Bumpass Hell is a region of many hot mud pots, an area of geothermal
activity. A trail leads from a parking lot in-between the Sulfur Works and the Lassen
Summit trailhead. The trail to the sulfur works is about 2 miles one way. Several hours
here are recommended. The trail is a good one. It begins fairly level and slowly climbs to
a crest and then becomes somewhat steeper and drops down into a little valley where you
will see the mud pots. Some of these boiling mud pools are quite hot. The person for whom
this area is named after lost his leg when he accidentally stepped through what seemed
like solid ground into an underground boiling cauldron of sulfur, water, pyrite and mud.
Once the trail reaches the fringes of this area it becomes a wood boardwalk. Stay on the
boardwalk for it could be dangerous to venture out on your own near these boiling pools.
In the wintertime this is a good area to stay warm. In this part of the park this is the
only area where you can see the ground year round. The snow melts as soon as it touches
these hot pools. Like the Sulfur Works near the main road, this area will also smell
highly of sulfur.
Sulpher Works is a fascinating display of steam vents, sulfur steams, and mud pots. Unlike
Bumpass Hell this is right next to the main road and there is a boardwalk that leads
through this region. Sulfur works and Bumpass Hell can somewhat be compared to Yellowstone
National Park, but on a much much smaller scale. Bumpass Hell is more
impressive than Sulpher works. The one sulfur steam that you can see
rising for several miles away is located right next to the south side of the road. A fence
has been built around it to keep people from falling in. On a cold crisp day you can
remain warm if you stand in the steam that emits from this steam bath. The only problem is
the annoying sulfur smell that permeates everything.
The boardwalk trail is an easy hike out and back and shows you a variety of mud pots and other
geothermal activity. This hike is about 1/4 mile or less one way.
If you continue driving on the road past this point, you will pass several small lakes
next to the side of the road. The road really begins to climb at this point, is quite
narrow, and has many switchbacks. The distance from the Sulpher Works to the Mount Lassen trailhead is
about 4 or 5 miles.
Mount Lassen is the heart of Lassen National Park. You can see this giant peak from most
parts of the park. At 10,457 feet the summit is readily accessible for most people in
under a couple of hours. Guide books recommend between 4 and 5 hours to summit and return.
These are good recommendations if you are in average shape and want to take a leisurely
hike. However, if you are fit and want to push yourself, and don't want too much time at
the summit, you can make the round trip in under 2 hours. I made the summit in 55 minutes,
but I did run most of the way.
There is a rather large parking lot at the trailhead (bathrooms are also
available here) The trailhead and parking lot are located near
the summit of the road on your left side as you drive north. Be prepared for inclement
weather no matter what the time of the season. The best time to hike this trail without
having too much snow in your way is late July to early September. I hiked this trail with
a friend in mid August in the middle of a driving snow storm on Friday the 13th. The
weather can be quite variable no matter what the season.
The trail is a good one, it is not too steep but it makes quite a few switchbacks.
Note the prominent steep shortcut on the first leg of the trail
leading straight up the mountain. While tempting to climb this
shortcut, this is a mistake. I've seen rangers stop youngsters from
climbing this trail. It is best to stay on the main marked trail. When
you get close to the top, if it is a somewhat clear day you will be able to see Lassen's
giant sister to the north Mount Shasta. Don't be fooled once the trail reaches what seems
to be the top and levels out. This is only the pseudo summit, and as their are no signs
pointing the way to the true summit, many people turn around here. After the trail levels
out on what is the top of a ridge continue hiking to your right. The summit is still
several hundred yards away. The last couple of hundred feet to the summit are quite steep
and there is not a single trail that leads to the top. There are several smaller trails
that wind their way around large rocks and all end at the summit. Your choice of one trail
is about as good as any. The summit is small and there is not much room. It is composed of
several large pointed rocks. The tallest is the summit. You will also see a radio antenna
that someone built on the south side of the peak.
Chaos Crags and Devastated Areas are two separate areas separated by about 15 or 20 miles
but they are both similar in appearance and were created as a result of the 1915 Lassen
explosion. Chaos Crags/Jumbles was created by an air cushion avalanche. This was created
when rocks and magma mixed with snow, ice and vegetation came hurtling down the slopes at
an incredible velocity, removing and killing everything in its way. The Devastated Area
was caused by magma that erupted and flowed down the slopes. Both areas are very slowly
recovering and vegetation is slowly re-growing. In just the past 25 years the Devastated
Area has had an explosion of new growth and new trees. The numbers of different plants
species in the park is interesting. Mount Lassen sits at the end of the southern range for
many Cascade plant species and at the northern range of many Sierra species. The result is
that Lassen Park contains 779 plant species while its sister to the north Shasta contains
only 485 species.
The Lave Tube Caves or as they are better known, Subway Caves, are well worth a visit.
They are located just outside the northern part of the park near the junction of Highways
44 and 89. They are actually located on Highway 89 about 0.5 miles north of Highway 44.
These caves formed when lava and magma cooled above the surface of the soil. These caves
wind for up to 25 miles past where the main exit is located. However, approximately 1/3 a
mile of these caves are open to the public. The temperature of the caves remains constant.
It is a bit chilly inside the caves, especially if you are entering on a cold day. Warm
clothing is recommended and a flashlight is a must. You can't see anything inside the
caves without some sort of light. You can wave your hand 1 inch in front of your face and
you won't see a thing. The trail leads along what is basically a large tube with side
caves extending off from the main cave.
At the entrance of these caves you may notice another entrance that is partially fenced off.
This entrance is closed to the public, and it is through this entrance that you can access
a much larger network of these tube caves. I have explored several of the narrow caverns
past the fenced off entrance - the longer of two ends at a bunch of graffiti
and drops to less than a foot between the ceiling and the flooor. I once had a geology professor who took his entire class
through this entrance. I remember him telling us that they walked for about an hour
exploring these caves. He said there were many areas where the ceiling of the cave had
caved in and there were large rock piles on the cave floor. However, this type of activity
is not recommended. The caves that are not on the trail route can be dangerous, and the
fence in front of this entrance has been put there for a reason.
For more information about the caves call Phone Number (916) 336-5521.
Lookout Point is located on top of
the grade that climbs out of the small town of Old Station near where
highways 44 and 89 meet. This is worth taking a few minutes - you look
out over the Hat Creek Valley - you can recognize the Hat Creek drainage
by the lines of trees that snake their way through this valley. The
trees are growing near the river and most of the rest of the valley is
covered in low lying shrubs. The highlight of this look out is you have
great views of both Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta. This would be the idea
place for an expansive living room window. Free use of telescopes
available.
Cinder Cone is a located on a section of trail that extends many miles into the back
country of Lassen Park. The actual hike to the cinder cone is about a mile. The graded
good dirt road that leads to trail takes off from Highway 44 on the northern part of
Lassen Park. This road leads to Butte Lake which is shown on most maps, and this may help
you find the road. There is some good trout fishing in this lake and other lakes along the
trail once you pass the cinder cone.
Photo to left: Lassen Peak from Cinder Cone
Towards the end of this Butte Lake road you will see
several small camp sites. The campground that I recommend camping in is
Butte Creek Campground located next to a small stream about 2 or 3 miles from Butte Lake.
This campground is free and the sites are off the
road a ways, so you aren't getting too much dust from the cars, and the babbling of the
small stream nearby is quite pleasant and calming. The best camp spot is
across the little creek - the last one in the campground. There is a campground at Butte
Lake which after several years of being closed is now open again. If you
enter Lassen National Park from the Butte Lake trailhead and you camp
here, you pay the park fee plus the camping fee. The trail to the cinder cone leads off from the parking
lot at Butte Lake.
As you walk the trail that leads to the cinder cone you will pass tremendously large lava
flows. In fact most of the trail is at the edge of these lava flows. Only after you reach
the top of cinder cone will you see how extensive these flows actually are. At close up
range these flows will be composed of large sharp looking black volcanic rocks. When you
view these flows from afar they will look like many small black hills winding their way
over the landscape.
Once you get close to the cinder cone you will be struck with how stark it looks. It is
composed of pure cinders and rises out of nowhere like an alien organism that has been
temporarily transported to a foreign landscape. You will be lucky if you can spot the
several trees or bushes growing on its sides. Geologists have estimated that its age as
well as the age of the nearby lava flows to be around 3 to 400 years old. Depending on the
time of the year, as you walk this cinder cone trail you may run into geology classes
coming to this area to conduct studies. Fall is a good time for this. If you do meet a
class try to hang out and listen to the professor; it is a good way to learn about the
fascinating geology of this wonderful park. I have met classes from several Junior
Colleges throughout the state as well as classes from Chico State University.
If you think the trail leading to the cinder cone is bad because of the difficulty walking
on the cinders, wait until you have to ascend and descend the cinder cone. The side trail
takes off from the main trail and climbs up the cone. The trail winds straight up the side
and only makes one switchback by the time it reaches the crest of the cone at 6,907 feet.
If you were hiking on solid ground the steepness wouldn't matter as much. However, you are
hiking on small cinders and for one step forward you take about three backwards. This hike
is a lesson in patience!
Once you reach the top you will be richly rewarded with natures splendor. I highly
recommend doing this hike just before sunset or very early in the morning. From the top you have a 360 degree view. You
can see Mount Lassen in the distance, the lava flows, several lakes created by the lava
flows, the painted desert. The painted desert is a brilliantly hued landscape created from
the different colors in the cinders created by the volcanic activity. Also notice the many
depressions that are present in the cinders at and around the base of the cinder cone.
These were formed from volcanic bombs, or hot rock magma that was spewed from the cinder
cone during its eruption. There are several concentric rings that make up the inside of
the cone. At a leisurely pace you will be able to hike around the cinder cone in about 20
minutes. Then once you have viewed the scenery from above take one of the trails that lead
down into the cone to the next circular level. Think of a funnel with several different
levels present inside. This is the shape of the cinder cone. From the second level you can
take a trail that descends deep into the heart of the cone. From the top level of the cone
you can't see the bottom. From the second level this trail that leads to the bottom looks
like an hour round trip hike. Trust me, this is an optical allusion.
You can be on the
bottom in about 5 minutes, and back up in about 10. If you have never spent a night in the
heart of a volcanic cinder cone this would be your chance. The bottom of the cone
stretches maybe 15 feet in diameter, and the rocks are larger here then any of the other
cinders/rocks elsewhere on the cone. Just don't stay too long or you may become warmed by
the magma. Just joking, the cone is currently dormant.
Coming back down the trail is fun. You sort of slide and jump
and let the cinders carry you down.
Instead of taking one step forward and sliding back three, you take one step
and slide ahead for about 4 or 5 steps.
Additional information about hiking in Lassen is available here
Photo above: Lake Almanor with Mt. Lassen in the
background
