THE ROUTE
1 Start exploring:
The Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway runs south-north through the park. You can get your bearings at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center (that’s Lassen’s name in the language of the Mountain Maidu people, who have lived in the vicinity for centuries). Here you learn, among other things, that Lassen Park contains all four types of volcanoes known to geologists: plug dome (Lassen), composite (Brokeoff), shield (Prospect Peak, in the park’s northeast corner), and cinder cone (Cinder Cone, also in the northeast corner).
2 Take in the view:
The first example lies nearby: Brokeoff Mountain, remnant of mighty Brokeoff Volcano (a.k.a. Mount Tehama), a composite volcano that rose here hundreds of thousands of years ago. Today a 7.4-mile hike up the peak and back gives you sweeping views of the park.
3 To Hell and back:
From here, head north to Sulphur Works, and then on to Bumpass Hell, an even more impressive collection of mud pots, hot springs and steam vents. The name? It comes from an unfortunate early pioneer, one Kendall Bumpass, who in 1865 stepped into one of the boiling pools, thereby losing his leg. The lesson: Stay on the boardwalk trail.
4 Must-see peak:
Next comes the park’s signature peak. Lassen got its name from 19th century Danish emigrant Peter Lassen — a controversial figure because he devised a pioneer trail he alleged to be a shortcut that was in fact more or less a death trap. But the 5-mile trail up and down his namesake mountain was rebuilt for the 2016 centennial, and it’s a must-see, among the easier truly spectacular trails anywhere in California.
5 Set up camp:
Eventually, the highway leads you to the park’s northwest corner and Manzanita Lake, where campsites cluster among pines and a new village of cabins has been built. Nearby is the Loomis Museum, established by B.F. Loomis and his wife, Estella, with displays on Lassen’s explosive history.
6 Climb the Cinder Cone:
To the northeast, the trail to the top of this 750-foot peak is short but harder than it looks, at least going up. As you ascend, your feet sink into the cindery path. Every step is an effort. Persevere and at the summit you can look out past the cone’s crater to a park panorama that extends from the Fantastic Lava Beds west toward Brokeoff Mountain and Lassen Peak.