Help power the National Parks Traveler’s coverage of national parks and protected areas.
As you drive along the park road, take note of the tall green trees and vegetation bordering one side of the road, and the charred skeletons of the same tree species on the other side of the road. This curving highway built between 1925 and 1934 acted as a "built-in firebreak" during the 2021 Dixie Fire, according to Park Superintendent Jim Richardson.
"Outstanding views of Lassen Peak are visible from highway turnouts near Kings Creek Upper Meadow. This meadow is frequently photographed in its vibrant seasonal colors from the snowy white of spring to the golden hues of fall.
After hiking the "heart-pumping" final 200 feet to the top of 750-feet tall Cinder Cone, you'll be greeted with a view of Cinder Cone's double-rimmed crater. Turn to face away from the crater view and you'll be rewarded with vistas including Lassen Peak, Painted Dunes, Snag Lake, Butte Lake, and the Fantastic Lava Beds.
Chaos Crags is a series of six, steep-sided dome volcanoes. That "jumble" of angular rock you see piled up all over the place is called, interestingly enough, the Jumbles, created from an avalanche off Chaos Crags that occurred 350 years ago. This huge avalanche occurred from three rock sloughings in rapid succession off of the northwestern face of Chaos Crags. In addition to leaving the sharp rocks through which the park road slices, the avalanche dammed Manzanita Creek to create Manzanita Lake.
Many national parks have a "painted" something. Petrified Forest National Park has its Painted Desert, and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument has its Painted Hills. Lassen Volcanic National Park has the Painted Dunes, which should be seen from the top of the Cinder Cone Trail for full effect. Created from pumice and ash that fell upon hot lava to oxidize into these eye-grabbing colors, the Painted Dunes are just part of an amazing vista that greets the intrepid hiker after a final 200-feet workout over loose volcanic gravel to reach the end of the trail at the top.
National Parks Traveler is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit.
Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.
Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.
You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.
