Lassen Volcanic National Park Things to Do

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Near the western entrance to the park is the trailhead for the Manzanita Lake Trail a 1.5 mile loop around Manzanita Lake. Manzanita Lake was formed about 350 years ago when an unstable edge of the lava dome called Chaos Crags collapsed and boulders blocked Manzanita Creek to form this pretty lake.

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The interpretive trail around the Reflecting Lake and Lily Pond tells the story of the recovery of this area after the 1915 eruptions. Unlike the Devastated Area, which emphasizes the geological aspects of the eruption, this trail emphasizes the botanical and zoological side of the recovery.

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Another of the most interesting attractions in the park is the Devastated Area. This is a part of the valley that was destroyed in the 19 May 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak. A 1/2 mile wide path of lava, melted snow and other debris roared down the mountain, over another ridge, and into Hat Creek Valley. Some of the highlights of the trail through the devastated area include: A several ton "hot rock" that was thrown from the center of the volcano into the devastated area; so-called "puzzle rocks" that fractured into puzzle pieces as they rapidly cooled after the eruption; an interesting phenomena called "quenched blobs" where hotter basalt magma infiltrated, and became imbedded in, dacite magma; you can also see the difference between newer rocks formed during the 1915 eruption and older rocks formed during the first eruption of Lassen Peak some 27,000 years ago; The last thing here is a 27,000 year old Red Dacite Rock that was formed during the first eruption of the volcano and brought 3 miles to the devastated area in 1915. This trail is handicapped accessible.

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Kings Creek used to be called Hat Creek. It was important to the life of the Atsugewi Indians who inhabited this part of what is now Lassen Volcanic National Park. There is a nice roadside overlook here showing both Kings Creek and the Upper Meadow. This is also the trailhead for the Kings Creek Trails which splits into a horse trail (longer but not as steep) and a foot trail. These trails also connect to other trails to other sights. The 2.4 mile round-trip trail to Kings Creek Trail (a 50 foot high falls) is worth the effort.

The three lakes along the Terrace Lakes Trail vary in size, depth and shoreline features. The first one you reach on the trail is the beautiful Terrace Lake; which is about .6 miles roundtrip. The trail between the lakes can get fairly steep then it levels out as you near the lakes

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Lassen Peak formed some 27,000 years ago as a volcanic vent to the huge Brokeoff Volcano (also called Mount Tehana). It is one of the world's largest plug dome volcanoes rising 2000 feet above the surrounding terrain to an elevation of 10,457 feet. If want a nice photo of Lassen Peak; but you do not have the energy to climb it via the Lassen Peak Trail, you can drive a bit further east along the road to Terrace Lakes and get a nice view there.

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The yellow pyramid-shaped crystals here are sulfur. This sulfur was formed when the lava rock was dissolved and altered by sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid is linked to sulfur dioxide gas from the magma that fires Bumpass Hell. You will also notice the rotten egg smell characteristic of Hydrogen Sulfide Gas.

This is a mudpot, a hydrothermal feature between a boiling spring and a fumarole. A mudpot has less water than a boiling spring and more than a fumarole. In wetter times a mudpot can become a boiling spring as the mud thins out and in drier periods they can become a fumarole. Some of what makes up the mudpots boiled up from underground.