How to Spend the Perfect 2 Days in Lassen Volcanic National Park Itinerary
Last Updated on 15th October 2023 by Sophie Nadeau
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Stroll through meadows filled with wildflowers, visit clear mountain lakes, and see the world’s largest plug dome volcano at Lassen Volcanic National Park. This 2 days in Lassen Volcanic National Park itinerary will guide you through the best that the park has to offer.
This park in Northern California is home to over 30 volcanic domes. Lassen Volcanic has tons of hydrothermal sites with acres of bubbling mud pots.
From the summit of Lassen Peak Volcano, you can see stunning views of the surrounding wilderness, some of which is strewn with lava rocks from the last eruption. Lots of trails carve their way through the forest and around several lakes, joining with the Pacific Crest Trail in the north.
So how do you spend your time in Lassen Volcanic National Park? We’re here to answer that question with our 2-day Lassen Volcanic National Park itinerary. You’ll see all the best sights and explore what this gorgeous place has to offer.
Contents
About the Park
Lassen National Park was established in 1916. It’s one of the oldest US national parks, only the 15th park established by Congress of the 424 national park sites in the United States today.
Lassen Volcanic is one of the rare areas in the world where all four types of volcanoes—plug dome, shield, cinder cone, and stratovolcano—are found.
The volcanic domes are part of the Lassen Volcanic Center, which started to erupt about 825,000 years ago, but the greater Lassen area has been volcanically active for about three million years.
Recently, in geological terms, the region saw eruptions from Cinder Cone about 350 years ago and Lassen Peak about 100 years ago. While the area hasn’t seen an eruption for some time, steam vents, boiling springs, and bubbling mud pots remain active.
This means that the volcanic center still smolders. No one knows when or where the next eruption will occur, but with the area remaining active, it will happen eventually.
When to Visit Lassen Volcanic National Park
The park is open year-round, 24 hours a day, and you don’t need a reservation—a perk of visiting an underrated national park, which is easily one of the best hidden gems of California.
The best and most popular time to visit is summer. Between July and September nearly all the park’s activities, services, and areas are accessible. In both spring and fall, you can expect some areas of the park to be closed.
In winter, vehicle access is limited, but if you love the snow, this is the perfect time to visit. The park offers tons of snow activities, such as sledding, snow play, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and backcountry skiing or snowboarding.
This itinerary will focus on activities for the summer months since most people will be planning their trips for that time.
How to Get There
The closest airport to the park, Redding Regional Airport, is about an hour’s drive. Sacramento International Airport is the closest major airport, about 2.5-3 hours to the park.
The main park road can be accessed from the south off of CA-36, which is 45 miles east of Red Bluff, or from the north off of CA-44, 50 miles east of Redding.
The park has two main entrances, one near Manzanita Lake in the northwest (near the Route 44 and 89 intersection) and the other off Route 36 from the south by the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center, entering using Route 89.
Where to Stay in Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lassen Volcanic has eight campgrounds located throughout the park, and rustic camping cabins are available at the Manzanita Lake Campground.
If it’s your first time, you’ll want to stay at Manzanita Lake Campground, Summit Lake North/South Campground, or the Southwest Campground, all of which are closer to Lassen’s main highlights.
If camping isn’t your style, Drakesbad Guest Ranch is the only other lodging in the park. However, the ranch was significantly impacted by the Dixie Fire in 2021. It will be closed for the 2023 season; if you’re planning your trip after that, make sure the ranch is open.
Redding has the best options outside of the park. There are some good mid-range and budget hotels, including the Hampton Inn & Suites Redding or the Americana Modern Hotel. The Sheraton Redding Hotel at the Sundial Bridge is perhaps the nicest hotel in Redding.
Chester is also nearby, about 40 minutes, but there are fewer options. You can check out the Best Western Rose Quartz Inn or the Dorado Inn.
Is 2 days enough time in Lassen Volcanic National Park?
If you’re looking to see the top highlights and get a brief overview of the park, then 48 hours should be sufficient. However, if you want to go to some of the more off the beaten path locations and embark on more hikes, then you’ll want to spend 3 or 4 days in the park.
Day 1 suggested itinerary for Lassen Volcanic National Park
Bumpass Hell
Bumpass Hell is perhaps the second most well-known thing in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Apparently, it was named after a man named Kendall Bumpass who fell and burned himself in the boiling landscape, resulting in his leg getting amputated. Moral of the story: be careful on this hike.
The hike is about 3 miles roundtrip with easy to moderate difficulty, and it will take about 2 hours. The trail provides access to the largest hydrothermal area in the park.
There’s not a lot of shade on this one, so wear a hat and bring lots of water. The water and mud in the hydrothermal areas are acidic, so don’t touch them and don’t get too close.
The colorful springs and mud pots are reminiscent of Yellowstone, making this hike so worth it.
Sulphur Works
Next up, drive about 15 minutes to Sulphur Works, where you can see (and smell) more hydrothermal features, including a bubbling mud pot.
Hiking isn’t necessary for this one. From your car, you can see the steam coming from the ground, and when you get out, you can see all the hydrothermal features right from the sidewalk.
Drive Lassen National Park Highway
Lassen National Park Highway is a 30-mile stretch of road that winds around the east side of Lassen Peak. There are lots of cool places to stop along the highway.
There’s an audio tour that you can find on the NPS App. Download the app before visiting, then under Self-Guided Tours select Lassen Volcanic NP Highway. Sixteen audio files correspond to numbered markers along the highway. You can also purchase a printed road guide at the visitor center.
Sulphur Works is one of the early stops on this, so it’s a perfect place to start from. While you don’t have to stop at all 16, you’ll want to make sure you stop at Emerald Lake, Lake Helen, Lassen Peak Scenic Vista, Kings Creek Meadow Viewpoint, Devastated Area, Chaos Crags Viewpoint, and Reflection Lake. These are the best stops!
Stargaze in the Park
After you eat dinner and the sun sets, the night sky will light up with thousands of stars. This is one of the few places, in California especially, where there’s hardly any light pollution. You can see so many stars from places like this, and you’ll likely be able to see the Milky Way.
The park often has a Starry Night ranger-led program, usually offered at Devastated Area, Manzanita Lake, or Bumpass Hell Trailhead. There are lots of other good places to go to see the stars:
Lassen Peak Trailhead
Visitor center parking areas: Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center and Loomis Museum
Roadside lakeshores: Lake Helen, Emerald Lake, and Summit Lake
Other roadside pullouts: Kings Creek Meadow, Chaos Jumbles, and Little Hot Springs Valley overlook
Day 2 suggested itinerary for Lassen Volcanic National Park
Mill Creek Falls Start your second day with the Mill Creek Falls Trail. This trail is 3.8 miles roundtrip, and it’ll take about 2.5-3 hours. This one is considered moderately strenuous, but it comes with a great prize.
Hike through a hillside covered in wildflowers and a lush forest to reach the amazing 75-foot waterfall, the highest waterfall in the park! You’re also likely to see deer and plenty of birds.
The trail starts behind the amphitheater adjacent to the southwest parking area. The terrain has a series of dips and rises that wind in and out of gullies as the trail follows the contours of the East Sulphur Creek. There are some rocky and narrow locations with creek crossings.
Kings Creek Falls Trail
Next up we have another hike, the Kings Creek Falls Trail. This one’s a bit easier—2.3 miles (3.7 km) and moderate difficulty.
The first bit passes along Lower Kings Creek Meadow. You can do this hike in a loop or out-and- back, but either way take the left trail first (clockwise) along the Upper Cascades section, which offers wide vistas of the park as it steadily descends toward Kings Creek Falls.
From a fenced overlook you can see a clear view of the 30-foot waterfall, and as you keep going, you’ll get a closer look at them.
You can return to the trailhead the way you came or loop back on the Cascades Foot section. This is a narrow, steep section alongside the cascades, so be careful if you go back up this way.
If find yourself exhausted after the first hike or if you have knee problems, you can skip this hike. Or you can skip the Mill Creek Hike and only do this one.
Manzanita Lake
Spend the rest of the day relaxing and picnicking at Manzanita Lake! The lake is straight out of a postcard with gorgeous views and lots of activities. You can swim, canoe, fish, hike, or simply kick back and relax.
Enjoy your time at Lassen Volcanic National Park!
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About the author: Lexi Cooper is a freelance editor and writer. Her parents taught her a love for traveling, seeing new sights, and learning about the world. Along with her passion for travel, she loves stories and dreams of spending her days reading and writing books and wandering the globe.
