I can't believe it took me 58 years to get to this over 100,000 acre park, located just 184 miles from South Lake Tahoe. Wow. What was I waiting for?
Established in 1916, Lassen Volcanic is the fifteenth national park established by Congress, making it one of the oldest in the nation. People come here to see the steaming fumaroles, meadows freckled with wildflowers, clear mountain lakes, and numerous volcanoes. It offers opportunities to discover the wonder and mysteries of volcanoes and hot water for visitors willing to explore the undiscovered. We so get it.
Because we only had two days in the park, we focused mainly on the Highway Highlights. The 30-mile Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway connects the northwest and southwest entrances of the park. We entered from the south and meandered the road at a leisurely pace, accentuated with outbursts of "Stop the truck!" We entered before 7 AM and we felt that we owned the place!
Our first stop was at Sulphur Works where we surrounded ourselves in the gurgling symphony of boiling mudpots and hissing steam vents at this surreal hydrothermal area.
Can't you almost smell and hear this natural wonder? Boiling mudpots, steaming ground, roaring fumaroles, sulfurous gases...Rain and snow feed the hydrothermal (hot water) system that lies deep underground. Heated by molten rock, this water rises to the surface creating the remarkable features found in the park. These features are evidence of active volcanism and indicate the potential for future eruptions. Wild stuff!
Lassen's road has elevation and we climbed to 8,500'. Many of the hikes we would have liked to have accomplished were closed due to snow. Next time!
Lassen lies at the crossroads of three biological provinces: the Cascade Range to the north, the Sierra Nevada mountains to the south, and the Great Basin desert to the east. This convergence contributes to the diversity of ecosystems and the abundance of flora and fauna found in the park. Over 745 distinct species have been identified. To see this hidden bear was a real treat!
Bursts of color were seen throughout the park. This beauty, the delicate Lassen Paintbrush is impacted by trampling. Just four to six steps on average can kill a plant. Certain floral characteristics and genetic evidence suggest this flower is its own distinct species. Its distribution is likely limited to Lassen Volcanic and its immediate surroundings.
Gleefully for me, blooms appear May through September in park meadows and valleys, and along lakeshores.
Breathtaking views were around every corner. This was an exceptional stop where Kings Creek meanders through an expansive meadow at the foot of Lassen Peak.
Tiny wildflowers were found hidden in so many places (some are in the photos above).
For a short hike, we strolled to Kings Creek Falls to ogle the 30-foot waterfall. Lassen is a world of diversity.
Lassen Volcanic National Park illustrates Earth’s powerful forces. Every rock originated from volcanoes, and all four types—shield, composite, cinder cone, and plug dome—can be found here. Lassen Peak is one of the largest plug dome volcanoes in the world. Its last eruptions were between 1914 and 1921, with the largest explosion on May 22, 1915. Scientists continue to monitor the landscape. No one can say when or where the next eruption will occur, only that it will.
Since the museum and visitor center was closed due to COVID, and because we needed to know more, we explored a signposted walk called Devastated Area. It was here we discovered more about the story of devastation and forest recovery following Lassen Peak's 1915 eruption.
It's interesting to learn the human history here too and we were both surprised by Nobles Emigrant Trail. We stepped foot on a spur of the California National Historic Trail. The wagon tracks have since faded but the story is forever etched on the landscape. This route welcomed a portion of the more than 250,000 emigrants who traveled to the gold fields and rich farmlands of California during the 1840s and 1850s in the greatest mass migration in American history. Who knew?
As we stood at Chaos Crags and Jumbles Scenic Pull-out and were asked, by the park newsletter, to imagine a rock slide racing nearly 100 miles an hour. So crazy and awe-inspiring.
It was a cold day in the park with a high of maybe 52°. We spent the end of our day along the river sipping hot tea.
Our home for two nights was spot A39 a Manzanita Lake Campground. We were able to roll in and find a perfect space. We are certainly happy campers. We are here to create our own story in this rugged wilderness. Chapter 1 was pretty fun.
"Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying,
keeping everything whirling and flowing...
out of one beautiful form into another."
-John Muir, 1899
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2 comments:
I can't believe how much you did in one day! Wow! Now trying all that with a baby. Ha.
Compare the amount of snow when you went compared to when we went!
http://aquiahialla.blogspot.com/search?q=lassen
Lassen is so beautiful. You captured it so well. It really makes me want to be there right now!
Lassen is already a lesser traveled park, I imagine there were even less people. Good thing the park is in the middle of nowhere. If it were in SoCal, it would be like a sea of heads trying to view the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Hard to see anything...
PS I CANNOT believe you saw a bear! I am so jealous.
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