Lassen Volcanic National Park guide · 1 min read
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.
Because of this meeting point and the many habitats inside the park, more than 700 kinds of flowering plants grow here. The park also supports 250 vertebrates and a host of invertebrates, insects among them.
Those habitats come from a mix of conditions. Elevation climbs from 5,000 feet to 10,457 feet, and moisture varies because the western side gets more precipitation than the east. Rock type, soil depth, temperature, sunlight, and past disturbances, both natural and human-caused, add still more variety.
Volcanoes shape much of the scenery. The western section has lava pinnacles, jagged craters, and steaming sulfur vents, and Lassen Peak itself is made of dacite. Across the park, all four volcano types are represented, and the area holds steam vents, mudpots, boiling pools, and painted dunes.
The eastern side of the park is a lava plateau that stands more than a mile above sea level. Pine and fir forests cover it, and small lakes dot the surface, though few streams run across it. Warner Valley, along the southern edge of this plateau, has hot spring areas such as Boiling Springs Lake and Devils Kitchen, plus large meadows. The remote eastern regions of Butte Lake, Juniper Lake, and Warner Valley are known for larger lakes and forests, and they tend to draw fewer visitors.
The best way to see all of this is on foot. Over 150 miles of trails lead to volcanic features across the park, and anyone who wants the top of Lassen Peak can reach it by hiking.
