The park and the peak have been on our bucket list since we started full-time RV'ing in 2012. We first visited the park in September 2013. The visit was short due to the federal government shutdown that month, but you can read about it in this blog entry.
Our second attempt to visit Lassen was in 2017 when we took a trip up US 395 on the east side of the Sierras. When we arrived in Susanville, California, east of the Park, in late May, we learned that the road to Lassen was still closed for snow. So we still didn't get a complete visit.
This time, here in Lewiston, California, about a 2 hour drive west of Lassen, we have gorgeous weather, highs in the 70's -- even in the Park -- and no road closures. In fact, the Park doesn't even appear to have seen its first snowfall, even though it is November.
We drove in the northwest entrance and took the park highway up and around Lassen Peak and down to the Visitor Center to get oriented. Even before our visit, however, we already knew that we wanted to climb the Lassen Peak Trail to really get to know the most unique feature of the Park. As we passed the Peak the first time, we hopped out at Lake Helen, which sits at its foot, and got a beautiful, mirror-like view of the peak:
This only made us more eager to start the climb. So we scrambled out of the Jeep and to the trailhead and took a selfy with this volcanic beauty:
The trail starts climbing immediately at the parking lot and never stops. While the trail is only about 2.4 miles long, it climbs over 2,000 feet in elevation. Beginning at 8,500 feet and ending at 10,457 feet elevation, the trail's real impact is not its steepness so much as its high elevation. Coming from about 1,800 feet elevation at our campground in the Trinity Alps, and with no real opportunity to acclimatize, we knew that we needed to treat the elevation with respect. As we climbed the first switchback up through the sandy bowl above the parking lot, we looked behind us and up the slope, starting to appreciate what we'd gotten ourselves into:
Still, we had great confidence. Here's Dave at a higher point on the trail, sharing a moment with his rocky friends:
An explosive eruption from Lassen Peak on May 22, 1915 -- the most powerful of a series of eruptions from 1914-1917 -- devastated nearby areas and spread volcanic ash 280 miles east. As one of the interpretive signs on the hike told us, it created the newest rocks in California. Lassen Peak and Washington's Mount St. Helens (also in the Cascade chain), which erupted in 1980, were the only two volcanoes in the contiguous United States to erupt during the 20th century.
It wasn't long before we had gained 1,000 feet in elevation. As we looked back from where we started, we could see the parking lot (in the center of the photo below) and Lake Helen (from which we took the first photo in this blog entry above):
The first half of our trail switched back and forth across a steep ridgeline, with views alternating to the southwest and southeast. On the southeast face we found snow patches still holding on in places, with stiff breezes cooling us as we climbed:
Back on the southwest face, it was almost perfectly still, and the sun beat down on us, making us sweat in the high-60's temperatures. Even so, the climb was exhilarating!
The second half of the hike was much steeper and included sections where the trail was covered in loose scree. The switchbacks were shorter, with steep stone steps carved into the mountain in places to give us a secure foothold. By the time we reached within a half mile of the summit, we were ready to be there:
However, Kathy perked up astoundingly when David pointed out that she had just crossed the 10,000 foot elevation line! This was important, because one of our hardest climbs was up Augustborg Pass in the Swiss Alps, where we crossed the pass at 10,000 feet. Realizing that she reached the same level here and had so much gas left in the tank just lit her fire. She motored on up the last half mile.
Reaching the top, we looked down again from where we started. Lake Helen looked pretty small, and we almost could not see our parking lot. Wow, had we really climbed so high so quickly?
In addition to being able to get a glimpse into the crater of Lassen, we had excellent views in all directions from the top, including the view below of the true summit, which sit higher than the trail's end where we stood. It was possible to cross a snow field and scree and scramble up to the top of that true peak, but, having quizzed two young women who did it ahead of us, we decided we would pass on the adventure. The critical information was in her answer to our question, "Would you do it again?" An unhesitating, "No."
Others did do it however, including a father and young son who came scrambling back up to our perch from the higher summit while we were taking this 360-degree video from the top of the trail.
As all of us relaxed before heading back down the Lassen Peak Trail, we chatted with the father, while the son explored the snow field below us. From what the father said, the son has shared many experiences similar to those of our grandson William. We wished them well as they preceded us down the mountain.
We took one more look at the stupendous panoramic view before our feet --
-- and slipped down over the edge to begin our descent. With trekking poles, the hike down was relaxing, with the warm sun on our faces and the cooling wind on our cheeks. Where we had mainly watched our feet and the trail as we huffed uphill, we could now enjoy the views as we glided back down the path:
By the time we reached the trailhead, the shadows were getting long (we just reverted to Standard Time). Our hike had taken us about 3 hours -- 2 hours up and 1 hour down. Not a long hike at all, but strenuous with the steep grade and elevation.
We headed home, and stopped for dinner at a brewpub in Redding that Kathy found. A short 45 minute drive after dinner finds us back in our RV, cozy and warm, our brains filled with dramatic visions from Mount Lassen.
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