Lassen in Northern California may be one of the lesser-visited national parks. That is all the more reason to plan a visit now. You enjoy astounding beauty without the kinds of crowds that bustle about Yellowstone or Grand Canyon.
A view from Bumpass Hell parking area
This past week, Robert and I made an impromptu seven-hour drive to the northern reaches of the state and added this park to our list of national parks visited. We were quite impressed.
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, at the heart of this park, there once rose a large volcano called Tehama. It long ago collapsed to form a giant caldera. On the rim, Brokeoff Mountain remains as a remnant of that volcano. Near the caldera’s center, the ground at Sulphur Works still bubbles and steams.
Over the eons that have passed, more volcanoes grew and blew. The most recent eruptions were at Lassen Peak between 1914 and 1921.
The single road that winds through the park is a stunning drive as it snakes through the 8500-foot elevation and then back down. Along the way, you see boiling pots, steaming grounds, crystalline lakes, snow banks in August, devastated forests, and craggy views that take your breath away. Within the park you can find all four types of volcanoes: shield, cinder cone, plug dome, and composite.
The snowy shores of Lake Helen
For us, a highlight was our mile-and-a-half hike to Kings Creek Falls. Before going down the path, we read that there was a shorter return route that goes up a staircase carved into the rock cliffs. But along our hike, we saw a lot of people trekking back the way we were going down.
“Why didn’t you take the stairs?” I asked one older couple. They looked at me like I was crazy. “We’ve come here many times,” they replied, “and there’s no other way back.”
Well, after admiring the falls, we decided to find that alternate route. (By the way, it was clearly marked.) And we were so glad that we did. There was an entirely additional series of beautiful falls that were beautiful, and we scaled the steps right alongside the water. After 220 steps or so, we were definitely winded when we reached the top, but were so glad that we took the stairs.
In the park, there were also many little things to enjoy. There were lots of interesting wildflowers. Even though it was August, at this elevation, it felt more like spring with so many flowers bursting forth—from larkspur and columbine to multiple varieties of pussytoes. And it was a peak period for butterfly migrations through the park. Plus, we got some close-up views of tiny little blue butterflies as they settled along side the falls on the wet mud in the warm sun.
Lassen turned out to be just a taste of a part of California we never explored. We had a great dinner at a bar in Red Bluff. We love walking across the Sacramento on the Sundial Bridge—a pedestrian bridge in Redding designed by famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. And I had fun discovering the ruins of the old ghost town Shasta City.
Sundial Bridge in Redding
Robert and I frequently travel the world, but this past week proved that some of the best times can be close to home.
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