Lassen Volcanic National Park:
Cool, quiet and crystal clean
By George W. Zander

OK, you may ask, how the hell can an active volcano park be so peaceful? Lassen Volcanic National Park is California’s least visited. It last erupted in the early part of the last century so you probably don’t have to worry about burning lava flowing down the roads.
You can fly from Palm Springs to Redding via San Francisco and access the park very quickly. If you drive you have a two-day haul, mostly on the I-5. Your second overnight will be at Red Bluff, which is the best place for supplies, and that overnight. Go east on SR 36. Just east of Mineral, you’ll find the last supply spot, turn right onto SR 89 and proceed to the park. The drive through the park is 36 miles long, and loops around three sides of Lassen Peak. Starting at the park’s southwest entrance, the first stop, after about a mile, is a park information center and the Lassen Chalet, which will offer you basic services.
Just past the Visitors’ Center is Sulphur Works, the most accessible thermal center in the park. You will definitely want to follow the short trail that will lead you past mud pots, hot springs and fumaroles. A ring of peaks surrounds the Sulphur Works—Brokeoff Mt., Mt. Diller, Pilot Pinnacle, Mt. Conrad and Mt. Lassen itself.
Highway 89 continues around Diamond Peak and the next stop is Bumpass Hell. It is the park’s largest Thermal area. Like Sulphur Works, it requires a short hike to see it. Lake Helen, a small, beautiful glacial lake, lies near the Bumpass Hell parking lot. The Lassen Peak trailhead is reached after another mile. This is a strenuous 2.5-mile trail with a gloriously rewarding view at the end. Do plan for four hours for a round trip.
The road zoom drops over the mountain’s south eastern flank. The views are fabulous throughout with lovely mountain meadows and distant peaks. Be on the look out for wildflowers. Just past the parking lot for Hat Lake, the drive enters the Devastated Area, the destruction from the 1915 eruption of Mt. Lassen. Then the drive follows the Nobles Emigrant Trail, which is an old pioneer trail from the 1850s. Landmarks along the way include Hot Rock, which is a huge granite boulder carried down the mountain in the eruption of 1915.
You will next come across Manzanita Lake and Reflection Lake near the end of the park drive. There is a small camper’s store at Manzanita, if you forgot something in Red Bluff or Mineral. Reflection Lake, not to anyone’s surprise, provides a perfect reflection of Lassen Peak. Manzanita is a great recreation lake—a good opportunity for fishing and swimming. The campground here is wonderful.
As to overnight accommodations for those of you who do not do the “let’s just spread the blanket on the ground and watch the night sky” thing, pickings are slim, but there are a couple of gems if you plan ahead. In the southeast part of the park lies the Drakesbad Ranch. The accommodations are quaint and rustic, and offer a wonderful respite from the modern world. The famous mountain ranch was founded in 1900 by the Drake family. It was renamed for the hot springs on the property in 1920 when the springs were found. There are great cabins and rustic rooms, and the price includes three meals a day. You can horseback ride, followed by a soak in the hot springs. The place is only opened from June through mid-October so book early. Check them out at drakesbad.com.
Another great little place is located at Lake Almador. It is the Bidwell House. This 1901 renovated farmhouse near the lake is fabulous. Some of the rooms have Jacuzzis and wood burning fireplaces. A dandy breakfast is included. Their website is bidwellhouse.com.
After that it would be back to Red Bluff for a night. There are some motor inns, the Best Western Antelope Inn, Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn, that are all rated 3 diamonds by AAA.
Return from this magical land of steam, pristine mountain landscapes, peace and quiet by traveling south on the 5, to the 210 to the 10 and home to our desert. If you head there soon, you will experience cool, crisp air and luscious scenery ... and sleep very, very well.

For this and other great travel plans, contact George at zander44@aol.com