OK, I'll admit that I'm not actually sure that this was my 46th annual visit to Lassen Volcanic National Park. However, I've been visiting the park since I was a teenager. So, I suppose this trip is could be around my 36th to 46th annual park visit.
We just returned from our week visit to Lassen Volcanic National Park. With the school calendar no longer dictating our travel schedule, we've moved our drive to Lassen to early June. This time of year allows us to see some of the lingering snow packs along the trails and early season wildflowers. In previous rainy years some of the roads into the park have been closed due to snow until July. However, with the current drought this year, all park roads and destinations were open.
One of the reasons we enjoy Lassen is that you can often take hikes to beautiful lakes, creeks, volcanic activity and up and down mountains and not run into a large number of people. While high park visitation rates help ensure continued national park support, it is nice to have some solitude during a hike or while fishing a stream. To put this into some perspective, Lassen receives over 400,000 annual visitors. In comparison, Yosemite receives over 3.6 million annual visitors. Of course, Lassen covers a much smaller area, about 106,000 acres, against Yosemite's 747,000 acres. Here is some great background reading about Lassen Volcanic National Park.
We stayed in Warner Valley for a few days, at the Drakesbad Guest Ranch, and then moved over to Mineral. Drakesbad is the only in-park lodging available at Lassen. While cattle are no longer worked at the ranch, overnight human guests are the focus of Drakesbad. A stay at this relaxing retreat offers rustic but well-maintained rooms, a hot springs fed swimming pool, fishing, massages, hiking, horse-back riding and includes terrific meals.
Drakesbad provided us with easy access to hiking destinations within the southeast area of the national park. In comparison, Mineral is about nine miles from the main highway (89) through the park and, from this location, it is easier to hike to lakes and up the mountains near the southwest park entrance. Because Drakesbad is only accessible via dirt road, most of the auto traffic into the park tends to focus on the main highway. While the park is never crowded with visitors, you do notice fewer hikers and campers at the campgrounds off the dirt and gravel roads.
From Drakesbad, we have a few favorite hikes, including:
Warner Valley to Corral Meadow: This is a six-mile round-trip hike that climbs 1,000 feet from the 5,800 feet Warner Valley, over Flat Iron Ridge and then drops to a 6,600 feet level along Kings Creek. At Corral Meadow, I often drop a fly line for an hour or two of catch and release. In early June, small trout are present in moderate numbers - or else I keep catching the same fish!
Juniper Lake to Mt. Harkness Fire Lookout: While you can hike to the lookout from Drakesbad, it is a long and somewhat strenuous hike. We will typically drive out of Warner Valley to Juniper Lake and then start our hike from there. This hike starts at the 6,600 foot level of Juniper Lake and climbs 1,200 feet over a distances of about two miles. As you reach the top of Mt. Harkness, you are next to a cinder cone volcano atop a shield volcano. The biggest reward at the fire lookout is a terrific view of the park and on a good day, you can see as far as Nevada. The fire lookout staff has always welcomed visitors up the lookout structure to sign a guestbook and chat a few minutes. From past experience, the lookout staff member always appreciates it when we bring a few freshly baked cookies and a beverage to share from Drakesbad. We didn't do this hike during our visit this year as the Warner Valley Road was under major repair that resulted in 30 minute transit delays in both directions.
While staying in Mineral, we hiked up Brokeoff Mountain. This first time trek for us was a rather ambitious hike, gaining 2,500 feet in elevation over 3.5 miles. The return visit is a reverse of the hike up. The round trip hike took us about 4.5 hours, with a 15 to 30 minute lunch break at the top. The view of Lassen Park and the surrounding area was well worth the hike.
If you get a chance to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park, be sure to plan a stop at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. At the center, you will find exhibits, an amphitheater, auditorium, cafe and gift shop, educational bookstore, dining area, and summer patio. In addition, rangers offer summer programs at the visitor center.
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| Snow Flowers at Warner Valley |
One of the reasons we enjoy Lassen is that you can often take hikes to beautiful lakes, creeks, volcanic activity and up and down mountains and not run into a large number of people. While high park visitation rates help ensure continued national park support, it is nice to have some solitude during a hike or while fishing a stream. To put this into some perspective, Lassen receives over 400,000 annual visitors. In comparison, Yosemite receives over 3.6 million annual visitors. Of course, Lassen covers a much smaller area, about 106,000 acres, against Yosemite's 747,000 acres. Here is some great background reading about Lassen Volcanic National Park.
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| Wednesday Night BBQ at Drakesbad ©2014, R. Ono |
Drakesbad provided us with easy access to hiking destinations within the southeast area of the national park. In comparison, Mineral is about nine miles from the main highway (89) through the park and, from this location, it is easier to hike to lakes and up the mountains near the southwest park entrance. Because Drakesbad is only accessible via dirt road, most of the auto traffic into the park tends to focus on the main highway. While the park is never crowded with visitors, you do notice fewer hikers and campers at the campgrounds off the dirt and gravel roads.
From Drakesbad, we have a few favorite hikes, including:
Warner Valley to Corral Meadow: This is a six-mile round-trip hike that climbs 1,000 feet from the 5,800 feet Warner Valley, over Flat Iron Ridge and then drops to a 6,600 feet level along Kings Creek. At Corral Meadow, I often drop a fly line for an hour or two of catch and release. In early June, small trout are present in moderate numbers - or else I keep catching the same fish!
Juniper Lake to Mt. Harkness Fire Lookout: While you can hike to the lookout from Drakesbad, it is a long and somewhat strenuous hike. We will typically drive out of Warner Valley to Juniper Lake and then start our hike from there. This hike starts at the 6,600 foot level of Juniper Lake and climbs 1,200 feet over a distances of about two miles. As you reach the top of Mt. Harkness, you are next to a cinder cone volcano atop a shield volcano. The biggest reward at the fire lookout is a terrific view of the park and on a good day, you can see as far as Nevada. The fire lookout staff has always welcomed visitors up the lookout structure to sign a guestbook and chat a few minutes. From past experience, the lookout staff member always appreciates it when we bring a few freshly baked cookies and a beverage to share from Drakesbad. We didn't do this hike during our visit this year as the Warner Valley Road was under major repair that resulted in 30 minute transit delays in both directions.  |
| View of Lassen Peak from Top of Brokeoff Mountain (c) 2014, R. Ono |
If you get a chance to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park, be sure to plan a stop at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. At the center, you will find exhibits, an amphitheater, auditorium, cafe and gift shop, educational bookstore, dining area, and summer patio. In addition, rangers offer summer programs at the visitor center.
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