NATURAL WONDERS OF CALIFORNIA — VOLCANOES, GEYSERS AND HOT SPRINGS
From the snow-capped heights of Mount Shasta in California’s far north to the Amboy Crater in the Mojave Desert, signs of California’s volcanic past and present, dot the landscape. Explore these remarkable geological features and how they helped shape the state. Descend into a lava tube, climb up to a crater rim, and watch a geyser spout or soak in a naturally heated spring.
BOILING SPRINGS AND SPARKLING LAKES AT LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK
Steaming sulphur vents, splattering mud pots and boiling springs—these lively features show the earth is not quiet in this fascinating park in the state’s wild northeastern corner. The park’s signature volcano, Lassen Peak, last blew its top in May 1914 and its volcanic outbursts continued for three years. Today, things have settled down and let you safely see and learn about volcanic activity. Plus, there are miles of lush forests and sparkling lakes to explore there too.
NATURAL HOT SPRINGS IN MAMMOTH
With its regal mountain majesty and alpine hush, it’s hard to imagine that Mammoth Lakes is situated on the edge of an ancient volcanic caldera. Here, a few hundred years ago, a massive volcano exploded, leaving behind the relatively flat basin now cradling Mammoth Lakes. A wonderful by-product of this fiery past is the region’s network of natural hot springs. Many of these bubbling hot tubs, some open for safe dipping, are concentrated between Bridgeport and Mammoth Lakes. Although, they find themselves requiring a bit of a treasure hunt, but can be loacated with the help of the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Centre.
VISIT BIZARRE FORMATIONS, CINDER CONES AND A SUPER- SALTY LAKE IN MONO LAKE TUFA STATE NATURAL RESERVE
There are few places in California or maybe even on the planet, that can make you think you might just be on Mars, this is one of them. At this high desert preserve, on the eastern side of the towering Sierra, ghostlike tufa towers trim the edges of a one-million-year-old lake, the salty remnant of an ancient inland sea. Over a million sea birds feed on the surface and swirl overhead— an incredible show of life in this seemingly desolate setting.
SOAK IN NATURALLY HEATED MINERAL POOLS AT GROVER HOT SPRINGS STATE PARK
Nestled in a notch of the High Sierra about an hour’s drive south-east of Lake Tahoe, mineral springs bubble up from the earth, a testament to the geologic and geothermal forces that have shaped this Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1973 and located just off the historic route 66, Amboy Crater is an example of geology creating geometry. It’s an almost perfectly symmetrical volcanic cinder cone. This 250 foot bump in the Mojave National Preserve landscape provides panoramic views of some astounding features, including a 26 mile long lava flow, Bristol Dry Lake, and the Marble Mountains. A maintained trail climbs gently around the cone’s western half, leading into the breach where basaltic lava poured out over a vast area, creating lava lakes, collapsed lava tubes and sinks, and spatter cones.
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