Hiking the Bathtub Lake Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park
Distance: 2.4 miles / 3.9 km
The Bathtub Lake Trail, commonly called the Bathtub Lake Loop Trail, in Lassen Volcanic National Park, is a beautiful and fairly easy day hike out of the Butte Lake District that leads hikers past not one, but three different lakes along the short loop.
That said, the best of these three is, without a doubt, Butte Lake—and I mention this because if you’re looking to do any fishing or swimming along the Bathtub Lake Trail, I recommend doing so somewhere over the first 0.9 miles (1.4 km) that parallel Butte Lake, because it is easily the most pristine of the three!
In any case, the Bathtub Lake Trail is a great alternative day hike to the much more popular Cinder Cone Trail, and it can make for a great—and not too long—trail run for those who are interested!
Bathtub Lake Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Bathtub Lake Trail is located in one of two places near the Butte Lake Ranger Station.
First, there is a parking area adjacent to Butte Lake and the Bathtub Lake Trailhead, or hikers can park in the much smaller lot that serves both the Cinder Cone Trail and Prospect Peak.
Before arriving, be aware that entrance fees are required to park and hike the Cinder Cone Trail, even though Butte Lake Road does not pass a National Park entrance booth. For this reason, it’s important to leave your entrance receipt or federal recreation pass visible in your vehicle before setting off—or, you risk receiving a citation upon return.
Google Maps Directions: Bathtub Lake Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Lassen Volcanic
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Lassen Volcanic National Park.
That said, bear spray is purposefully excluded from this list because, while the park is home to Black Bears, bear spray is not allowed in Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Hiking the Bathtub Lake Trail
The Bathtub Lake Trail can begin at one of two adjacent trailheads to begin hiking either side of the loop first.
However, I personally prefer to begin hiking counterclockwise along Butte Lake, which is the direction this article is written.
Initially, the Bathtub Lake Trail follows a fairly flat path, but this eventually changes as the loop approaches Butte Creek.
This is where the Bathtub Lake Trail starts to climb to the highest point on the loop, located just before Butte Creek.
Since the trees on the Bathtub Lake Trail do not provide much shade, I highly recommend wearing a hooded sun shirt to stay safe in the typically very sunny weather that is common during the summer months in Lassen.
This is the highest point of the entire Butte Lake Trail, and it’s where the loop begins the roughly 150 ft. (46 m) descent to Butte Creek below.
Some hikers may want to carry trekking poles for this short but steep descent.
Butte Creek
At the bottom of the steep descent, the Bathtub Lake Trail crosses over Butte Creek for the first of two separate times.
That said, this first crossing can be trickier than the second, as there is no bridge across the mouth of Butte Lake.
Bathtub Lake-Widow Lake Junction
Once on the other side, go left to continue on the Butte Lake Loop Trail, as the trail that goes right continues along Butte Lake to the south until it splits toward either Snag or Widow Lake.
After the Widow Lake junction, the Bathtub Lake Trail parallels Butte Creek for the next 0.5 miles (0.8 km) before it crosses back over to the other side again.
This stretch along Butte Creek was one of the most beautiful sections, in my opinion!
Butte Creek
This is the second and final time the Bathtub Lake Trail crosses Butte Creek.
However, compared to the first, there is a convenient bridge to walk over!
After the second Butte Creek crossing, the Bathtub Lake Trail begins to work its way toward Bathtub and Little Lake, about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) away from the second bridge.
For the most part, this second half of the loop is much flatter than the beginning sections along Butte Lake.
Bathtub Lake
This inconspicuous split in the trail is where hikers can leave the main loop to walk over and check out Bathtub Lake.
That said, the maintained Bathtub Lake Trail continues to the left, but to actually see Bathtub Lake, go right at this split to find the lake just off trail.
After Bathtub Lake, the loop will pass Little Lake, just 0.1 miles (0.2 km) up the next hill.
Little Lake
This much more obvious lake is Little Lake, and since Bathtub Lake is located off the main loop, it’s not uncommon for hikers to confuse this lake with Bathtub Lake, though it is prettier in my opinion!
After Little Lake, the Bathtub Lake Trail continues for another 0.4 miles (0.6 km) back to the alternative trailhead at Butte Lake.
Bathtub Lake Trailhead
Finally, after 2.4 miles (3.9 km), the Bathtub Lake Loop Trail returns to Butte Lake.
For those interested in other activities in the Butte Lake Ranger District beyond the Cinder Cone Trail and Prospect Peak, I could not recommend paddling or kayaking on Butte Lake more!
Getting out on the pristine, turquoise-blue waters of Butte Lake is, without a doubt, one of the best things to do in Lassen Volcanic National Park—and one of the best ways to enjoy a quiet, relaxing day away from the busier areas off Lassen Peak Highway.
