Lassen Volcanic National Park
What better way to spend Independence Day than at one of California’s great national parks?
Lassen Volcanic National Park, located only two hours north of Seal Dove Hacienda is one of America’s most underrated National Parks! Sure, the magnificent El Capitan of Yosemite National Park or breathtaking South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park certainly have validated their place among America’s most visited National Parks, but oh my, with only half a million visitors estimated annually, this park falls at #41 out of 63.
While we enjoyed the peace and quite of the space not being overcrowded, we found it to be one of the most absolutely beautiful and dynamic national parks with exploration after exploration and still can’t believe so many forgo this on their bucket list so we put together a list of our favorite spots below to inspire making it a must visit for more!
Coming from Seal Dove Hacienda, we entered LNP through through the south entrance and enjoyed our first stop at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee visitor center. A wonderful leetle oasis of fun facts and of course National Park passport stations, our favorite part had to be the impressive lookout space constructed behind the center. From this point you can make out Mt. Dillon on the left and Point Pinnacle to the right!
Just a short drive from the visitor center is Sulphur Works, instantly noticed by the rotten egg scent that permeates the air and immediately gets attention. While there is an easy, 0.4 mile out-and-back tail trail that you can enjoy, there was enough to take in seconds from the visitor parking! The most exciting experience for us was taking in the 5 ft wide boiling mudpot that is part of the ancient volcano called Mt. Tehama. Hard to believe this volcano used to tower over 11,000 feet high half a million years ago.
Quite conveniently, we happened upon Emerald Lake, right across from some side-of-road parking for our most anticipated experience of the day - Bumpass Trail!
Bumpass Hell Trail proved to be one of the most epic hikes we’ve ever had and without a doubt, A MUST! This 3-mile round trip hike is moderate and includes some exciting inclines at 8,200-8,400 feet. It can take about two to three hours, depending on how distracted you get and let us tell you… getting distracted by the awe-inspiring views around every bend is VERY easy to do! We took our time and are happy we did!
While we wanted to get in the King’s Creek Trail hike that leads to a majestic waterfall and the one-of-a-kind Cinder Cone Trail which really immerses you in the volcanic scape, our day was reaching an end, and we wanted to be sure to appropriately explore Manzanita Lake.
Very well known for its postcard worthy views, Manzanita Lake is home to one of the park’s best campgrounds! Equipped with heated bathrooms, showers and a wonderful convenience and gift store, we made ourselves at home and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring on foot. By night, we nestled around the campfire and started planning our next great adventure to this beautiful national park!
-🧡Seal + Dove
