Hiking the Cold Boiling-Crumbaugh Lake Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park
Distance (RT to Cold Boiling Lake): 1.4 miles / 2.3 km
Distance (RT to Both Lakes): 2.8 miles / 4.5 km
The Cold Boiling Lake Trail and Crumbaugh Lake Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park are two separate day hikes that are often combined into one longer adventure.
This is because the Cold Boiling Lake Trail is the most practical option to reach Crumbaugh Lake, as opposed to the Mill Creek Falls Trail from the other direction, which adds about 1.8 miles (2.9 km) to the hike each way.
That said, I personally believe Cold Boiling Lake is the highlight between the two, but if you’re up for a slightly longer adventure, continuing farther to Crumbaugh Lake only adds about 0.7 miles (1.1 km) to the hike each way.
Cold Boiling-Crumbaugh Lake Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Cold Boiling–Crumbaugh Lake Trail is located at the Kings Creek Trailhead, not to be confused with the Kings Creek Falls Trailhead, which is located just down Lassen Peak Highway on the other side of the meadow.
Google Maps Directions: Cold Boiling-Crumbaugh 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 Cold Boiling-Crumbaugh Lake Trail
The Cold Boiling–Crumbaugh Lake Trail begins on the Cold Boiling Lake Trail for the first 0.7 miles (1.1 km), where it reaches a junction at Cold Boiling Lake with the path that continues farther to Crumbaugh Lake.
What’s immediately obvious when beginning the Cold Boiling Lake Trail is the severe fire scar left from the 2021 Dixie Fire, which consumed at least half of Lassen Volcanic National Park!
That being said, I think it’s sad to know that much of Lassen won’t ever look the same in our lifetimes, or at least won’t recover with overstory trees for decades to come.
Lupine like this, and usually Aspen trees, are typically the first species to recover following catastrophic wildfires, like the 2021 Dixie Fire.
Since there is very little shade in the worst of the burn zones throughout Lassen, I highly recommend wearing a hooded sun shirt, which can be particularly useful when spending a lot of time outdoors at these higher elevations.
Cold Boiling Lake-Twin Meadows Junction
With about 0.25 miles (0.4 km) before reaching Cold Boiling Lake, the trail splits with the Twin Meadows Trail.
Essentially, the Twin Meadows Trail is a connector that heads south toward Twin Meadows and the park boundary, with the Lassen National Forest beyond.
That said, go straight (right) at this split to continue toward both Cold Boiling and Crumbaugh Lake.
Cold Boiling Lake-Crumbaugh Lake Junction
After 0.7 miles (1.1 km), the Cold Boiling Lake Trail reaches the beginning of the Crumbaugh Lake Trail.
Once here, go right to walk over to Cold Boiling Lake, just a few steps away!
Cold Boiling Lake (Bumpass Hell Junction)
Cold Boiling Lake is the end of the hike in this direction, unless you plan to continue farther to Bumpass Hell.
However, just like Crumbaugh Lake via Mill Creek Falls, Bumpass Hell is significantly longer when beginning from this direction, as it adds about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) to the Bumpass Hell Trail each way.
Read My Separate Post: Bumpass Hell Trail
To see the gases bubbling up from Cold Boiling Lake, look closely at this smaller pond just to the left of the bigger lake.
Cold Boiling Lake-Crumbaugh Lake Junction
Once back at the junction just before Cold Boiling Lake, go right to continue farther to Crumbaugh Lake, or left to return to the Kings Creek Trailhead.
Crumbaugh Lake Trail
For the most part, the Crumbaugh Lake Trail is very similar to the Cold Boiling Lake Trail in both terrain and distance.
I mention this because deciding to continue farther to Crumbaugh Lake should really come down to distance—asking yourself whether you’d rather hike 1.4 miles (2.3 km) roundtrip to Cold Boiling Lake or double it and hike 2.8 miles (4.5 km) to see both.
It really is nice to see that not every section burned in the 2021 Dixie Fire!
This is where Crumbaugh Lake can be seen for the first time through the trees!
Crumbaugh Lake-Mill Creek Falls Junction
This is where the Crumbaugh Lake Trail leaves the trail that continues to Mill Creek Falls.
That said, I personally don’t recommend hiking to Mill Creek Falls from this direction, because it’s unnecessarily longer than starting from the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center off Lassen Peak Highway.
In any case, go left at this junction to continue to Crumbaugh Lake, about 0.2 miles (0.3 km) away.
Read My Separate Post: Mill Creek Falls Trail (Coming Soon)
This is where the Crumbaugh Lake Trail starts to become very marshy, meaning it may be difficult to hike all the way to the water without soaking your shoes!
However, carrying trekking poles can be very helpful to navigate some of the muddiest sections just ahead.
It’s worth noting that the plant species shown here is highly toxic to both humans and animals and should be avoided wherever it’s found—typically in wet, marshy areas like this and along other day hikes across Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Crumbaugh Lake
This is Crumbaugh Lake, and this is as close as I could get to the shoreline without completely submerging my shoes in water and mud!
However, if you come prepared with the proper gear, there are some good local fishing reports for Crumbaugh Lake, though I cannot confirm this for myself!
