Best Hikes in Lassen Volcanic National Park

Located in Northeastern California, Lassen Volcanic National Park covers over 100,000 acres sitting 130 miles north of Sacramento at the southern end of the Cascade Mountain Range. Established in 1916, Lassen Volcanic is the 15th National Park in the US. With more than 150 miles of hiking trails, Lassen National Park hikes can include colorful geothermal hot pots, peaks with views, and swims in alpine lakes all in the same day.

Unfortunately just a few days after we arrived, a large fire started less than 60 miles away, greatly affecting air quality. We did as much as we could but didn’t have a chance to check off all of Lassen’s best hikes. So what did we do for this blog post? We reached out to our favorite fellow outdoor bloggers and asked them to contribute to this comprehensive guide to the best trails in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Here is a complete guide to the best hikes in Lassen Volcanic National Park!

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Map of Lassen Volcanic National Park Hikes

Here is a map of the best hikes in Lassen Volcanic National Park including the trailheads for all hikes listed below:

Best Hikes in Lassen National Park

Lassen Peak

• Distance: 5 miles roundtrip
• Elevation: +2,000 feet
• Time: 3.5 hours
• Difficulty: Hard
• Trailhead Start: Lassen Peak Trailhead

At a height of 10,457 feet, Lassen Peak dominates the topography of Lassen Volcanic National Park. The 2.5-mile-long trail to the summit gains 2000 feet of elevation, but at a steady rate and on a wide path. The views at the top more than justify the effort. You’ll see jumbled chunks of lava in the crater, remnants of Lassen Peak’s eruptions from 1914 to 1921. You’ll also gaze at prominent lakes and peaks throughout the park, and farther south to the Northern Sierra Nevada.

Other Cascade volcanoes lead north to Mount Shasta, with the Trinity Alps and the Coast Range in the far distance to the west, beyond the Sacramento Valley. Beyond what you should always take for a day hike, make sure you have extra layers of warm clothes: it can be windy and cold up there.

This best hike in Lassen was submitted by John Soares, who is the author of 100 Classic Hikes: Northern California and Day Hiking: Mount Shasta, Lassen & Trinity Alps Regions (both published by Mountaineers Books, 2018). He shares hiking trails and tips at his Northern California Hiking Trails website and his Northern California Hiking Trails Facebook page.

Bumpass Hell

• Distance: 2.7 miles roundtrip
• Elevation: +200 feet
• Time: 1-1.5 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead Start: Bumpass Trailhead

Bumpass Hell is one of the best hydrothermal areas in California. It is a short hike each way that leads to a boardwalk that crosses colorful boiling mud pots and steam vents all over the ground. The smell of sulfur is heavy in this area but the uniqueness of the landscape makes up for the uncomfortable smell.

Be sure to stay on the boardwalk as Bumpass Hell gets its name from one of the early settlers who fell into one of the pools and lost a leg.

This best hike in Lassen was submitted by Josh McNair, who is the author of California Through My Lens – an awesome online resource for people looking to plan an epic California vacation.

Devil’s Kitchen

• Distance: 4.6 miles roundtrip
• Elevation: +500 feet
• Time: 2.5-3 hours
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead Start: Warner Valley Trailhead

Devil’s Kitchen is in a lesser-visited section of Lassen National Park. You won’t find any crowds but you will find just as stunning and unique scenery. Seventeen miles of the Pacific Crest Trail cuts through this area of the park and continues North. There are plenty of hiking trail options that begin from the Warner Valley Trailhead.

This hike as well as the following one was submitted by Kim Vawter, BFT’s former Community Manager, who hiked through the Drakesbad area of Lassen Volcanic National Park on her Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike.

Boiling Springs Lake

• Distance: 2.3 miles roundtrip
• Elevation: +250ft
• Time: 1 hour
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead Start: Warner Valley Trailhead

Another one of Lassen’s least visited trails is Boiling Springs Lake. Starting from the Warner Valley Trailhead, it’s an easy trail to a stunning lake with sulfur and “boiling” spots. This trail is mostly shaded and great for families.

Butte Lake-Snag Lake-Cinder Cone Backpacking Trip

• Distance: 12.4 miles roundtrip
• Elevation: +2,000 feet
• Time: 2-3 days
• Difficulty: Hard
• Trailhead Start: Cinder Cone Trailhead

Snag Lake is one of the lesser-visited lakes in Lassen Volcanic National Park. It’s not as impressive as its neighbors in the Clusters Lake loop, but it’s a lovely destination for hikers wanting to add extra mileage to their trip or to do an overnight backpacking trip in Lassen National Park. There are tons of backpacking trails in this area if you want to add on mileage or extra days. To learn how to plan a backpacking trip, click here.

This best hike in Lassen was submitted by Paulina Dao who is the author behind the website, Little Grunts. Paulina’s full trail report of her 3-day backpacking trip near Snag Lake can be found here. 

Terrace, Shadow & Cliff Lakes

• Distance: 3.3 miles roundtrip
• Elevation: +725 feet
• Time: 2 hours
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead Start: Paradise Meadow Trailhead

The Terrace, Shadow & Cliffs Lakes trail is one of the best hikes in Lassen Volcanic National Park with little effort. You only have to put in 3.3 round-trip miles with 725 of elevation gain, and you get three beautiful alpine lakes and some epic views of Mount Lassen. The trail starts from the Paradise Meadow trailhead parking left side the side of the road (heading north) and at the first junction, you hang a right towards the lakes. Not more than 20 minutes into the hike, you reach the first, Lake Terrace. The trail gradually descends through the lake basin, meaning you save the work for the trip home.

We had Cliff Lakes (and awesome surrounding views) all to ourselves, but found Shadow Lake far superior for swimming. I highly suggest bringing something to swim in, along with some lunch, to really make the most of this moderate hike.

Kings Creek Falls

• Distance: 2.7 miles roundtrip
• Elevation: +472ft
• Time: 1.5 hours
• Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
• Trailhead Start: King’s Creek Trailhead

One of the more popular trails in the park, Kings Creek Falls takes you through meadows and forest and down along a cliff with expansive views, until you reach the top of King Creek Falls. There is a nice overlook platform at the top of the falls, where you can get a nice photo. On the park website, they ask that people don’t go down to the base of the Falls.

The Falls sit in a narrow canyon and are quite pretty….but the real highlight of the trail is on the way back up.  When you get to the junction, you’ll want to make a loop for the best scenery. Hug the left towards the river and continue following the creek. Shortly after the junction, you’ll come to some steep rock stairs, right along a series of fast, flowing cascades. At the top, there’s a nice place to rest in the shade before you continue back to your car.

Ridge Lakes

• Distance: 2 miles roundtrip
• Elevation: +1,000 feet
• Time: 1 hour
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead Start: Sulphur Works Parking

Short and steep, you’ll climb 1000 feet in 1.1 miles to get to reach Ridge Lake (or Lakes depending on the water levels). Sitting in a rocky basin, this felt like a typical alpine lake in the Sierras. It’s totally swimmable, so come prepared if you want to dip. We only saw 3 other people on this hike. I think the elevation change scares many people away.

Other highlights of this hike were the abundance of wildflowers and the small black bear we saw both on the way up and back down.

Best Lassen National Park Resources

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Have you been hiking in Lassen Volcanic National Park? What trails would you like to explore? Leave a comment below!