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Lassen offers a little bit of everything. You could bag Lassen summit by midmorning, hike to the sulfur and hot springs in midday...

MT. LASSEN, CA

Dave
2004-02-21 15:07:04

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at the edge of these lava flows. Only after you reach the top of cinder cone will you see how extensive these flows actually are. At close up range these flows will be composed of large sharp looking black volcanic rocks. When you view these flows from afar they will look like many small black hills winding their way over the landscape.

Once you get close to the cinder cone you will be struck with how stark it looks. It is composed of pure cinders and rises out of nowhere like an alien organism that has been temporarily transported to a foreign landscape. You will be lucky if you can spot the several trees or bushes growing on its sides. Geologists have estimated that its age as well as the age of the nearby lava flows to be around 3 to 400 years old. Depending on the time of the year, as you walk this cinder cone trail you may run into geology classes coming to this area to conduct studies. Fall is a good time for this. If you do meet a class try to hang out and listen to the professor; it is a good way to learn about the fascinating geology of this wonderful park. I have met classes from several Junior Colleges throughout the state as well as classes from Chico State University.

If you think the trail leading to the cinder cone is bad because of the difficulty walking on the cinders, wait until you have to ascend and descend the cinder cone. The side trail takes off from the main trail and climbs up the cone. The trail winds straight up the side and only makes one switchback by the time it reaches the crest of the cone at 6,907 feet. If you were hiking on solid ground the steepness wouldn't matter as much. However, you are hiking on small cinders and for one step forward you take about three backwards. This hike is a lesson in patience!

Once you reach the top you will be richly rewarded with natures splendor. I highly recommend doing this hike just before sunset. From the top you have a 360 degree view. You can see Mount Lassen in the distance, the lava flows, several lakes created by the lava flows, the painted desert. The painted desert is a brilliantly hued landscape created from the different colors in the cinders created by the volcanic activity. Also notice the many depressions that are present in the cinders at and around the base of the cinder cone. These were formed from volcanic bombs, or hot rock magma that was spewed from the cinder cone during its eruption. There are several concentric rings that make up the inside of the cone. At a leisurely pace you will be able to hike around the cinder cone in about 20 minutes. Then once you have viewed the scenery from above take one of the trails that lead down into the cone to the next circular level. Think of a funnel with several different levels present inside. This is the shape of the cinder cone. From the second level you can take a trail that descends deep into the heart of the cone. From the top level of the cone you can't see the bottom. From the second level this trail that leads to the bottom looks like an hour round trip hike. Trust me, this is an optical allusion. You can be on the bottom in about 5 minutes, and back up in about 10. If you have never spent a night in the heart of a volcanic cinder cone this would be your chance. The bottom of the cone stretches maybe 15 feet in diameter, and the rocks are larger here then any of the other cinders/rocks elsewhere on the cone. Just don't stay too long or you may become warmed by the magma. Just joking, the cone is currently dormant.

Coming back down the trail is fun. You sort of slide and jump and let the cinders carry you down. Now instead of taking one step forward and sliding back three, you take one step and slide ahead for about 4 or 5 steps.