Crags Lake, Mill Creek Falls, and Terminal Geyser © Russell Virgilio/NPS
You can see alpine lakes and peer up at Lassen Peak from your driver’s seat, but it’s impossible to truly appreciate the park with your hands gripping a steering wheel. Visitors determined to explore the park to the fullest must strap on a pair of hiking boots and hit the trails. Two of the most popular ones are Lassen Peak and Bumpass Hell, both located along Main Park Road. If you can arrange a shuttle, or plant a bicycle, it’s possible to hike to Southwest Campground from Bumpass Hell by combining the Bumpass Hell, Cold Boiling Lake, and Mill Creek Falls Trails. Together they offer a wide variety of scenery including mudpots, hot springs, fumaroles, a boiling lake, and a waterfall. Bumpass Hell looks, feels, and smells like a miniature Yellowstone.
Other popular trails along Main Park Road include Brokeoff Mountain, Devastation, and Manzanita Lake. The best locations for peaceful hiking lie beyond Main Park Road at Warner Valley, Juniper Lake, and Butte Lake. These locations provide plenty of solitude as you walk among a pristine wilderness filled with conifer forests and perfectly clear alpine lakes. If you have to choose just one area go with Juniper Lake. It has a denser network of trails that allows hikers to assemble looped routes of varying distances.
Southwest Entrance
Trail Name | Trailhead (# on map) | Length (Roundtrip distances) | Difficulty/Notes
Brokeoff Mountain | 0.25 mi south of SW Entrance (1) | 7.0 miles | Strenuous • Steep trail to summit, excellent views
Mill Creek Falls | Southwest Parking Area (2) | 4.6 miles | Moderate • Hike through forest to falls overlook
Ridge Lakes | Sulphur Works Parking Area (3) | 2.0 miles | Strenuous • Up a ridge, through a ravine to alpine lakes
Bumpass Hell (favorite) | Bumpass Hell Parking Area (4) | 3.0 miles | Moderate • Boardwalk through a hydrothermal area
Hiking to Lassen Peak
Lassen Peak (favorite) | Lassen Peak Parking Area (5) | 5.0 miles | Strenuous • Hike up mountain slope of loose rock
Terrace, Shadow, and Cliff Lakes | 21 mi from NW Entrance (6) | 3.4 miles | Moderate • Great trail to view Lassen Peak
Cold Boiling Lake | Kings Creek Picnic Area (7) | 1.4 miles | Easy • Pass through forest to a bubbling lake
Kings Creek Falls | Kings Creek Falls Trailhead (8) | 3.0 miles | Moderate • Meadows, forest, flowers, and falls
Northwest Entrance
Echo Lake | Summit Lake Ranger Station (9) | 4.4 miles | Moderate • Forested hike to lake with views of Lassen Peak
Paradise Meadow | Hat Lake Parking Area (10) | 2.8 miles | Moderate • Cross creeks (footbridges) to talus cliff lined meadow
Devastated Area | Devastated Parking Area (11) | 0.5 mile | Easy • Interpretive trail discusses past eruptions
Lily Pond | Across from Loomis Museum (12) | 0.75 mile | Easy • Nature trail with interpretive brochures
Manzanita Creek | Manzanita Lake Road, Campground, and Picnic Area (13) | 7.0 miles | Moderate • Switchbacks lead to a meadow along creek
Manzanita Lake (favorite) | Manzanita Lake Road, Campground, and Picnic Area (13) | 1.5 miles | Easy • Flat trail around lake, bird watchers’ delight
Chaos Crags and Crags Lake | Manzanita Lake Road, Campground, and Picnic Area (13) | 4.0 miles | Moderate • Lake is often dry in summer
Butte Lake
Cinder Cone | Butte Lake Parking Area (14) | 4.0 miles | Strenuous • Pass lava beds and painted dunes
Prospect Peak | Spur from Cinder Cone | 6.6 miles | Strenuous • Forested trail to rim of shield volcano
Warner Valley
Devil’s Kitchen | North of Warner Valley Campground on Warner Valley Road (15) | 4.2 miles | Moderate • Mudpots, steam vents, and fumaroles
Boiling Springs Lake | North of Warner Valley Campground on Warner Valley Road (15) | 1.8 miles | Easy • Mudpots, wildflowers, birds, and a 125°F lake
Terminal Geyser | North of Warner Valley Campground on Warner Valley Road (15) | 5.8 miles | Moderate • Not an actual geyser, a fumarole & steam
Juniper Lake
Mount Harkness | Juniper Lake Campground (16) | 3.8 miles | Strenuous • Fire lookout provides wonderful views
Crystal Lake | Juniper Lake Campground (16) | 0.8 mile | Easy • Short trail to a small tarn in a rocky basin
Inspiration Point (favorite) | Juniper Lake Picnic Area (17) | 1.4 miles | Moderate • Views of the park’s prominent peaks
Horseshoe Lake | Juniper Lake Picnic Area (17) | 2.8 miles | Easy • Gentle trail to a good fishing hole