Hard, 5.1 mi out and back
1,975 ft elevation gain
Hiked 10/11/24
Home to the youngest rocks (black dacite) in California, which were formed when the mountain last erupted in 1915, this steep hike in Lassen Volcanic National Park is a real joy for both hikers and geology nerds. Featuring spectacular views of all four types of volcanoes found in the world and a relentless ascent on a well maintained trail.
An early view up the trail when it is still ‘steep’ but before it gets ‘real steep.’ Intersecting lines of hillsides cross through the frame while red autumnal ground cover plants contrast with the evergreen trees and light desert brown of the mountain.
The crater near the top of Lassen Peak, still housing a small patch of snow in the Alpine zone. Mt Shasta may be seen over the rim in the distance to the left of center.
Looking down from the true summit, which is a little further than the crater area. The steep ridgeline may be seen with the trail’s switchbacks cutting across it. Nearby Lake Helen is also seen down below.
Looks like a post-terraformed Mars. Never seen such terrain IRL. I need to get to the west half of America and see some desert before I die. Even semiarid West Texas was crazy for me.
The diversity of terrains out west is just unreal, and anything near volcanic sites just completely throws you for a loop when you see it… One really good spot to see some otherworldly terrain is Craters of the Moon National Monument out in Idaho. It’s all on top of a bunch of lava tubes and flows; was where the original moon mission trained to get used to the terrain. It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere though, I usually hit it up going from Oregon to the Grand Tetons as its not too far of a detour. At some point I’ll have some posts on the trails there, I’d post a preview now but I’m kind of going through all of my photos as I go along.
I did this years ago. What was amazing was how quickly the trees completely disappeared as the altitude rose.
On other volcanic sites, like old Mt. Saint Helens, trees grew back up on top of volcanic debris. Not Lassen.
It’s crazy how different the two seem, especially since this one has more time since it happened. I’d imagine it’s a combination of the more arid environment and the crazy high winds they get out here.