Hiking the Lassen Peak Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park
Distance: 5.0 miles / 8.0 km
The Lassen Peak Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park is a fun and fairly easy day hike for what hiking the southernmost Cascade summit and tallest peak in the park truly could be!
I say this because other, similar Cascade summits—like Mount Saint Helens—are much more challenging in comparison. However, Lassen Peak Highway, which cuts through the heart of the park, brings hikers up to a starting elevation of around 8,500 ft. (2,591 m), meaning the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) climb to the 10,457-ft. (3,187 m) summit really isn’t all that bad—so long as the trail is snow-free.
That said, the statement about the Lassen Peak Trail being snow-free is more of an important detail than it may initially seem, as both Lassen Volcanic and Crater Lake National Park are notorious for hanging onto their winter snowpacks much longer than most National Parks throughout the country.
I can also speak from experience, as I have climbed Lassen Peak under both full winter and full summer conditions—as shown here—to say that climbing the peak when there is no trail to be found can be exceptionally hazardous without the proper climbing equipment. To be clear, the winter season on Lassen Peak often extends through all of June and doesn’t transition into true summer conditions (which may still require micro-spikes) until mid-July.
All this to say, consider planning a trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park when you anticipate these highest elevations to be snow-free, as Lassen Peak is, without a doubt, the best all-around sunrise and sunset hike in the park!
Lassen Peak Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Lassen Peak Trail is located in a large parking area just off Lassen Peak Highway near the road summit.
Before arriving, know that Lassen Peak, along with Bumpass Hell just down the road, are two most of the popular day hikes in Lassen Volcanic National Park, which is why the parking area can be very busy.
In addition, this parking area can look very different from the full-summer conditions seen here, meaning that when Lassen Peak Highway is first plowed up to the trailhead—usually at some point in June—it’s not uncommon to be surrounded by 20 ft. (6.1 m) snowdrifts!
This is what I meant earlier about the park holding onto its heavy winter snowpack longer than many other National Parks throughout the country.
Google Maps Directions: Lassen Peak 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 Lassen Peak Trail
The Lassen Peak Trail begins on the north side of the parking area, where it ascends 43 switchbacks up the south side of Lassen Peak to the summit ridge, just below the caldera.
This is the first of the 43 switchbacks to the summit ridge, with the lower ones being the longest while gradually getting shorter as the trail climbs higher.
As the photo below clearly shows, tree line does not climb very high up Lassen Peak, which is why I highly recommend hiking the trail in a hooded sun shirt—especially for a midday adventure like this!
Vulcan’s Eye
From this spot, the Vulcan’s Eye—a natural rock formation on one of the large outcroppings of Lassen Peak—can be seen on a clear day.
This is where the Hemlock and Whitebark Pine trees noticeably begin to thin, as the taller overhead trees disappear almost entirely about 1.0 mile (1.6 km) into the hike.
What feels different about the Lassen Peak Trail, compared to other summits like the 14ers in Colorado, is that from very low on the mountain, the summit always feels fairly close!
In comparison, to achieve a similar view on most Colorado mountains, like Blanca Peak, you have to climb constantly over many miles to achieve the same feeling that the summit isn’t all that far away.
This is the last of the overstory trees on the Lassen Peak Trail, which is why I want to again stress the importance of wearing a good sun shirt for the climb, as it can be useful here and on countless other day hikes in Lassen Volcanic.
The photos taken on this hike were from a late-July ascent up Lassen Peak, but if I had chosen to visit the park any earlier in the season, microspikes—if not crampons—would almost certainly have been necessary.
This is why it’s important to plan a visit to Lassen Volcanic intentionally in order to arrive prepared for the current conditions, given the short summer season.
The peak in the distance is Brokeoff Mountain—the best summit, in my opinion, to see all of Lassen Peak, especially at sunset!
In my opinion, the vast majority of the near-constant ascent isn’t all that bad, considering the summit only rises to a little over 10,000 ft. (3,048 m).
It’s always great to see the different Lupine species across the Mountain West!
The 10th switchback is where the switchbacks on the Lassen Peak Trail start to become a lot shorter and closer together, meaning that, for those counting, the journey to 43 switchbacks will mentally start to move much quicker!
It’s worth noting that during the early summer months, these nice steps up the mountain are typically nowhere to be found, hidden under the deep snow that blankets Lassen Peak until early to mid-July.
These photos are a great example of how short the switchbacks up Lassen Peak become!
In addition to a sun shirt and micro-spikes, some hikers may prefer to carry trekking poles for the constant uphill and downhill, as there are nearly no flat sections on the relatively short 2.5-mile (4.0 km) Lassen Peak Trail.
This cliff face in the distance is a great mental indicator when climbing Lassen Peak, as the top of the cliff is where the trail reaches the uppermost switchbacks, with only 0.5 miles (0.8 km) left to reach the summit.
This switchback, located directly beneath the cliff face mentioned previously, is the last before the trail works its way to the top and the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) trail marker below the summit.
The highest point straight ahead in the distance is the true summit of Lassen Peak, which is nice, knowing that there are no false summits!
With just 0.5 miles (0.8 km) before the summit, the Lassen Peak Trail begins the uppermost 12 switchbacks below the summit ridge, which may sound like a lot but, in reality, they move very fast!
This is where the Lassen Peak Trail passes above 10,000 ft. (3,048 m).
This is the 43rd and final switchback up Lassen Peak, and it’s where the Lassen Peak Trail gains the summit ridge, about 0.25 miles (0.4 km) away from the top.
Just below the summit, the Lassen Peak Trail passes this section where hikers can learn all about Lassen Peak, the California Tortoiseshell butterfly migration, and much more!
Once again, these photos were taken in late July, following an average snow season, which hopefully shows just how much snow the mountain holds onto throughout the hotter months.
As the Lassen Peak Trail nears the summit, it begins the steepest section of the entire hike.
That said, there is one central trail to follow here, but this is typically where hikers begin to spread out onto whatever may seem like the easiest path—especially when the summit is covered in snow during the early summer months.
This is the view looking toward the summit caldera, which can be explored either on the way up or down from the summit.
Lassen Peak
This is the summit of Lassen Peak, which, according to the National Park Service, stands at approximately 10,457 ft. (3,187 m).
Lassen Peak is also the southernmost Cascade summit of the 700-mile (1,127 km) Cascade Mountain Range that extends from British Columbia to northern California, with the Lassen and Plumas National Forests leading into the start of the Sierra Nevadas about 30 miles (48.3 km) to the south, near Lake Almanor.
If you plan to explore more of Lassen National Park beyond the things to do off Lassen Peak Highway, it’s worth noting that Warner Valley, just outside Chester and Lake Almanor, is a great place—and a great lake town—to explore while staying in the area.
*Coming Soon*
