Volcanos, hot springs, mud pots and the rich smell of rotten eggs. Check out California’s Yellowstone!
Lassen Volcanic National Park, located in Northern California, is famous for, well, its volcanoes! No surprise there. Lassen Peak is the largest volcano of its kind, a plug dome volcano, and the southernmost volcano of the Cascades range (i.e., the one that contains Mt. St. Helens). Lassen also contains all four types of volcanoes, plug dome, shield, cinder cone and stratovolcano. Along with the park’s volcanos, it also has geothermal features, such as hot springs and mudpots.
Lassen started as two national monuments in 1907, thanks to Theodore Roosevelt. Then Lassen Peak exploded. Starting in May 1914 and continuing until 1921, several eruptions gripped the area, flinging rock and debris everywhere and completely changing the landscape. Turns out, people loved this new landscape, and the United States turned the two parks into one National Park in 1916. A scenic road was put in between 1925 to 1931, before the devastated landscape could recover from the eruption.
Devastated Area Trail tells the story of the early 20th century eruptions. Large boulders like this one, some the size of cabins, were washed down from Lassen Peak three miles away in a giant avalanche, or just thrown by the force of the eruption.
Forest has regrown since the mudflows that wiped out the old-growth forest.
Crescent Crater, one of the volcanos of Lassen.
Reading Peak and Kings Creek.
The park road is the highest road through the Cascade Mountains at 8,512 ft (2,594 m).
Lake Helen, with Lassen Peak on the right. Lake Helen was named for Helen Tanner Brodt, who was the first woman to summit Lassen Peak in 1864.
With only time for one hike, I chose the trail to Bumpass Hell, an interesting name for a trail in a family friendly national park. Bumpass Hell (stop snickering) is named after Kendall Vanhook Bumpass, who discovered the geothermal area here. In 1865 while taking someone to see the feature, Bumpass’ leg broke through the crust and went into a scalding mudpot. He ended up having to have that leg amputated and that is why you shouldn’t walk on the crust near a geothermal feature. Don’t be like Bumpass!
At first, the trail follows a ridge above Little Hot Springs Valley.
From right to left, Lassen Peak, Eagle Peak and Vulcan’s Castle. Lake Helen is behind the hill on the right.
At the valley bottom, you can see the effects of erosion and deposits from the multiple volcanic eruptions that have happened here. By the way, it is really hard labeling all these peaks. I give up.
A little golden-mantled ground squirrel or a chipmunk. Whatever it is, it’s adorable!
Finally, we see Bumpass Hell!
The trail is super dusty and chalk-like.
This is my first geothermal feature! It’s so otherworldly.
You can really see the Sulfur and smell it. It was quite nauseating.
Random areas of Bumpass Hell were steaming.
Don’t become another Bumpass!
Hot springs feed the sulfurous stream that flows through the area.
This much needed and awesome boardwalk takes you through the area. Be careful though. There are no railings!
So many steaming areas!
A not very active mud pot.
The colors are so amazing.
The trail continues connecting it to another feature, Cold Boiling Lake, but I didn’t go that far. However, it did give a good overview of the area from a different viewpoint.
Boiling hot spring!
Reflective water, although not in healthy colors.
Found some cute deer in the area though. I hope they don’t drink from the water.
I’m so glad this area is preserved.
Next is Sulphur Works, which was owned by the Supan Family from 1865, until it was purchased by the park in 1952. They mined sulfur, creating a line of medicine products. The family eventually opened the Sulphur Works Inn, which included a bathhouse (built over steam vents), overnight cabins and a dining hall.
Sulfur Works today is a series of mudpots.
With more mudpots on the side of a hill above a creek.
Lassen Volcanic National Park is a fantastic gem of a park in Northern California, a state known for its fantastic gems. While remote and mostly inaccessible in the winter, Lassen is perfect for a late summer to fall visit.
Check out my next update where I explore a national park full of petrified wood!
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Check out more amazing places in California!
Mudpots are sooo cool! Sulphur springs are look so unworldly.