Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Peak 

Lassen Peak is one of the largest plug dome volcanos in the world and spectacular for sure. We enjoyed a beautiful drive through the park with jaw dropping views of the rugged landscape. All four types of volcanos are found here; shield, cinder cone, plug dome and composite.

Annette and Lynn on Bumpass Hell Trail 

Kristy standing in front of a fumarole

Hydrothermal Basin 

Shug not being allowed on trails in the National Parks limits us a little but we make the most of it. While Shug waits in the truck, we take a short walk around the Devastated Area interpretive trail which highlights the historic eruptions of Lassen Peak and points out various rocks and boulders that ended up miles from where they originated. We sadly skip hiking Lassen Peak, but enjoy the Bumpass Hell hike to the active hydrothermal basin and follow a boardwalk out to see bubbling mudpots and fumaroles.

Hydrothermal Basin

Boardwalk over the hydrothermal Basin 

Annette viewing Broke-off mountain 

Boiling mudpot

Before leaving the park, we stop at the Manzanita Lake Camper Store for showers. Showering on the road is quite an adventure and could have a blog post of its own. We end another great day and drive a few miles outside the park to Ashpan Snowmobile Park where our home on wheels awaits.

Once back at the RV, we all agree that we can't leave until we climb Lassen Peak. So we hatch a plan to get up super early, take Shug out for a long hike, leave her in the RV and go back into the park to hike as fast as we can up Lassen Peak. And that is exactly what we did, enjoying every minute of the well maintained trail and its interpretive info along the way!!

Lassen Peak Trail

Annette and Lynn making their way up

Lynn, Kristy and Annette on Lassen Peak 

Kristy and Annette at the top

Lassen in the distance 

A view of Mount Shasta from Lassen Peak 

We highly recommend a visit to this beautiful National Park. After hiking just a small sampling of its many trails, we plan to come back and explore Lassen again.