Backpacking Lassen Volcanic National Park

A Preview of the Presentation of the February 8, 2006 Meeting of the Central Indiana Wilderness Club

Here's your friendly webmaster on top of Cinder Cone with Lassen Peak in the background

Our Bi-Monthly Meetings are Free & Open to the Public

Our Group

Here's a picture of our little band of wanderers as we set out for Lassen's backcountry after seeing the standard tourist sites (Lassen Peak & Bumpass Hell) during our first 2 days at the park. Animesh & Bob (right side of photo) could only backpack for 2 days, while the rest of us spent 5 days exploring the lakes of Lassen.

In 2004, I asked Bob where out west he would like to go backpacking in 2005. When he said "Glacier," I asked "Where would you liked to go that doesn't have grizzly bears"? That's how we decided to go to Lassen Volcanic National Park in late July of 2005.
Brian Kornegay (second from left) drove down from Seattle (about 12 hours), while the rest of us flew on Southwest to Sacramento & drove north to the park (about 4 hours). Airfare was about $400 round-trip from Indianapolis with one stop each way.

Mill Creek Falls, Lassen Peak & Bumpass Hell

We got to the park on Saturday afternoon. Near the southwest entrance was a trail which led to Mill Creek Falls, which are the highest in the park. The park ranger at the entrance told us that there had been 3 mountain lion sightings along that trail. When Becky asked what we should do if we see one, the ranger replied, "Whatever you do, don't turn around & run - Try to make yourself look as big as possible."

The first thing I noticed about the landscape was that the trees were all evergreens. It was the fifth day of our visit before I saw a deciduous tree, and I only saw a few of them. The second thing I noticed that there was never much underbrush like one would expect of forests in the Midwest. They do quite a bit of prescribed burns in the park. One of the park rangers told me that before settlers came to the area, wildfire would pass through about once every eight years.

The falls were quite nice, although we couldn't get that close to them. After we viewed them & took a few pictures, we hiked back to the trailhead and drove up to our campsite at Summit Lake.

On Sunday we visited the two places I had been told were "Must-Sees". These are Lassen Peak & Bumpass Hell.

Lassen Peak is visible in the background of the top photo, taken from Cinder Cone. The base is around 8,500 feet, and the peak is about 2,000 feet higher. The guidebook says it should take 4-5 hours for the round trip. It took us 5 hours, although most hikers were going faster than us. Be prepared when you hike up Lassen Peak. Things that you should take with you include:

Water
Trail snacks
Sunglasses (It's pretty bright with the sun reflecting off the snow)
Jacket (It gets pretty cold when the wind blows across the snow)

We had to trudge through snow in several places on the trail to the peak. I saw a high-school aged guy walking down the trail in flip-flops. His friend was hiking barefoot.

Although the hike was difficult, the views made it worthwhile. You could see much of Lassen, although it was difficult to pick out features, except for Cinder Cone, which stood out because it was mostly barren. From the top there was an excellent view of Mt. Shasta. Most of Lassen Peak is barren rock, but there was some vegetation scattered around, including a number of blooming wildflowers with bees busily pollinating them. We also saw several chipmunks who knew how to look cute & beg for food. I never saw anyone feed them (prohibited by park regulations), but we figured that they scavenged little bits of trail mix & other crumbs that people dropped while snacking along the trail.

The trail was a lot easier going down than up. After we arrived back at the trailhead, we went to the gift shop for food, drink & souvenirs. The menu was pretty limited, but the 1/4 pound all-beef hot dog was delicious.

Our next stop was Bumpass Hell, a geothermally active area which is mostly barren, as seen in the above photo. Due to a foot of snowfall in late June, the trail to Bumpass Hell was opened up just 3 days earlier. There was still some spots of snow on the trail that we had to hike through. Once you get to Bumpass Hell there is a boardwalk that you are strongly urged to stay on. Every year some folks wander off it & get badly burned. There is a strong smell of sulfur dioxide in the area, and you can see gases coming out of a number of vents.

Our 5-Day Backpack Loop

After seeing the tourist sites on Sunday, we set out on a 5-day backcountry loop on Monday. You can follow our route by viewing this Map at the official Lassen Volcanic National Park web site. You need to get a backcountry permit if you are going to camp in the backcountry. They don't cost anything, but you need to have one. You can self-register at most trailheads, or call the park & get one mailed to you (allow at least 2 weeks).

Mule Deer Fawn

Day 1

Summit Lake to Rainbow Lake

We camped at the Summit Lake Campground, but we had to move our cars to the trailhead at the Summit Lake Ranger Station before hitting the trail. The trail started out with some uphill hiking. About a mile out the trail split & so did our group. Bob, Animesh, Becky & I turned north, looping through the Cluster Lakes, while Brian & Katharine took the direct route to Rainbow Lake. The trail continued to go uphill slightly until we passed a small lake with no name (at least on my map). We stopped to have lunch & filter water at Little Bear Lake, then continued down the trail. The lakes were all very pretty, and the water was very clear. The water is so cold that not much vegetation grows in them. I never saw any turtles or frogs at any of them. We did see some waterfowl at a few lakes, but not many. Shortly after reaching Lower Twin Lake, we took the trail heading east to Rainbow Lake, camping on the western shore. Water was no problem on this trip - Every night we camped beside a lake & passed others along the way. Mosquitoes were another matter. I would recommend putting on repellant when you get up in the morning & again in the evening before dusk. We saw quite a few mule deer while in camp. They did not seem to be the least bit afraid of us & got very close (maybe 30 feet away). Bob said "Let's hope the bears aren't this friendly."

Cinder Cone & Fantastic Lava Beds

Day 2

Rainbow Lake to Butte Lake

Bob & Animesh had to leave us so & hike back to Summit Lake so they could make a Wednesday business meeting in Tucson. The rest of us continued on to Butte Lake. The first part of the trail was pretty easy, walking through a wooded area. Then Cinder Cone (left) suddenly appears. We took a nature break, since there wouldn't be much cover around Cone. Katharine & Brian moved on ahead of Becky & I. They decided to backpack across Cinder Cone, going up the south side & down the north side. After they left, I talked to a hiker who was going the other way. He said Cinder Cone was some of the most difficult hiking he had ever done. He recommended that we go up the north side, which wasn't quite as steep as the south side. Becky & took his advice, hiking to the north end & dropping our packs before heading up to the top. Cinder Cone is a volcano that last erupted in 1650. It was set aside as a national monument in 1907 by Teddy Roosevelt, before the present day national park was established. The sides of the volcano are quite steep, in the 30-35 degree range. The trail is slightly better at about 24 degrees, but hiking up the loose cinders is quite difficult. On the way up, we came across Brian & Katharine, who were the only ones we encountered with backpacks. The view from the top was great. We could see the Fantastic Lava Beds & the Painted Dunes, along with Butte & Snag Lake, and Lassen Peak (top photo). At the top, there is a rim that you can walk around, and a depression in the middle that you can walk down to. Despite the fact it has been over 300 years since the eruption, there is very little growing on or around Cinder Cone. In a few places, clumps of vegetation have established a foothold. You can see a few trees on the south side of Cinder Cone in the photo. After walking around the rim & taking a number of photos, we headed back down the trail & on to Butte Lake. Our original plan had been to loop on around & camp in the backcountry at the south end of Butte Lake. Cinder Cone had tired us out, so we decided to stop at the developed campground. Later in the afternoon, we watched a fire-fighting helicopter fill up his basket in the lake.

Snag Lake Campsite

Day 3

Butte Lake to Snag Lake

On the trail around the north side of Butte Lake, we had to hike up & down a sizable bluff, then cross a stream that was deep enough to require removing our hiking books & wading across in our Tevas. Once we got on the east side of the lake, the hiking was much easier, most of it right along the shore. From there we had some nice views of Cinder Cone & Lassen Peak. We also saw some more mule deer. Along the shore at one saw some deciduous trees, which were the first ones we saw in the park. We proceeded on to Snag Lake, where we found our best campsite of the trip. It was along the east side of Snag Lake, with some logs to sit on & nice views of Cinder Cone & the Fantastic Lava Beds. There was also a nice beach where we spent much of the afternoon relaxing. We were visited by more mule deer in the afternoon & evening. There were two groups who kept coming near our campsite & leaving, only to return to a short while later. One of these groups had a little fawn which ocassionaly made a noise that sounded like a kitten.

Meadow

Day 4

Snag Lake to Swan Lake

On day 4 we hiked down to Horshoe Lake. There were plenty of mosquitoes along the trail, so we kept moving. Along the way we came across a small meadow, shown in the photo on the left. Grassy areas like this were pretty rare. I think they were generally areas that were wet. We proceeded on down to Horseshoe Lake. There is no camping allowed along the north edge of Horseshoe Lake, but then there isn't any flat ground there anyway. There was some aquatic vegetation on the west end of the lake, which I hadn't seen in the other lakes. The water was pretty shallow there, so the water was probaby warmer. We camped along the west side of Swan Lake. It was a nice campsite, but not quite as good as at Snag Lake. We didn't see any deer around camp, but I did see one buck on the opposite side of the lake.

Father & Son on First Backpack Trip

Day 5

Swan Lake to Summit Lake

Our last day was a little shorter than the others. We passed by Lower & Upper Twin Lakes, then went on to Echo Lake. We lost the trail at the west end of the lake, and had to spend some time finding it again. As we hiked out we came across the father & son in the photo on the left. I asked the little boy if it was his first backpacking trip. It turned out to be the first trip for both of them.

Kings Creek Waterfall

After exiting the backcountry, Becky & I set out on our last hike of the trip, looking for Kings Creek Falls. Although it is not as tall as Mill Creek Falls, it is prettier & you can get closer. On the way to the falls, we took the route that goes along the cascades leading to the falls. It's very nice to see the flow in the creek, but the trail is very narrow & steep in places. For the return trip, we took the horse route, which is a little longer & loops away from the creek. After reaching the trailhead, we drove to the Manzanita Lake campground (the only campground in the park with a shower) where we got a shower & spent the night.

Father & Son on First Backpack Trip

Loomis Museum

Before heading back to Sacramento on Saturday, we spent about an hour at the Loomis Museum, which is located near the north exit of the park. Benjamin Loomis became famous when he took pictures of Lassen Peak's eruption in 1915. You can see his photos in the museum, which he built in 1927 & named in honor of Mae Loomis, his only daughter, who died in 1920. In 1929 Loomis donated the land & building to the park.

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