lassen national park must do's?

kanadary · 07-28-2010, 05:39 AM

anyone from northern CA been to lassen? i am heading there with the fam for a few days. what are the must do's?

scottmandue · 07-28-2010, 06:53 AM

Climb to the top! (I did)

tabs · 07-28-2010, 07:02 AM

Been there twice, once in the early 60's and once in the late 80's. One of my favs...just hang out and see the sights..if ya have time you can travel to Lava Beds National Monument.

ODDJOB UNO · ODDJOB UNO's Garage

pretend yer an INDIAN!

Laneco · 08:01 AM

If you are swinging through the Lava Beds Monument (which is a bit of a drive from Lassen as it is very near Alturas/Tulelake), then you REALLY don't want to miss the Petroglyphs. You can drive the car right to the base of the Petroglyph rock formation, directions to the site are included in your map of the Lava Beds Monument.

It is one of those places that no one tells you about, it's like a hidded-in-plain-view treasure. The 'glphys are probably 15 feet high and at least 250 or 300 feet long. A truly amazing site. With the wind-erosion from the reclaimed lake beds, these will probably disappear in our life-time.

See them while you can. In the Lava Beds, Skull Ice Cave and Golden Dome are two of my favorites. Remember to look UP in Golden Dome, it is aptly named.

angela

mikeatfhc · 07-28-2010, 08:15 AM

Don't forget to check out Burney Falls nearby.

911Freak · 07-28-2010, 08:46 AM

check out "Hot Rock" pretty cool story of the eruption and how far it spit that giant rock and how it was hot enough to fry eggs on for days (don't know why people use that term to describe how hot something is, but I digress)

Manzanita lake is cool, good fishing too

the lava landscape is very cool, looks like another planet!

kanadary · 07-28-2010, 12:11 PM

thanks for all the input. yes we will be heading to Lava Beds National Monument the day prior to lassen. i should have mentioned that i will have kiddies in tow, a 10 and 6 yr old so long hikes may be out of the question. i'll take a look at all these suggestions on the web to see where and how to get there. k

911Freak · 07-28-2010, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kanadary

thanks for all the input. yes we will be heading to Lava Beds National Monument the day prior to lassen. i should have mentioned that i will have kiddies in tow, a 10 and 6 yr old so long hikes may be out of the question. i'll take a look at all these suggestions on the web to see where and how to get there. k

Manzanita lake is small enough to walk around in an hour or two. Great opportunity for the kids to stretch their legs, learn a little about the local nature and if so inclined catch a fish! Very nice area

Have a happy and safe trip and return with pics for us

tabs · 07-28-2010, 12:37 PM

Yeah as a kid I sat in a boat all day on Manzanita trying to catch a fish...the cabins that were there back in the day were a neat way to stay there.

regency · regency's Garage

Make sure you hike to the top of Lassen, I've done it many times, pretty cool hike. The hike to Bumpas Hells is cool too.

notmytarga · notmytarga's Garage

A few days ago was perfect for the hike to the peak to watch the sunset and then walk down in the cooling moonlight. It is best to go a day or two after the fullest moon so that you get to enjoy the moonrise in the dark. Today the moon rises at 9:45 - It is pretty dark by then.

Close by, but outside the park just beyond Hat Creek & Old Station, is the Subway Caves or Lava Tubes. It is just north of the north junction of Hwy 44&89. It is on the way from Lava Beds and Burney Falls.
Nice Big cool caves that the kids will enjoy. Take jackets and flashlights - the caves are completely dark in places. Meander beyond the rails at the north end - lots of cave there too.