OUR NATIONAL PARK CHALLENGE: TO VISIT ALL 51 NATIONAL PARKS LOCATED IN THE LOWER 48 STATES
COMPLETED
PROGRESS BAR
STILL TO GO
48
3
TUESDAY - We stayed put on our campsite until nearly 11:00AM today because we only have a little over 75-miles to get to our next destination.
Our next campsite is 4700' higher in elevation than where we are this morning, so we should be seeing the end of these 90°F temperatures, at least for the next 6-days.
Before we arrive at our next location we've got some chores to take care of, like purchasing fuel, water and groceries, plus picking up a couple of Amazon packages that we ordered 2-days ago.
All of these chores will be taken care of in the larger town of Redding, CA. Fuel prices in this area of California range from $5.50 to $6.00, but I found a station along Interstate 5 that was unexplainably selling gas for just $4.74, it's the small victories that feel the best.
Trips to Costco and Walmart took care of our water and grocery needs, with a stop at FoodMaxx to pick up our Amazon packages. It still amazes me that we can go online and shop on a Sunday night and on Tuesday afternoon pick up your various products at a location we can access with ROVER and THE POD.
Most of the 4700' of elevation gain was over the final 20-miles of our route and ROVER was letting us know he wasn't happy about it. We pulled over twice to let him cool off, before he was ready to continue the climb.
In the end, he delivered us to our campsite just fine.
We got a little creative with our positioning of THE POD on our campsite.
We did this mostly so that our dinette window wasn't looking directly into our neighbor's site.
The trees were just thin enough to allow Starlink to get a clear look at the sky.
Since our campsite is all the way in the northwest corner of the park, and the only Visitor Center that's open today is located in the southwest corner of the park, we drove the 30-mile Scenic Drive virtually non-stop and did our sightseeing on the return trip.
We arrived at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center, which translates to "snow mountain", which first opened in October of 2008. It is now considered the park's primary Visitor Center and therefore is open everyday of the week. It also contains a small cafe, a theater where we watched a 20-minute movie about the park and not one, but two gift shops.
Of course I also purchased a sticker for my National Parks Passport Book and got the cancellation stamp for the 48th time in the Lower 48 States. Add in the 2 National Parks in Hawaii and the 3 in Alaska that we've visited brings our total to 53.
LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK HIGHWAY (EXPLORED SOUTH TO NORTH FOR 30-MILES)
SLIDE NUMBER
1
OF
52
We drove ROVER 30-miles all the way down to the southwest entrance to take this photo.
SLIDE NUMBER
2
OF
52
The Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center.
SLIDE NUMBER
3
OF
52
Our first stop on the Scenic Drive was at the Sulphur Works.
SLIDE NUMBER
4
OF
52
At the Sulphur Works you'll find steam bubbling up from down below creating these mud pots.
SLIDE NUMBER
5
OF
52
There are more mud pots here than anywhere else, outside of Yellowstone National Park.
SLIDE NUMBER
6
OF
52
The sulphur leaves behind these yellow stained walls of rock.
SLIDE NUMBER
7
OF
52
The ground above the sulphur pods can be thin and brittle, so the fence keeps people out.
SLIDE NUMBER
8
OF
52
Which makes me wonder why they built the roadway right over the top of the mud pot vents?
SLIDE NUMBER
9
OF
52
There are several springs in the area creating this creek through the area.
SLIDE NUMBER
10
OF
52
We couldn't see this mud pot down below, but we sure could see the steam and smell it.
SLIDE NUMBER
11
OF
52
We then got back on the road and headed towards our next stop.
SLIDE NUMBER
12
OF
52
Brokeoff Mountain is the second-highest peak in the park at an elevation of 9,235'.
SLIDE NUMBER
13
OF
52
Brokeoff Mountain is all that's left of Mount Tehama which stood at 10,990'.
SLIDE NUMBER
14
OF
52
The Dixie Fire burned 963,309 acres, making it the largest single fire in California history.
SLIDE NUMBER
15
OF
52
73,240 acres of the 2021 Dixie Fire were within Lassen Volcanic National Park.
SLIDE NUMBER
16
OF
52
This is a view of Diamond Peak from the pullout off the Scenic Drive.
SLIDE NUMBER
17
OF
52
A view of Lassen Peak from the Diamond Peak pullout.
SLIDE NUMBER
18
OF
52
Most of the Scenic Drive has a 35MPH speed limit due to all the tight turns in the road.
SLIDE NUMBER
19
OF
52
From further away this white rock area looked like it might be snow.
SLIDE NUMBER
20
OF
52
Some points in the road made it difficult to achieve the posted 35MPH limit.
SLIDE NUMBER
21
OF
52
This section of the road appears to have undergone some repair work in the past.
SLIDE NUMBER
22
OF
52
Emerald Lake is one of two high alpine lakes along the roadway.
SLIDE NUMBER
23
OF
52
It gets it's signature green color from a large quantity of algae in the water.
SLIDE NUMBER
24
OF
52
This is the #1 trail in the entire park, which we may attempt before we leave. It's a 3-mile round trip hike with 300' of elevation change. That doesn't sound difficult until you factor in that the trail starts at 8200' of elevation.
SLIDE NUMBER
25
OF
52
This is one of many solar powered monitoring stations in the park. They measure seismic activity and make 360° photos looking for changes in the terrain (i.e. bulges).
SLIDE NUMBER
26
OF
52
This huge boulder was left at Bumpass Hell Overlook by a glacier many years ago.
SLIDE NUMBER
27
OF
52
Lake Helen is the other lake located near the top of the Scenic Drive.
SLIDE NUMBER
28
OF
52
It's blue color is the result of refracted sunlight, just like Crater Lake.
SLIDE NUMBER
29
OF
52
Only this lake is much shallower so not as deep blue as Crater Lake.
SLIDE NUMBER
30
OF
52
But it's still a rather stunning color of blue.
SLIDE NUMBER
31
OF
52
From this higher viewpoint, you can see the color lighten to a turquoise color.
SLIDE NUMBER
32
OF
52
That mountain up ahead is the 10,457' Lassen Peak, the tallest in the park.
SLIDE NUMBER
33
OF
52
If you're interested there's a 4.8-mile trail with a 1957' elevation gain to the summit.
SLIDE NUMBER
34
OF
52
Look! There's a few avid hikers on the trail right now! Not us, no thank you!
SLIDE NUMBER
35
OF
52
Looking east from one of the viewpoints you can see the rest of the Cascade Range.
SLIDE NUMBER
36
OF
52
I believe that's Lake Almanor in the Lassen National Forest we're looking at.
SLIDE NUMBER
37
OF
52
I need to get back to paying attention to my driving.
SLIDE NUMBER
38
OF
52
As you can see, there's still a few patches of snow on the north side of Lassen Peak.
SLIDE NUMBER
39
OF
52
We're getting ready to drop down 500' into the area of Kings Creek Meadow.
SLIDE NUMBER
40
OF
52
From above you can clearly see Kings Creek meandering through the grassy meadow.
SLIDE NUMBER
41
OF
52
At ground level the creek all but disappears in the tall grass.
SLIDE NUMBER
42
OF
52
The water is cool and crystal clear in Kings Creek.
SLIDE NUMBER
43
OF
52
This photo has Mount Lassen in the background.
SLIDE NUMBER
44
OF
52
This one includes the closer Reading Peak on the right.
SLIDE NUMBER
45
OF
52
I guess they've previously had cars get stuck off the edge of the road at this trailhead.
SLIDE NUMBER
46
OF
52
These views of Kings Creek were all filmed within a few yards of the roadway. If you're willing to hike 2.3-miles you can see the 30' tall Kings Creek Falls.
SLIDE NUMBER
47
OF
52
There are numerous trees like this, dead and standing after the wildfires from years past.
SLIDE NUMBER
48
OF
52
This photo from 1915 is displayed along the side of the road, right next to...
SLIDE NUMBER
49
OF
52
...the rock which is still there over 100-years later. It's called "Hot Rock" because months after Lassen Volcano erupted this rock was still too hot to touch. The rock’s internal temperature is estimated to have been 1000°F when it came tumbling down from Lassen Peak.
SLIDE NUMBER
50
OF
52
We're almost back to the campground now in an area known as Chaos Crags.
SLIDE NUMBER
51
OF
52
In 1660 a series of 3 rockfall avalanches occurred here over a 2-1/2 sq. mile area.
SLIDE NUMBER
52
OF
52
Today, 350-years later, a dwarf pine forest emerges through the rocks.
THURSDAY - Today we're going on our first hike in the park. Just north of the campground is Manzanita Lake, the namesake for the Manzanita Lake Campground we're in, makes sense don't it? The name "manzanita" translates from Spanish as "little apple"?
There is a 1.5-mile trail that circumnavigates the 27-acre lake. The lake has a maximum depth of 32' and averages around 6.5' deep overall. Fishing and non-motorized boats are allowed on the lake.
You can access the trail from several locations, but we started and finished at the small Loomis Museum which does double duty as the park's northwest Visitor Center. It has the largest parking lot of any of the trailheads.
MANZANITA LAKE TRAIL
SLIDE NUMBER
1
OF
28
We decided to do the lake counterclockwise, so the lake was always on our left hand side.
SLIDE NUMBER
2
OF
28
We had to pay attention to all the tripping hazzards on the trail, ask Tricia, she knows!
SLIDE NUMBER
3
OF
28
This guy seemed to have no fear of us, letting Tricia get up close to take this photo.
SLIDE NUMBER
4
OF
28
You can easily see the bottom of the lake through the crystal clear water.
SLIDE NUMBER
5
OF
28
The water here must be 6' deep and still the bottom is visible.
SLIDE NUMBER
6
OF
28
For about 50-yards the trail paralleled the entrance/exit roadway...
SLIDE NUMBER
7
OF
28
...right up until we approached the Entrance Station Office.
SLIDE NUMBER
8
OF
28
This back corner of the lake was out of the wind so we were able to get some nice reflections.
SLIDE NUMBER
9
OF
28
SLIDE NUMBER
10
OF
28
SLIDE NUMBER
11
OF
28
This little bridge straddles the Manzanita Creek as it exits the lake.
SLIDE NUMBER
12
OF
28
The little Manzanita Creek is the only water outlet from the lake.
SLIDE NUMBER
13
OF
28
It sure looked like a bench! Maybe it's just a downed tree with 1/4 of it missing.
SLIDE NUMBER
14
OF
28
SLIDE NUMBER
15
OF
28
We must be half way around the lake, I can see the Entrance Station on the other side.
SLIDE NUMBER
16
OF
28
There seems to be plenty for this guy to eat in this lake.
SLIDE NUMBER
17
OF
28
I wonder if he knows he's being followed by that big bad dragonfly?
SLIDE NUMBER
18
OF
28
On the western shoreline the water was very shallow.
SLIDE NUMBER
19
OF
28
That's where the water used to run out of the lake until 1972 when they built this dam.
SLIDE NUMBER
20
OF
28
Now the lake is not only bigger, it's deeper in the middle, up to 32' deep.
SLIDE NUMBER
21
OF
28
Deep enough to get your non-motorized boat out on the lake and fish.
SLIDE NUMBER
22
OF
28
This section of the trail zig-zagged between the tall trees.
SLIDE NUMBER
23
OF
28
We spotted this lone Great Blue Heron out on the water.
SLIDE NUMBER
24
OF
28
His attention was definetly focused on something other than us.
SLIDE NUMBER
25
OF
28
SLIDE NUMBER
26
OF
28
By the boat ramp there was a nicely shaded picnic area that we may have to revisit on Sunday.
SLIDE NUMBER
27
OF
28
This is the wide and shallow Manzanita Creek as it makes it's way to join the lake.
SLIDE NUMBER
28
OF
28
This bridge over the creek will return us to where we started this trail.
SATURDAY - After taking the whole day off yesterday, this morning we're heading out to experience what for us is the "Main Attraction" here at Lassen Volcanic National Park.
That would be the 3-mile round trip hike out to see the largest hydrothermal area in the entire park, located at the end of the Bumpass Hell Trail.
The trail begins at 8200' of elevation where the air is thin, but still just below the threshold where most people begin to feel the effects of altitude sickness. Over the first mile of the trail you gradually climb to an elevation of 8400' before you steeply descend 200' down over the final 1/2-mile to the boardwalk at the bottom of the hydrothermal basin.
Easily the toughest part of the trail was the climb 200' back out of the basin on the return trip. It took us a full 30-minutes to make the short climb with several stops to rest and catch our breath.
We carried 2-liters of water each for the hike, along with trail mix and granola bars for a snack after the climb out of the basin. Tricia also carried a 12-liter can of Boost Oxygen, just in case either of us started feeling effects from the altitude.
FYI - We didn't use it, but were glad we had it! By the end, we both had drank most of our water.
BUMPASS HELL TRAIL
SLIDE NUMBER
1
OF
40
We were lucky that at 9:22AM we got one of the three remaining parking spots.
SLIDE NUMBER
2
OF
40
The entire "easy to follow" trail was a mix of gravel, rock and sand.
SLIDE NUMBER
3
OF
40
Early on along the trail we spotted a young black-tailed deer buck.
SLIDE NUMBER
4
OF
40
There ended up being two of them.
SLIDE NUMBER
5
OF
40
On a short spur trail was an info-board describing a long-gone ancient mountain.
SLIDE NUMBER
6
OF
40
From the spur trail we could see the road from the southwest entrance station.
SLIDE NUMBER
7
OF
40
It was the perfect weather for our hike today. Temps in the upper 60°Fs and low 70°Fs.
SLIDE NUMBER
8
OF
40
Here's a panoramic video from this short spur trail overlook.
SLIDE NUMBER
9
OF
40
Further up the trail was more evidence of previous season wildfires.
SLIDE NUMBER
10
OF
40
We finally made it to the 8600' overlook of the hydrothermal basin 200' below.
SLIDE NUMBER
11
OF
40
As we began our descent, three more black-tailed deer crossed the trail just 10' from us.
SLIDE NUMBER
12
OF
40
It was right about this point in the trail that the "rotten egg" smell first hit us.
SLIDE NUMBER
13
OF
40
These beautiful Purple Lupines could be found all along the trail today.
SLIDE NUMBER
14
OF
40
Here's one of the steep switchbacks along the trail into the basin.
SLIDE NUMBER
15
OF
40
At the very bottom you'll cross this bridge into the hydrothermal basin.
SLIDE NUMBER
16
OF
40
There's a spur trail called the Frying Pan where you'll see this overlook of the basin.
SLIDE NUMBER
17
OF
40
Now that "rotten egg" smell has you completely surrounded.
SLIDE NUMBER
18
OF
40
Don't let the bright blue color fool you, this water is very hot and acidic.
SLIDE NUMBER
19
OF
40
It's hard to hear in this video, but there is a constant "roaring" sound happening.
SLIDE NUMBER
20
OF
40
Luckily the wind is blowing the steam away from us or the smell could be a lot worse.
SLIDE NUMBER
21
OF
40
SLIDE NUMBER
22
OF
40
SLIDE NUMBER
23
OF
40
SLIDE NUMBER
24
OF
40
SLIDE NUMBER
25
OF
40
SLIDE NUMBER
26
OF
40
At the far end of the boardwalk was a higher vantage point to take photos.
SLIDE NUMBER
27
OF
40
SLIDE NUMBER
28
OF
40
In this video you can see the mud really bubbling in the fumarole.
SLIDE NUMBER
29
OF
40
During the spring snow melt the water levels are higher as seen by these stained rocks.
SLIDE NUMBER
30
OF
40
After several rest stops we made it back up to the overlook.
SLIDE NUMBER
31
OF
40
A few final shots of the "Main Attraction" here at the end of Bumpass Hell Trail.
SLIDE NUMBER
32
OF
40
SLIDE NUMBER
33
OF
40
This chipmunk came to make sure I didn't spill any of my trail mix on the bench.
SLIDE NUMBER
34
OF
40
More wildfire evidence, just part of Mother Nature's renewal process.
SLIDE NUMBER
35
OF
40
SLIDE NUMBER
36
OF
40
A grassy meadow with a view would make a good homestead site.
SLIDE NUMBER
37
OF
40
This was kind of a tease, we're still a half mile hike from the parking lot.
SLIDE NUMBER
38
OF
40
Now we're getting a little bit closer.
SLIDE NUMBER
39
OF
40
We're in the home stretch now!
SLIDE NUMBER
40
OF
40
Ouch! That had to hurt. Hope you enjoyed the hike, we did.
With this stop we broke through the "3000-nights on the road" barrier.
Looking for our Visited States Map and Data? How about our State by State Bucket Lists or Visited Campgrounds List? If so, click on the sign below to be taken to our other website.
We drove ROVER 30-miles all the way down to the southwest entrance to take this photo.
The Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center.
Our first stop on the Scenic Drive was at the Sulphur Works.
There are more mud pots here than anywhere else, outside of Yellowstone National Park.
The sulphur leaves behind these yellow stained walls of rock.
The ground above the sulphur pods can be thin and brittle, so the fence keeps people out.
Which makes me wonder why they built the roadway right over the top of the mud pot vents?
We then got back on the road and headed towards our next stop.
Brokeoff Mountain is the second-highest peak in the park at an elevation of 9,235'.
Brokeoff Mountain is all that's left of Mount Tehama which stood at 10,990'.
The Dixie Fire burned 963,309 acres, making it the largest single fire in California history.
73,240 acres of the 2021 Dixie Fire were within Lassen Volcanic National Park.
This is a view of Diamond Peak from the pullout off the Scenic Drive.
A view of Lassen Peak from the Diamond Peak pullout.
Most of the Scenic Drive has a 35MPH speed limit due to all the tight turns in the road.
From further away this white rock area looked like it might be snow.
Some points in the road made it difficult to achieve the posted 35MPH limit.
This section of the road appears to have undergone some repair work in the past.
Emerald Lake is one of two high alpine lakes along the roadway.
It gets it's signature green color from a large quantity of algae in the water.
This is the #1 trail in the entire park, which we may attempt before we leave.
This is one of many solar powered monitoring stations in the park. They measure
This huge boulder was left at Bumpass Hell Overlook by a glacier many years ago.
Lake Helen is the other lake located near the top of the Scenic Drive.
It's blue color is the result of refracted sunlight, just like Crater Lake.
Only this lake is much shallower so not as deep blue as Crater Lake.
But it's still a rather stunning color of blue.
From this higher viewpoint, you can see the color lighten to a turquoise color.
That mountain up ahead is the 10,457' Lassen Peak, the tallest in the park.
If you're interested there's a 4.8-mile trail with a 1957' elevation gain to the summit.
Look! There's a few avid hikers on the trail right now! Not us, no thank you!
Looking east from one of the viewpoints you can see the rest of the Cascade Range.
I believe that's Lake Almanor in the Lassen National Forest we're looking at.
I need to get back to paying attention to my driving.
As you can see, there's still a few patches of snow on the north side of Lassen Peak.
We're getting ready to drop down 500' into the area of Kings Creek Meadow.
From above you can clearly see Kings Creek meandering through the grassy meadow.
At ground level the creek all but disappears in the tall grass.
The water is cool and crystal clear in Kings Creek.
This photo has Mount Lassen in the background.
This one includes the closer Reading Peak on the right.
I guess they've previously had cars get stuck off the edge of the road at this trailhead.
There are numerous trees like this, dead and standing after the wildfires from years past.
This photo from 1915 is displayed along the side of the road, right next to...
...the rock which is still there over 100-years later. It's called "Hot Rock" because months after Lassen Volcano erupted this rock was still too hot to touch. The rock’s internal temperature is estimated to have been 1000°F when it came tumbling down from Lassen Peak.
We're almost back to the campground now in an area known as Chaos Crags.
In 1660 a series of 3 rockfall avalanches occurred here over a 2-1/2 sq. mile area.
Today, 350-years later, a dwarf pine forest emerges through the rocks.
We decided to do the lake counterclockwise, so the lake was always on our left hand side.
We had to pay attention to all the tripping hazzards on the trail, ask Tricia, she knows!
This guy seemed to have no fear of us, letting Tricia get up close to take this photo.
You can easily see the bottom of the lake through the crystal clear water.
The water here must be 6' deep and still the bottom is visible.
For about 50-yards the trail paralleled the entrance/exit roadway...
...right up until we approached the Entrance Station Office.
This back corner of the lake was out of the wind so we were able to get some nice reflections.
This little bridge straddles the Manzanita Creek as it exits the lake.
It sure looked like a bench! Maybe it's just a downed tree with 1/4 of it missing.
We must be half way around the lake, I can see the Entrance Station on the other side.
I wonder if he knows he's being followed by that big bad dragonfly?
On the western shoreline the water was very shallow.
That's where the water used to run out of the lake until 1972 when they built this dam.
Now the lake is not only bigger, it's deeper in the middle, up to 32' deep.
Deep enough to get your non-motorized boat out on the lake and fish.
This section of the trail zig-zagged between the tall trees.
We spotted this lone Great Blue Heron out on the water.
His attention was definetly focused on something other than us.
By the boat ramp there was a nicely shaded picnic area that we may have to revisit on Sunday.
This is the wide and shallow Manzanita Creek as it makes it's way to join the lake.
This bridge over the creek will return us to where we started this trail.
We were lucky that at 9:22AM we got one of the three remaining parking spots.
The entire "easy to follow" trail was a mix of gravel, rock and sand.
Early on along the trail we spotted a young black-tailed deer buck.
There ended up being two of them.
On a short spur trail was an info-board describing a long-gone ancient mountain.
From the spur trail we could see the road from the southwest entrance station.
It was the perfect weather for our hike today. Temps in the upper 60°Fs and low 70°Fs.
Further up the trail was more evidence of previous season wildfires.
We finally made it to the 8600' overlook of the hydrothermal basin 200' below.
As we began our descent, three more black-tailed deer crossed the trail just 10' from us.
These beautiful Purple Lupines could be found all along the trail today.
Here's one of the steep switchbacks along the trail into the basin.
At the very bottom you'll cross this bridge into the hydrothermal basin.
Now that "rotten egg" smell has you completely surrounded.
Don't let the bright blue color fool you, this water is very hot and acidic.
At the far end of the boardwalk was a higher vantage point to take photos.
During the spring snow melt the water levels are higher as seen by these stained rocks.
After several rest stops we made it back up to the overlook.
A few final shots of the "Main Attraction" here at the end of Bumpass Hell Trail.
This chipmunk came to make sure I didn't spill any of my trail mix on the bench.
More wildfire evidence, just part of Mother Nature's renewal process.
A grassy meadow with a view would make a good homestead site.
This was kind of a tease, we're still a half mile hike from the parking lot.
Now we're getting a little bit closer.
We're in the home stretch now!
Ouch! That had to hurt. Hope you enjoyed the hike, we did.
