Lassen Camping Trip

Hello again, long time no post!

I haven't had the chance to travel much lately, but a few weeks ago we took a long weekend to go live in the woods up in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Camping is the type of vacation that takes a bit more preparation and work than, say, an all-inclusive resort where all you have to do is throw money at people to have things taken care of for you. But there's something to be said for roughing it in the wilderness completely off the grid, and cooking your own food over an open fire as you gaze up at the stars, unobstructed by any light pollution or smog.

Banana smores are surprisingly good

We stayed at the Summit Lake campsite, a medium sized site conveniently located right in the middle of the park close to most of the major hiking trailheads. As the name implies, we were also right next to a small lake, which turned out to be a great place to dip our feet after a long hike, and also to get some great views of the night sky. My only complaint is that a few of our neighbors did not seem to care about quiet hours. (PSA: Quiet hours at most campgrounds are 10pm - 6am, and people will think you're a total ass if you're too loud during that time.) Oh well. Maybe we'll go to a more remote campsite next time.

View of Lassen Peak near our campsite at Summit Lake

National parks are great places to hike, and Lassen is no exception. Here are the hikes we did on this trip:

1. Lassen Peak: 5 miles roundtrip, 1950 feet elevation gain. Lassen Peak is the tallest mountain in the park, and the hike to the top is one of the most highly recommended hikes for the grand, sweeping, panoramic views at the top. It’s also a thigh burner - you’re climbing for 2.5 miles straight to the top. I would recommend this hike for anyone who hasn’t done it before, but I would also recommend being in decent shape and/or taking frequent breaks on the way up. Hiking at 9000 feet elevation is no joke.

Top of Lassen Peak

2. Cold Boiling Lake: 1.4 miles roundtrip, 40 feet elevation gain. Our second hike was more of a cool-down walk after finishing Lassen Peak. The hike started at the Kings Creek trailhead and followed an easy trail through the woods to a small bubbling lake. It was a nice walk, but nothing to go out of your way for. 

Cold Boiling Lake

3. Bumpass Hell: 3 miles roundtrip, 800 feet elevation gain. This is one of Lassen’s signature hikes that I would consider to be a must-see for anyone visiting. Lassen is known for its many geothermal features, and Bumpass Hell is one of the best hikes to see them from. The trail starts out flat and then descends into a small valley where you can get up close (but not too close!) to steam vents, bubbling mudpots, and boiling pools. It’s one of those things you don’t get to see just anywhere, so I would highly recommend checking it out.

Bumpass Hell

Lassen tends to be one of the more underrated parks, which is fine because that means less crowds to deal with. It’s a great place to get away and go on some nice hikes, and I know I’ll be back to explore the other regions of the park.