Lassen Volcanic National park has one highway that runs through the park, with two visitor centers that function as entrances. Loomis Museum is the northwest entrance and Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center is the southwest entrance. Based on the stops on this field trip, I think the ideal starting point is the park's southwest entrance: the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center.

After driving to Kings Creek Falls Trailhead parking we’ll head out on foot down Twin Meadows/Rice Creek Trail which takes us to our next stop which is Cold Boiling Lake! At this point in the trip, it might be a good time to take a break after all the hiking to refuel and rest and Cold Boiling Lake is the perfect place to do just that. This lake is a little less traveled than other lakes that have similar geothermal features, so it’s a great place to experience nature without the crowds. 

As magma cools beneath the surface of the earth, it lets off gases that find their way out of the depths by any means possible. Beneath this small lake are cracks that allow an easy escape for the gases lurking beneath the park. This lake isn’t hot but it appears to be boiling as carbon dioxide gently bubbles up to the surface. 

After a refreshing lunch and fun activity of who can spot the most bubbles, we’ll get back on the road and head to Summit Lake Campground. 

At summit lake campground we’ll go down the first trail on our way to The Fantastic Lava Beds and Painted Dunes: Echo Lake/Twin Lakes Trail. We’ll hike past several lakes before we reach the next trails: Rainbow Lake to Nobles Trail, and then Butte Lake to Snag Lake Trail where we’ll finally see the beautiful Painted Dunes right next to one of the many volcanoes located in Lassen: Cinder Cone Volcano. 

As the name suggests, this is a cinder cone type of volcano that erupted mafic and andesitic lava around 350 years ago. The volcano’s ash and lava flows poured over the land destroying plant life for miles and even dammed up creeks which created two lakes that are still in the park. The Lava Beds at Lassen are the remains of this lava flow today. When looking at the Painted Dunes its hard to imagine that you're still on planet Earth because of the vivid pinks and reds against the black hardened lava flows. The vivid colors are actually fallen ash that landed on lava while it was still incredibly hot. The ash reacted to this heat similarly to what happens to a cut apple that's been left on a counter, by oxidizing into the colors we see today.

This will be the longest hike on the trip which is why on the way back there is the option of camping at Summit Lake Campground for the night and continuing on in the morning.

Chaos Crags GPS Coordinates: 40.5240° N, 121.5222° W 

Our next stop is Chaos Crags. Like the name suggests, this area is quite chaotic and difficult to hike at the highest elevation with no trails leading to the center. However it’s one of the most interesting parts of the park and the trail on this field trip will take us to a great view of the dormant volcano. On the way to this trail there is also another smaller trail off the side of the highway that leads to the Chaos Jumbles. Either stop is a great way to view the long lasting impacts of the violent eruptions that once took place at Lassen Volcanic NP, and take in the awesome reality that there is still activity in this park. Next we get back on Highway 89 and head to our last stop. 

As we head to Subway Cave, we’ll pass Red Lake Mountain, Table Mountain and many other peaks that line the highway. 20,000 years ago during a series of volcanic activities, lava flowed throughout the entire area. As it flowed, the lava that was exposed to the air cooled and hardened, protecting the molten lava from the elements and allowing it to continue flowing. Eventually, the lava reached its destination and left behind a long and empty lava tube that remains today. At this final stop on the trip we can actually get out and explore the lava tube.

As we head to Subway Cave, we’ll pass Red Lake Mountain, Table Mountain and many other peaks that line the highway. 20,000 years ago during a series of volcanic activities, lava flowed throughout the entire area. As it flowed, the lava that was exposed to the air cooled and hardened, protecting the molten lava from the elements and allowing it to continue flowing. Eventually, the lava reached its destination and left behind a long and empty lava tube that remains today. At this final stop on the trip we can actually get out and explore the lava tube.

Books: