Lassen Volcanic National Park

June 27, 2023

The drive into this park was beautiful from the west. Tall mixed conifers of pine, cedar, fir and redwood lined the highway. A huge clap of thunder sounded just as I was pulling up to the entrance station. Dark clouds were rolling in and it is amazing how close to the storm you feel when at high elevation. It was only sprinkling, so I went for my first hike around Manzanita Lake. This hike offered incredible views of the mountains, a bunch of Canadian geese swimming and a few fishermen catching nothing. I also saw a red-winged blackbird and lots of deer. One deer decided to be my trail lead for a section on the south side of the lake. This trail is only 2 miles however, it got extended when I took a wrong turn and ended up in the campground. Cute little cabins are for rent during the summers. Due to snow pack, most of the road through the park is still closed but from the north entrance about 10 miles was open. I drove as far as Devastation Area and did a short interpretive walk. This had a bunch of lava rocks/boulders that were either tossed from the lip of the crater or formed when the volcano erupted in 1915. I did one other short hike around Lily Pond and Reflection Lake in the NW area. Due to the road closure, it took about an hour to drive around to the south entrance. This entrance is more rugged mountains and burnt forest from the Dixie fire that ravaged the area a couple years ago. The road from the south was only open one mile to Sulphur Works. The is the geothermal area of the park with steaming vents and bubbling mud. The smell was of strong sulphur and as I walked along the road, I saw why it was closed. A big section of the sidewalk had fallen away into a ravine and a portion of the road was next to go if any weight was put on it. Where the sidewalk ended seemed a fitting place to conclude this park visit.