Hiking and Camping In Lassen Volcanic National Park

Above, Lassen Peak. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After visiting Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, I headed down into Northern California to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park. It was my second visit to the park and the first since 1968.

The Bend, Oregon newspaper, The Bulletin, has an article on a recent visit to Lassen and the writer's experience was much like mine. He noted that he escaped the smoke from the fires near and at Crater Lake and found clear skies in Lassen. He also camped at the Manzanita Lake Campground.

Above, The Beast at the Manzanita Lake Campground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The article begins with:

LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — 

From the summit of Lassen Peak, we took in the clear blue sky and the surrounding vista of smaller mountains and numerous lakes. 

To the north, a gray wall of smoke from rampant Oregon wildfires was visible. 

A recent trip to Lassen provided a chance to escape that smoke, explore this national park that features all four types of volcanoes — shield, cinder cone, plug dome and composite — and a wide range of volcanic activity, including gurgling mud pots, boiling-hot steam vents and the rotten-egg smell of sulfur springs. 

Aside from Crater Lake National Park, Lassen is the closest national park to Bend by vehicle. At little more than a five-hour drive, the park makes for an ideal camping and hiking destination over a long weekend.

To read more, go here.