In July 2024, I joined a group of friends to hike in Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California. The Indigenous name for Lassen is Kohm Yah-mah-nee.
July 11, 2024
We journeyed three hours from San Fransisco to Red Bluff, CA, where we stopped to purchase provisions for four days. After shopping, we drove highway 36 east, ascending 4500 feet in elevation on our way to Mineral, CA. Since it was too early to check into our cabin, we visited the park’s southwest Kohm Yah-man-nee Visitor Center. We enjoyed lunch at the indoor cafe, took in the views from the north patio, and perused the gift shop.
Next, we toured a small portion of the park by road, admiring views of meadows, wildflowers, and volcanic peaks. We stopped at Emerald Lake and Lake Helen to take photos with Mount Lassen in the background. We meandered back along highway 89, taking in the scenic wonders of this park. Later, we headed to our cabin and enjoyed a delicious dinner of pasta, chicken, and zucchini, before turning in.
July 12, 2024
After a quick breakfast, we drove almost two hours to the Cinder Cone Trailhead in the Butte Lake Campground. Our goal was to begin our hike before the heat of the day at 7 a.m. We drove highway 36 east through Chester (near Lake Almanor), witnessing an exquisite sunset and the devastation of the 2021 Dixie Fire. We then headed north on highways A31 and 44 towards Old Station, 24 miles east of Manzanita Lake. We located the trailhead next to Butte Lake after passing through the Butte Lake Campground.
The Cinder Cone hike is located in the northeast corner of Lassen Volcanic National Park. This trek is 4.7 miles roundtrip, with an elevation gain of 850 feet; however, the journey uphill is not for the faint of heart! We hiked one mile next to the Fantastic Lava Beds on our left before Cinder Cone came into view. To be truthful, seeing the cone for the first time felt amazing! We paused to ready our hiking poles, drink water, and psyche ourselves and one another up for the trek ahead.
We continued up around 8 a.m., completely exposed and feeling the heat of the day. Our hike up was challenging since we were walking on small cinder rocks. Therefore, we used hiking poles and went at a slow pace. We stopped a few times to catch our breath, drink water, and marvel at the beautiful surroundings. Imagine our glee at reaching the top in under an hour!
Atop Cinder Cone, we photographed Lassen Peak and hiked counterclockwise around the cone. We marveled at the views of Lassen Peak, Prospect Peak, Snag Lake, the Fantastic Lava Beds, and the Painted Dunes. I even trekked down into the crater which made this hike even more amazing. Be sure to toss a rock on the cinder pile at the bottom – a tradition!
This was an out and back hike. We utilized poles for traction on our descent since our hiking boots easily slid into the lava rock. It felt like we were gliding down the hill! Once down, we enjoyed lunch next to Butte Lake and watched people frolicking on the water with boards and kayaks. My friends and I agreed our three-hour hike equated to a very satisfying morning!
After our hike, we entered through the Manzanita national park entrance (northwest side of park). I even had my picture taken at the Pacific Crest Trail sign along highway 44. What can I say about the PCT? I dream of hiking portions of it one day! We stopped for two hours at Manzanita Lake to wade in its refreshing water. We also bought snacks at the Manzanita campground store and checked out the visitor center area. It was such a pleasure to peruse the Loomis Museum to learn about Lassen’s history and to view artifacts. The campground was buzzing with activity with people enjoying the tree-rimmed lake.
Next, we drove to Summit Lake, where we were enchanted by the numerous and blooming Corn Lillies on the south end of the lake. Once again, we waded into cool waters and were amazed by the many blue dragon flies fluttering about. We then journeyed to Kings Creek meadows for photos of wildflowers and a babbling stream. Our final stop was at Sulphur Works to view one of the park’s hydrothermal areas with its pungent scent and vibrant colors.
After returning to our cabin, we marveled at our day and enjoyed happy hour snacks and refreshments. We celebrated with a cookout of scrumptious burgers and fries. We felt giddy about the possibilities of future hikes in Lassen!
July 13, 2024
After a restful sleep, we enjoyed a brief breakfast before heading off to hike Brokeoff Mountain with an elevation of 9235 feet. We expected it would be a challenging ascent with 2600 feet of elevation gain and being 7.4 miles roundtrip. The Brokeoff Mountain trailhead is located just before the Kohm Yah-man-nee Visitor Center, with a small parking lot to the east of the park road (arrive early to get parking).
We breathed in fresh mountain air during this early morning. For the first part of our ascent, we enjoyed tree coverage, meadows, and streams. We were above tree line the second half of this trek, taking in scenic vistas and rock formations. The entire way, we photographed numerous types of wildflowers. From the summit, we enjoyed jaw-dropping views of Lassen Peak along with Conard, Chaos Crags, Diller, Shasta, and other mountains of the vicinity. We were surrounded by beautiful butterflies – such a joy! Our hike down rewarded us with other equally mesmerizing perspectives!
We were happy to finish our hike at noon and dined in the Lassen Visitor Center Cafe. Following a tasty lunch, we toured the gift shop and exhibits on Lassen’s history. Next, we made our way back to Lake Helen, where we relaxed around a picnic table on the east side of the lake. After a blue-sky morning, the clouds arrived for a short while to cool us down. After about an hour stay at the lake, a few of us decided a hike to Kings Creek Falls was in play!
The roundtrip hike to Kings Creek Falls is 2.3 miles and involves a 700 feet descent to the falls. Sadly, the hike down to the falls was through burnt remnants of the Dixie Fire from 2021. However, we were able to find beauty in the meadows and wildflowers. We were also fascinated by the multitude of mushrooms growing on the burnt timber. The sun arrived in full force just as we reached the falls, which we viewed from two fenced overlooks with a clear view of a stunning 30-foot waterfall. A few minutes later, we found ourselves relaxing streamside, dunking both our feet and hats into the water to receive some relief from the heat!
We made our return trek a lollipop route by returning a different way than we had come, ascending on a narrow steep section alongside the cascades before reuniting with the primary trail. Before leaving the water and continuing our hike, we once again dunked our hats in the river to remain cool on the remainder of the hike.
Exhausted from our day, we headed straight back to the cabin and feasted on avocado dip, salsa, and chips, before we enjoyed delicious fish tacos for dinner. We reminisced about our day and looked forward to summiting Lassen Peak in the morning.
July 14, 2024
We rose extra early on our last day, sad we would be departing, but excited for the challenge of Lassen Peak. We departed the cabin at 5 a.m. to begin our summit thirty minutes later. The morning was cloudy, but there was enough light to ascend without headlamps, and we were up for the ascent of 1971 feet in elevation and for the 4.9 miles roundtrip trek. We did not mind the chill in the air or the wind in exposed areas; this seemingly made the trek more invigorating! The trail was well defined with stunning views, and we did not even mind the gradual switchbacks for a good portion of the hike.
On our ascent, the wind certainly picked up speed! I fastened the hood strap of my windbreaker tightly around my chin so my ballcap would not fly away. Once atop Lassen Peak, we glanced at information boards and took in the amazing views. We did not stay long, maybe 15 minutes, as it was quite chilly with the wind. The hike down was a breeze, and we completed our hike in two hours and fifty-minutes. We rejoiced in the car on our way back to the cabin – we had summited Lassen Peak! The morning’s trek was a satisfying accomplishment for our visit to this park.
After loading up our things at the cabin, we departed around noon and arrived in San Francisco at 4 p.m.
It has been a pleasure to reflect on the fun we had at Lassen and to author this post. Lassen’s trails are not crowded, and the park’s diverse landscapes, wildflowers, and lakes are a joy to behold. I think how great it would be to camp next to a lake one day and to explore more park trails. I look forward to hiking the Bumpass Hell trail that was closed due to snow.
If you’ve ever visited Lassen Volcanic National Park or plan to in the future, I’d love to hear from you!