Park road finally cleared of snow
The north-south road through Lassen Volcanic National Park finally opened Thursday after nearly four months of snow-clearing work.
The opening of California 89, called Lassen National Park Highway for the 30 miles it traverses through the park, set a record, park officials said.
“This year’s opening of the highway will be the latest in park records dating back to 1931,” Lassen Superintendent Jim Richardson said.
Since 1980, the latest opening was July 21, 1995, according to park logs.
For the most part, the snowy winter’s still-persisting snowpack caused the delay, especially a section between Lassen Peak parking area, about 130 miles north of Sacramento and 50 miles east of Redding in the Sierra Nevada, and Summit Lake.
Visitors still can find roadside snowdrifts for snowball fights.
“There’s 10 feet of snow still on the perimeter of the parking area,” Lassen spokeswoman Karen Haner said.
The road-clearing work began April 4 with help from the California Department of Transportation.
Snowfall in the park was about average for winter, but it was more than during the drought the previous four years, Haner said earlier this month. A total of 28 feet of snow was reported over the winter at the summit of the park highway.
Along the way, crews dealt with fallen trees, rock slides and equipment breakdowns. Two of the park’s heavy-equipment operators took jobs elsewhere, which also slowed the work.
The late opening contributed to the cancellation of this week’s Hike and Bike the Highway. However, a new event, the Reach the Peak Hike-A-Thon, is scheduled for Sunday at the Lassen Peak Trail as a fundraiser for the Lassen Park Foundation.
On Friday, the park’s North Summit Lake, Butte Lake and Juniper Lake campgrounds will open, although some Juniper Lake spots may be too muddy for campers, park officials said.
Lassen Volcanic National Park is famous not for its chill but for its heat.
Between 1914 and 1917, Lassen Peak blew its top in a series of volcanic eruptions.