Day 96 & 97 - Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA

We entered Lassen from the south entrance and our first stop was at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center to pick up a park map and paper and to learn about what Lassen Volcanic National Park is.

There are only two volcanoes in lower 48 states that have erupted in the 20th Century. These are Mount St Helens which we would be seeing in a few days time and Lassen Peak which is now protected in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

The peak erupted in 1917 and whilst no one was killed, several houses were destroyed. The volcano and the land around it was designated a Wilderness and was handed over to the National Park Service to manage. Maybe this was so they could make sure that no towns or cities were built in the area just in case there was another eruption.

There are many volcanoes and remains of volcanoes in the park, so many, they cover all 4 types found in the world - shield, composite, cinder cone, and plug dome. Lassen is the only active volcano and it is still monitored just in case it rumbles away again.

We toured the park along the scenic road that runs from South to North. Our first stop was the bubbling mud at Sulphur Works. He had planned to see more of the hot springs along the Bumpass Trail but it was closed for rehabilitation. Instead, we continued to Kings Creek where we took the short trail to a meadow with a little creek running through it.

Back on the scenic road, we headed to our next stop, the Summit Lake South Campsite where we stayed the night. Like many of the National Parks campsites, it was basic with just vault toilets but they were the cleanest and best smelling vault toilets we had ever been in, there was a nice mango smell coming out of the vents. The setting for the campsite was beautiful. Behind us were the woods and Summit Lake and we had so much space around us, we didn't notice our neighbours.

The next day, we continued on the scenic road, making our way to the North entrance. Along the way, we stopped off at Summit Lake for a closer look, then at the impact area from the 1917 eruption. Asides from some large boulders, there wasn't a huge amount to see in this area although the pictures for before and after the eruption make you appreciate just how much of the landscape changed and also, how quickly it is now recovering.

As we approached the end of the scenic road, we made one last stop at Manzanta Lake and Reflection Lake. These two lakes are on either side of the road. Both were stunningly beautify with clear waters and reflections of the volcanoes and forests. We left Lassen feeling very calm and relaxed although we both agreed that if we were to visit this park again, we would come back just after winter when the peaks have a dusting of snow.