LASSEN VOLCANIC
NATIONAL PARK
7-8 to 7-11-12
NATIONAL PARK
7-8 to 7-11-12
After months of planning and preparation for a through hike of the John Muir Trail, I was ready to spend some quality time with my family. I booked a campsite at Lassen Volcanic National Park and got Jen and Zach all pumped up for the trip. It would be my second trip to the park and their first!
We started our tour of the park by hiking around Manzanita Lake. This is the most popular area of the park and there are a lot of people milling around. We found some quiet on the far side of the lake, it appears most people stay in the developed campground. We also visited the historic Loomis Museum, worth the stop to learn about the Peak and the park that bears its name.
We then visited the Lassen Peak Trail head. The trail is closed this year due to a major trail improvement project, but it does open on certain holidays and special dates. Get more info about trail closure and opening dates HERE
The weather was wonderful and we enjoyed the numerous scenic vistas and turnouts throughout the park.
Our next stop was Bumpass Hell, the most interesting and active of Lassen's volcanic areas. The colors and landscape make you fell like you are visiting another planet. Very cool spot, it does smell like sulpher though!! The trail still quite a few snow patches that needed to be negotiated, footing was tough in places.
With our day of exploration done, we drove back to camp and had an awesome evening. Zach was in charge of the fire, and successfully stated his first fire from scratch! We also introduced him to an item from our childhood: JiffyPop!!