake. It was all quite good as well.

Saturday: Another Visitor Center and Subway Cave Lava Tubes

Our first stop for the day was the Subway Cave Lava Tubes. It was supposed to be right after JJ’s but we didn’t quite see it after driving a little and Kyle thinking he needed to take a random turn so I put it into the GPS and it took us to this visitor center. The Lava Tubes were not at the visitor center, but we did get to read more about the area and asked the woman working inside how to get there. It turned out it was just a little farther up the road than we had gone.

Here is more info if you want to learn about lava tubes. TLDR regarding these caves: molten lava once flowed through this area. The top was exposed to air and solidified but the rest continued to flow and eventually, formed the tube it is today. 

We walked up and then down into the caves. It gets darker as you go in further. There was just one person there who left as we got there so we got to experience the creepy darkness all by ourselves until we were about halfway through and a group/family showed up at the beginning, we could hear them. Kyle had his hat with a little light on it, but I’m very glad I remembered to bring a flashlight as well. You really need something otherwise it’s completely dark but they are available for rent at the visitor center if you don’t have one.

<

p class=”p2″>It was a fun experience. Along the whole way, there are plaques with information. To see them, you need to shine a flashlight on them. They tell you which part of the caves you’re in at that point and how that area formed, etc. You’ll want to be careful with your footing though, it is very rough.

At the end, you come out and have a short hike back to the parking lot coming out in a different area. The total loop is allegedly 0.6 miles. It was chilly in the caves which remain a pretty steady 46F year-round. So while it may not be that noticeable a difference in the winter, it can certainly offer a respite from the summer heat.

Saturday: Cinder Cone

On to the big event for the day: Cinder Cone. Earlier in the year, we thought about going to Lassen Volcanic National Park despite Bumpass Hell – which never opened – not being open. One hike which looked pretty interesting was Cinder Cone. It had such an interesting, almost alien landscape. We also read that it was a difficult hike and ended up putting it off, waiting for Bumpass Hell, and deciding to do our waterfall trip instead.

We weren’t even sure if we were going to go this time but on Friday, we decided yes. The drive to Cinder Cone requires you to take a northern road in Lassen Volcanic National Park that is not a part of the main road. It is in the area of the park near Butte Lake, and in fact, that is where the trailhead starts.

The last seven or so miles driving to the trail were on a bumpy dirt road so we were glad we had an SUV. If you have a regular car you can still manage, but it will be more comfortable in a 4WD. Note: The GPS initially brought us to a closed-off road but we just went down the road a little and it brought us to the real one.

Once we got there, I picked up a brochure at the start of the trail and read it out loud as we went along – I like to do that on hikes. There are numbered stops at the beginning of the trail which correspond to the information in the brochure so we could learn more about the area. The first part was actually not too difficult but walking in the black “sand” – ash – was a little more difficult than a paved trail and there was still an incline. 

Still, the area was a little more shaded than what was to come. A little before coming out of the forest we stopped for a break to watch a little chipmunk jumping around and put on sunscreen. We noticed chipmunks everywhere during our weekend in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Now, for the much steeper incline. Cinder Cone is 750 feet high. It was slightly intimidating looking.

We began our ascent, occasionally stopping to sit in the pile of rocks on the way up and trying to avoid sliding down. Before we began climbing we saw many others just sitting and taking breaks on the way up too. They looked like little dots to us from afar. We saw some people online describe climbing this part as taking one step forward and sliding two steps back but it was not quite this bad we think.

On one of our stops, we finished off our cookie from Friday (we left half for this day) because we were hungry and needed a little boost of energy. We were saving our juicy orange for a reward at the top.

Tip: Step in the previous footsteps for an easier climb – you don’t slide back as far.

At the top, there are some great views. You can walk all around the entire rim of the volcano for different views, and we did. The crater is unique in that it has a sort of double-crater. It can be difficult to explain, so I’ll just let the pictures give you a better idea. You can see the Fantastic Lava Beds, the Painted Dunes, Shasta, and a tremendous amount of surrounding wildlands. We really weren’t sure what the Fantastic Lava Beds were, but we came to appreciate them as we made our hike.

The Fantastic Lava Beds were formed by thick lava that wasn’t able to come out of the main crater but instead oozed out of the base. This lava slowly spread out, creating a very rough landscape that even now, over 400 years later has yet to be reclaimed by forest.

The Painted Dunes were formed by the lighter ash that flew away to form rolling hills of ash dunes. These dunes appear to have an almost painted appearance, with light pastel colors gracing them.

<

p class=”p2″>While we were on the outer edge I said, “What happens if you fall in there??” and Kyle said, “You can climb in there, look.” In fact, you could and a little later we saw some older Europeans doing just that. When we went down into the inner edge of the crater one of them asked us if we would like our photo taken and took a couple for us.

We asked if they would like their pic taken but he said they’d already taken tons. The Europeans discussed among themselves and to us whether we should go down into the volcano. They had different arguments and thoughts, “the rocks are harder to get up than the way up Cinder Cone, but they are young and fit, have you done Lassen Peak?” etc. etc.

They did recommend we do Lassen Peak. And Kyle did go into the volcano but I didn’t feel like it. Plus he didn’t want to take the pack or camera so I could watch them and get a pic of him. I let the next people, Americans, know that they could climb down there if they wanted. They said “That’s not happening. No thank you!” Americans.

Tip: Kyle recommends “skating” down. Just running and sliding with the ash.

After we were done at the top, Kyle told me his tip for us going down the way we came. It did not really work, though. So we just kind of went down normally. Apparently, it was because the ash was finer inside the cone than outside, or it could have been that we were wearing packs – either way, it didn’t work.

Good hike and we’re glad we did it! It was such a unique place and had different sites that we’d never seen before. I especially liked the sparse little trees and seeing the painted dunes.

The whole trek is a little over 4.5 miles, however, if you descend on the opposite side towards the painted dunes, you’ll add another half mile. Then to go around the top is another half mile and if you do any additional exploring inside, that will add a little more. The total elevation gain is somewhere between 850 and 1,050 feet – there are varying reports – but if you go into the bottom you will be gaining a little more coming back out. Although Cinder Cone is at a lower elevation than Lassen Peak, you’ll still be hiking at between 6000 and 7000 ft – so be prepared!

For those who are really wanting to add on to their hike, you can also take a trail through the painted dunes. We didn’t do this as we were rather tired, but it would make for a great other-worldly addition.

Like this photo? Purchase it at our store.

Wait, What is Cinder Cone?

If you really want to get into the weeds of it all, you can check out what Wikipedia has to say about it. But if you want the basics, it’s this. Really gassy lava made it’s way to the surface and began erupting. The lava is light enough that the gas causes it to erupt into small cinders and ash, rather than thick fluid lava. The tiny grains of lava fly off, forming dunes of sand for miles around, while the heavy pieces fall closer to the eruption point. What you’re left with, is a conical tower of loose, gravel-like ash.

The age of Cinder Cone has been controversial since the 1870s when many people thought it was only a few decades old. Later, the cone and associated lava flows were thought to have formed about 1700 or during a 300 year-long series of eruptions ending in 1851. Recent studies by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists, working in cooperation with the National Park Service to better understand volcanic hazards in the Lassen area, have firmly established that Cinder Cone was formed during two eruptions that occurred in the 1650s.

The blockage that created from the Fantastic Lava Beds formed Butte Lake to the north and Snag Lake to the south.

Saturday: Dinner at Taqueria Los Gordos and Rest

With all that activity we were hungry again. I was very glad we had those snacks on our hike, but a cookie and orange were by no means enough to satiate us for the rest of the day. For dinner, we decided to go to Taqueria Los Gordos. We really liked the places we had already been to in Redding – The LightHouse and Champa Garden – but also wanted to try something new if we were going to be eating out and this one had an online menu which showed plenty of vegetarian options. Like the LightHouse, it is more of fast food sort of place in that you go up and order at the counter. 

I ordered the vegetarian tostada – it isn’t on the online menu but it was either $5.15 or $5.50 – and Kyle ordered the enchilada and chile relleno plate. The reviews online were good – but to me, the food was meh, mediocre at best. My rice was cold and not very good. Actually, my food was pretty cold in general and seemed to lack flavor I felt. For the price it was not bad. Kyle seemed to enjoy his a little more though also did not think it was top quality. Maybe it depends on the day or the dish. 

What I did like, was the chips and salsa. Even though it’s fast food, they provide complimentary chips and little bowls for you to fill with salsa at the salsa bar. That all tasted good and helped improve the experience. The young woman working there also had friendly/nice service.

Sunday: Breakfast at Heavenly Donuts

The next morning Kyle didn’t want breakfast but I really wanted something and fortunately was able to convince him on donuts. I love donuts and they are also usually cheap. So while I was getting ready and re-packing my things, I had him look up a donut place. He came up with Heavenly Donuts.

We ordered one small coffee ($1.69), a glazed donut twist (for Kyle), a maple crueler (me), and a sour cream donut (me). The total was around $5.

We consumed all of it on our way up to Manzanita Lake. On the way, I said, “It’s a good thing we’re just doing Manzanita Lake because this is probably not the best breakfast for a big hike like Lassen Peak.” ~**~Possible foreshadowing?~**~

Sunday: Manzanita Lake

So we pulled up to Manzanita Lake, used the restrooms and went into the Loomis Museum. It didn’t look like there was that much going on, but we figured it’s because its early, or maybe it’s just because Lassen doesn’t see that many people.

I started looking at things when Kyle alerted me to something: the two women working there were discussing the hikers who had gone missing, the ones we were told to look out for by their family. Now we couldn’t hear the exact details but we got most of the basics:

• Family members were wondering if they would be okay and thinking they would be
• Rangers said, “No, they probably wouldn’t survive and need to get a search party out ASAP”
• A 12-year-old girl and her mom were lost with no water or weather appropriate clothing
• The mom left the daughter somewhere on the trail while she went somewhere else
• They were hiking part of the Pacific Crest Trail
• One of them made it to the car and drove it to the middle of the road and put on the hazards
• A note was left on the car
• Drakesbad Ranch

We are not clear on what happened really but at least we got to find out that they all ended up okay.

While I was a little distracted trying to overhear their conversation, the museum did have some good information. Benjamin Franklin Loomis was a photographer who lived in Lassen to photograph it and documented the eruptions in 1915 and helped establish the park. He built the museum/visitor center and donated it to the National Park Service along with some land.

When they were done I asked one of the women where you rent kayaks and canoes. It turns out they only rent them out until October 1st. Dang, it. So we went outside and tried to figure out what to do. We checked out the little building with a seismograph outside of the museum but it didn’t appear to be working.

We were unable to see the lake from there so I said let’s hike down and see the lake while we’re here and discuss it. We hiked down and it was very pretty and fall looking. On the walk, we decided we would go ahead and hike Lassen Peak.

Sunday: Lassen Peak

We weren’t as sore as we thought we’d be from Cinder Cone – though we still felt it – so we decided it would be okay to do Lassen Peak. At that point, we weren’t sure what else to do anyway. Our only concern was time, we’d be getting back a little late but it would be okay as long as we didn’t take too long.

Fun fact: Lassen Peak is one of the largest plug dome volcanoes in the world.

This hike starts at 8,500-foot elevation and climbs to 10,500. It’s a gain of over 2,000 feet over a 2.5-mile period. The hike is a simple 5-mile out-and-back. Of course, just because it’s rather short, doesn’t make it any easier to actually do.

Fun fact 2: Lassen and Mount St. Helens were the only volcanoes in the lower 48 to erupt in the 20th century. There were several explosions from 1914 through 1917.

The trail quickly rises and has almost no spot where it levels off except near the beginning. As you ascend the many switchbacks the trees quickly fall away and the views truly show themselves. Despite the rocky and steep climb, we both found it easier to hike Lassen Peak than Cinder Cone (at least at first). While we made good time at the start, we had to start making frequent breaks as we neared the summit.

The temperature dropped and the winds really picked up too as we rose up. We started with just light clothing, but by the time we would reach the top, we would be wearing all the clothes we brought with us, and we would have liked a pair of gloves too. Thankfully, to keep us motivated as we hiked, the trail had numerous plaques with information including how far from the summit we were.

After two and a half hours, we finally made it to the top and enjoyed the views. From the summit, you have a great view of the surrounding park, and on a clear day, you can even see Redding. We were also able to see Mt. Shasta off in the distance. The summit also has a bunch of plaques that provide a bunch of information about the area.

We were really happy we did do the hike. Now we can say we climbed Mount Lassen and we have climbed an active volcano. Climbing an active volcano is something that we’ve wanted to do since we had to settle on hiking Menoreh Hill in Indonesia instead of Mt. Merapi.

And one of the highlights in my book – SNOW! Okay, so it was a bit more of a snowpack that had turned into ice, but it’s still snow to me. We hadn’t seen snow since our time in South Korea three years ago. Far too long. Anyways, the snow covered a good portion of the peak, and there was a nice little path through the ice.

We stayed at the top for around a half hour and ate some chips that we brought. We definitely brought the right food for this hike – donuts, coffee, and potato chips. But of course, we were burning daylight and needed to get on back to our home and kitties so we proceeded down.

The hike down was not too bad and went far quicker than the hike up. Unlike our hike at Castle Crags just a bit further north of Lassen Volcanic National Park, the trail here wasn’t overly rocky, so we could actually walk down – rather than scramble. My knees were thankful for this. In the end, we found that the total trip time for our hike was four hours. Not bad, considering we are usually really slow hikers.

What Didn’t We Do?

While we felt we got a nice sampling during our weekend in Lassen Volcanic National Park, there are still many other attractions in the park which we did not visit. We would have liked to get to them all, but there were a few things that got in our way – time being the big one.

• Bumpass Hell – This may be Lassen’s most famous, scenic – and smelly – attraction. Named after a guy named Bumpass who accidentally burned his leg in boiling acid, this trail takes you through the largest geothermal area west of Yellowstone. Bumpass Hell was our top reason for wanting to visit but is currently under intense renovation to improve the near century-old boardwalks and trails.
• Devil’s Kitchen – Yet another geothermal area in the park, it is a great place to see some geothermal activity. It’s a lightly traveled 4.6-mile trail that takes you through the more secluded areas of the park. We had seriously considered this hike instead of Lassen Peak, but getting to the trailhead requires a much longer drive – along a long dirt road.
• Boiling Springs – Once again, another geothermal area that pairs well with Devil’s Kitchen. The trail can be combined with Devil’s Kitchen to create a great geothermal tour. But, as with Devil’s Kitchen, Boiling Springs is on the far end of the park and requires a long drive to get to.
• Manzanita Lake – Now technically we did get here, but we didn’t get to canoe the lake. During the summer months, you can rent a number of different watercraft and get perfect views of Mt. Lassen.

What to Bring for your Weekend in Lassen Volcanic National Park

If you decide to take a weekend in Lassen Volcanic National Park, or even just a day – you’ll want to come prepared. Despite such a last-minute decision on our part, preparing can really help. We’ve pretty much gotten this whole thing down, and have a few tips on how to make sure you enjoy your time.

• Water Bottles – Collapsible Water Bottles – These are some of our favorite items to bring with us. They’re really light-weight and you can also roll them up so you can store them away easily. If there is one item that is most important to bring with you, it is water.
• Hiking Clothes – Putting some thought into what you wear on the trail can improve your experience. Lassen Volcanic is very exposed and experiences a lot of extremes in the weather. But with the proper gear, you can hike in comfort. Kyle wore this at Cinder Cone and really enjoyed the function and comfort. For him | For her
• Waterproof Jackets – In the mountains, crazy weather can happen at no notice. Keeping dry and warm can mean the difference between happy and miserable. Kyle’s parents gave us these and we like them because they’re light enough to wear without getting hot, but they also help with the wind. As a plus, they can be folded into themselves making them very easy to carry around or pack. For him |For her
• Headlamps – Getting caught on the mountain or in the forest at dark can be frightening, or downright deadly depending here. We’ve gotten caught in the dark on trails that went longer than expected, and you’ll need them to see the Lava Tubes – in all cases, headlamps are helpful so that you can see where you’re going and keep your hands free. In Lassen, you definitely do not want to be stuck in the dark and you want your hands to be free, so we recommend these. Or at least a flashlight! (We had both.) Foxelli Headlamp Flashlight
• Trekking Poles – We did not have poles with us in Lassen, but at times we wish we did and we saw others with them. The trails were steep and Cinder Cone was exhausting – so trekking poles could help. We like these because they can support a lot of weight, and when not in use they can collapse down for easier carrying. Trekking Poles
• First-aid Kit – You really need to be prepared for anything when hiking, which means you need to be prepared for injury. We don’t often get hurt, but we have. You never know what could happen so you should always carry a basic first aid kit to be able to patch up whatever may happen. First-Aid Kit
• Sun Screen – Lassen Volcanic is very exposed throughout the park and you don’t want to get burned. If you don’t cover up with clothes, then you should wear sunscreen. We’ve used these and we haven’t been burned since, plus they are allowed in carry-on luggage.  TSA Approved Sunscreen
• Bug Repellant – When the snow melts, mosquitos can be a huge problem near lakes and marshy areas. We were lucky to visit in mid-fall so there weren’t any about, but visit in spring and you’ll want protection. Unfortunately, there is no way to deal with these really other than to be proactive – which means to wear bug spray or wipes. Off! Deep Woods Towelettes

*Note that we have applied to the Amazon Affiliate program and that it is possible we will receive a small commission if you buy something from one of these links.

If you enjoyed our photos, be sure to check out our store where you can see all our photos available for print and more.

Weekend in Lassen Volcanic National Park – Pin It!