Lassen Volcanic National Park guides
12 in-depth guides to Lassen Volcanic National Park, in reading order: what to see, how to get around, and what to know before you go. Back to the Lassen Volcanic National Park overview.
Timing Your Visit Around Lassen's Snowpack
Most visitors plan around mid-July through September, when the park's roads and hiking trails are generally clear of snow.
Driving the 30-Mile Lassen Park Highway
The main road through Lassen Volcanic runs 30 miles from the northwest entrance by Manzanita Lake to the southwest entrance, skirting the east side of Lassen Peak as it goes.
Bumpass Hell: Lassen's Largest Hydrothermal Basin
Bumpass Hell is the park's biggest hydrothermal area, a 16-acre basin where hot water and steam rise through the ground.
All Four Volcano Types in One Park
Four kinds of volcano sit within one park: shield, composite, cinder cone, and plug dome. The landscape also records how these volcanoes built up, broke down, and changed over time.
Summiting Lassen Peak, the World's Largest Plug Dome
The Lassen Peak Trail climbs to the highest peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park, which rises to 10,457 feet.
Snowshoeing, Skiing and Sledding Lassen's Volcanic Terrain
Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing both use the winter routes in the Manzanita Lake Area and the Southwest Area.
Lassen's Dark Skies and August Dark Sky Festival
The night sky above the park sits far from the glow of cities, so much of it stays genuinely dark after sunset.
Lassen Peak Awakens: The 1914 Eruptions
The last eruptions of Lassen Peak stretched from 1914 to 1921. The largest blast came on May 22, 1915, when the volcano opened a crater about 1,000 feet wide and ash drifted more than 200 miles away.
Where Three Biological Provinces Meet at Lassen
Lassen Volcanic lies where three large biological regions converge. The Cascade Range continues to the north, the Sierra Nevada rises to the south, and the Great Basin desert stretches away to the east.
Choosing Among Lassen's Lakeside Campgrounds
Lassen Volcanic National Park has eight campgrounds, and they differ in more ways than their locations.
Warner Valley: Boiling Springs Lake and Devils Kitchen
Warner Valley is a small, remote region in the south-central part of Lassen Volcanic National Park, and it sees far fewer visitors than the sites along Highway 89.
Butte Lake, Cinder Cone and the Nobles Emigrant Trail
Butte Lake sits in the far northeast corner of the park, a landscape that differs sharply from the western side.
