September 6-9ish, 2025.
After many years of trying, but being stopped by wildfires, smoke, road closures and snow…we finally made it to Lassen Volcanic National Park! This park is only fully open for a few months a year due to the crazy amounts of snow it gets, so we planned to swing through during one of those open seasons. With no current wildfires threatening the park, it was all systems go. Here’s what we did, plus some suggestions for planning a visit.
Bumpass Hell
6.9 mi. | 1260′ ele. gain | 4:40 hr. | Kings Creek Tr to Bumpass Hell with a minor detour
Visiting a popular area in a National Park on a weekend is my living nightmare, so I planned to hike to the well-known Bumpass Hell area from the Kings Creek Trail. I hoped that the extra miles would scare at least some of the visitors off and we wouldn’t have to fight for a parking spot. I’m really glad we made the extra effort.
On the way to the trailhead, we made a few stops at short scenic viewpoints or anytime we saw something in bloom, so it was after 11 am by the time we began this hike. We packed some sandwiches and plenty of water, as it was going to be a hot day.
Almost immediately, we found ourselves walking through a burned forest. This area, along with nearly 1 million acres in California, was consumed by the 2021 Dixie Fire. At the time of this writing, it’s the largest wildfire in California’s history. As we walked past the charred trees, I couldn’t help noticing the number and variety of plants that were already rebounding. Some buckwheats (my favorite) as well as pearly everlasting, pussypaws and plenty more that I didn’t know. We saw a pair of bluebirds flitting about in the trees and heard woodpeckers drumming away for bugs. It was actually quite magical to be there at that moment in the fire cycle.
Just then, a visitor hiking toward the trailhead looked up and said, “depressing, isn’t it?” I was too flabbergasted to come up with a witty reply. I had just moments before been lost in the wonder of it all. While it was unfortunate that the Dixie Fire burned such a wide swath of land I think the average visitor has no idea that fire has always been and will continue to be an essential part of this ecosystem.
I snapped out of it and kept walking. We paused at the Cold Boiling Lake to see the bubbles and to watch and listen for wildlife. We misread a sign and continued south through the burn. I found more flowers and liverworts and caterpillars and birds. As we descended towards a larger body of water, I realized we were going the wrong way and we backtracked to the trail junction. A few extra steps never hurt anybody.
From Cold Boiling Lake, we climbed up the hillside, across a wet seep with more interesting flowers and then finally turned a corner towards Bumpass Hell. This active hydrothermal area is named after some European settler looking to file a claim on the land and stepped into a boiling mudpot while surveying. He subsequently lost his leg and now his last name is tied to this spectacular feature. Seems he doesn’t quite deserve to leave his name there.
Regardless, the striking colors, stinking smells and swirling steam creates quite an unusual and hypnotic scene. We explored the boardwalks leading through the boiling mud and water, holding our noses as the wind blew strong sulfur fumes our way. Many tourists lingered around here but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d expected. After we’d seen enough, we turned back and headed down the quiet and beautiful Kings Creek Trail.
Sulphur Works
But you don’t have to take a hike to see these crazy geothermal features! A parking area right off the main park highway lets you wander over to Sulphur Works. Or, you can stay in your car and peer out the window if you’d prefer! The burbling mud is mere feet away from the road. An interpretive signs describes the family who operated a mine and used the sulfur they extracted in a variety of pharmaceuticals and home goods.
Lassen Peak
5.7 mi. | 2100′ ele. gain | 4:45 hr.
If you want a first class trail up a chossy Cascade volcano, nothing beats this route up Lassen Peak! Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1932, this astounding feat of engineering practically paves the way for hikers to travel (not quite effortlessly) over loose volcanic rocks. There’s nothing technical or difficult in the way of ascending to the flat viewpoint just below the summit, just some stamina, appropriate clothing and enough water is required.
We began this hike in the shade of the mountain at 8 am. The parking lot was surprisingly empty. As we huffed up the first few switchbacks, a horde of cheery hikers bounded down. This place must be a popular place to catch sunrise! We played leapfrog with a few other people as we continued to ascend. At several of the switchbacks, there was a place to pull off and read an interpretive sign. These made convenient rest stops to catch your breath and learn something at the same time. Brilliant design, I thought.
Less than two hours later we found ourselves at trail’s end, where several more interpretive signs awaited us. From there, we followed a short user trail across a snowfield to the true summit. There were antennas and other equipment up there and not many great places to hang out, so we returned to the saddle between the summit and the signs. There, I painted the view towards Mt. Shasta, which was framed between colorful volcanic rocks.
On the way down, we enjoyed the lovely combination of cool air and warm sun. Lots of people were still on the way up, but I was happy to be on the way out.
Brokeoff Mountain
8.7 mi. | 2650′ ele. gain | 4 hr.
Aaron parked at the Kohm-Yah-Mah-Nee Visitor Center for the day, which put me in close range of the Brokeoff Mountain trail. I hiked down the road about a half mile to get to the trailhead and then turned to start up the mountain.
This was yet another varied and interesting hike on a well-built trail. I caught the last few straggling wildflowers but I saw just how vast the fields of blooms would be in peak season. I saw a handful of people going up and down the trail, but it was nothing like the swarms on Mt. Lassen the day before.
The wind started blowing pretty strongly as I left the cover of the forest behind. I put all my layers on and kept climbing. Miraculously, I found the most flowers on the very last push to the summit, growing in the volcanic scree. “I do what I want,” I heard them screaming.
Once I reached the summit, I found a place to sit and have a snack. Lassen was socked in when I got up there, but I hoped if I just hung out a little bit that I’d get that dramatic mountain view. However, it began to seem like the cloud was there to stay. After I finished my snack, I cinched my jacket down tightly and stood back up to fight the wind. I hustled back down the trail to try and stay warm, plus I wanted to get back to the van by lunchtime.
On the way down, I ran into a couple locals who shared some ideas for other places to see in the park. I love a trailside recommendation!
The last half mile was the worst because I had to hike on the side of the road in the late morning, as many more visitors were barreling down the park roads. They’re not designed for pedestrians. A reminder to all visitors in National Parks: take your time! Slow down and give people room if they’re walking along the road because there’s often no better choice. Trust me, if I could have been on a trail instead I would have done that instead.
Paradise Meadows
4.7 mi. | 715′ ele. gain | 2:30 hr. | from Devastated Area parking lot
Based on my conversation on the trail yesterday, I decided to take a stroll to Paradise Meadows. Again, Aaron had to park somewhere that was not the most convenient place to start a hike, but I made do by walking along the (not so busy) park road to get to the trailhead.
The trail begins pretty casually, a gentle path in a pretty forest. Suddenly it begins climbing, steeply. I wasn’t expecting that. Nonetheless, I switched from “walk” mode to “hike” mode and pressed on towards my destination. Occasionally, I got distracted by the handful of wildflowers still blooming along the trail. Towards the meadow, I sneaked some views of a stream and several small cascades pouring over the rocks. It was like a fairytale.
The trail emerged into the meadow. I followed a use trail along the muddy left side of the meadow until that petered out. In my determination to find a place to paint, I continued through the much until I found just the spot I was looking for. I sat there in the meadow with my watercolor kit, doing my best to capture this summer-turning-into-fall scene. The flowers were long gone and the vegetation was turning all shades of gold, orange and red.
As I turned to walk out of the meadow, it pulled me back in. I wandered towards the deep bends of the creek and noticed some aquatic plants. With flowers! I traced the edge of the creek as far as I could before it disappeared into boot-sucking mud. Then I happily pranced down the trail, the last person out there for the day. When I reached the road, I decided to hike into the forest paralleling the road instead of risking my life on the shoulder. It was much more pleasant in there and the trees were spaced out enough to allow for easy walking.
Cinder Cone
4.2 mi. | 920′ ele. gain | 2:30 hr.
After a few days out of the park, we ventured back in for one last hike: Cinder Cone. I’d initially written this one off, because if you’ve hiked up one cinder cone, you’ve hiked them all. And I’ve hiked up a LOT of cinder cones.
The beginning of this trail reminded me a lot of the walk on Kings Creek Trail. The trees were covered in burn scars but it was teeming with life. We saw lots of squirrels running around, caching food for winter. One of them was carrying a comically large Jeffrey pine cone that was about the same size as the squirrel. He had to drop it and take a rest before carrying on. Overhead we heard and saw countless birds, also feasting on the spoils of the forest.
We emerged from the trees to a view of the intimidating dark structure of the cinder cone. It towered over us. Though it looked from a distance to be devoid of life, this wasn’t true. As we climbed up the steep trail that spiraled up to the summit, I noticed lots of buckwheat and other hardy plants thriving in the cinder. We also saw a salamander and a frog on the trail! I couldn’t believe any amphibian would wander up this pile of rock. Every day, a new surprise.
The hike up the cone was exhausting but short. That’s not what we came for. The real reward is the views from the top. The cinder cone is part of an expansive lava flow that includes the “painted dunes.” Looking down at the undulating piles of rock, you can see patches of brilliant reds, various shades of gold and brown breaking up the typical black lava. It’s really something to see in person. Tall, thin pine trees occasionally break up the otherwise extra-terrestrial landscape.
We walked around the summit rim, checking out every angle of this unusual lava flow. Plus, we had nice views of Mt. Lassen on this clear day. We were glad to get off the trail relatively early, because it was going to be another hot one. It was definitely worth getting out to the cinder cone, even for two Oregon hikers who have seen their fair share of lava rock!