Lassen Volcanic NP, Burney Falls and Crater Lake NP
Lassen Volcanic National Park
I planned to have another road trip during the labor day long weekend. This time, I chose the Lassen Volcanic National Park. Sometime ago, when I saw the Burney falls on Instagram, I wanted to go there. The biggest nearby attraction is the Lassen Volcanic NP. So I planned to start a drive from Sacramento to Lassen Volcanic NP, to Burney falls and then to Crater Lake NP. Eventhough I lived in Oregon for 2 years from 2008 to 2010, I didn’t see Crater Lake NP. So, I thought, this is the best time to check-off these items from my bucket list.
My wife and I flew to Sacramento, took the rental car and drove to Folsom where my friend’s family staying. We had a great breakfast and after spending some time with them, we started driving from Folsom at around 11AM. The drive from Folsom to Lassen Volcanic NP is 3 hours. We reached the park at around 2:30PM. I planned to see the hydrothermal features and a Volcanic cinder cone at LVNP. As the main Bumpass Hell trail was closed for the rehabilitation, we took the little more strenuous hike from Kings creek picnic area. This hike is 6 miles round trip from the parking lot.
The below picture was taken at Cold Boiling lake which is just a mile from the parking lot. The trail becomes flat and passes through several meadows at the base of Mt. Conard. Cold Boiling Lake is so named because gas bubbles are continually rising at some points near the shore.
From Cold Boiling lake, a 1.9 mile one-way trail segment climbs steadily (750 feet) to the eastern end of Bumpass Hell Basin. The entire hike was so beautiful and scenic full of wildflower areas.
A few tiny streams cross the path, which is soon 500 feet above the valley below and has good views of both Cold Boiling Lake and nearby Crumbaugh Lake.
Your nose will tell you when you near Bumpass Hell. The rotten egg smell from naturally occurring gases is pervasive, and so is the noise—a strange ruckus created by all the belching mud pots and bubbling pools.
Bumpass Hell’s boardwalk trail lets you walk safely around them. Steaming sulphur vents, splattering mud pots, boiling springs—these lively features show that the earth is not quiet in this fascinating park. The park’s signature volcano, Lassen Peak, last blew its top in May 1914, and its volcanic outbursts continued for three years. Today, things have settled down, and trails and overlooks let you safely see and learn about volcanic activity. Plus, there are miles of lush forests and sparkling lakes to explore too.
After spending 3 hours on this hike, we thought of checking the Cinder cone – This challenging trail allows visitors to experience the wonder of Cinder Cone Volcano first hand. But, this trail is around 40 miles from the Bumpass hell trail and it was already 5’o clock, we thought of checking the cinder cone at a later day. So we returned to our hotel in Redding to spend the night.
The next day, before driving to Burney falls, we thought of checking the Sundial bridge at Redding. The Sundial Bridge is a cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge for bicycles and pedestrians that spans the Sacramento River and forms a large sundial. A sundial is a device that tells the time of day when there is sunlight by the apparent position of the Sun in the sky.
After spending 30 minutes at Sundial bridge, we started driving to Burney falls which is an hour drive from Redding. This falls is my most favorite. In the photos, it looks OK. But when you see this on your eyes, it’s magnificent, majestic and stunning view blows your mind. One of the most spectacular waterfalls in the state is 129-foot-tall, fern-draped cascade seems to come out of nowhere. There is a 2 mile hiking trail that takes you around the falls. This is called Falls loop trail and it gains an elevation gain of over 250 feet. We spent an hour here enjoying the falls and our small hike. Visited the visitor center and had ice cream.
After spending some time at Burney falls, we started driving to Creater lake NP via Mt Shasta. The view of this magnificent Mt Shasta from Freeway 89 was stunning. Hiking this mountain is in my bucket list, so when I saw this in front of my eyes, I got goosebumps. I don’t know when I’ll do this hike.
We reached the crater lake at around 3:30 PM. Crater Lake inspires awe. Native Americans witnessed its formation 7,700 years ago, when a violent eruption triggered the collapse of a tall peak. Scientists marvel at its purity: fed by rain and snow, it’s the deepest lake in the USA and one of the most pristine on earth. Artists, photographers, and sightseers gaze in wonder at its blue water and stunning setting atop the Cascade Mountain Range.
We drove back to Medford after spending time at Crater lake NP. The next day, we drove back to Sacramento. We wanted to see the Shasta caverns and Mt Shasta Dam on the way. So, we stopped at Shasta Dam which is 8th tallest Dam in the US.
Shasta cavern are a network of caves located near the McCloud. The caverns are dated at least 200 million years, and were formed by flowing water. Over the years this water drained leaving the caverns seen today. The caves are made entirely of limestone and feature a wide variety of formations, including stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, columns, and flowstone. The Discovery Room, one of eight known rooms in the cavern system, contains all types of limestone rock formation. The first recorded explorer was James A. Richardson, a federal fisheries employee. His claim of discovery is still clearly legible on the wall where he wrote it that day – November 11, 1878 – with carbide from his miner’s lamp.
Overall, this road trip was one of the most memorable trips that we did. Hopefully, we will see some of the other places that we missed seeing this time due to time critical.