Hiking the Mill Creek Falls Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park
Distance: 3.5 miles / 5.6 km
The Mill Creek Falls Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park is a beautiful, lesser-known day hike at the very beginning of Lassen Peak Highway when entering the park from the south.
By this, I mean that the Mill Creek Falls Trail begins at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center—the southern visitor center off Lassen Peak Highway—but most who stop to learn about Lassen Volcanic often leave to continue up the scenic byway to much more popular sites, like Sulphur Works and Bumpass Hell, without even realizing Mill Creek Falls is right there!
This is what what makes the Mill Creek Falls Trail such a hidden gem compared to all the other, more popular trails farther up the road, and it’s why Mill Creek Falls is not a popular day hike in Lassen Volcanic National Park!
Mill Creek Falls Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Mill Creek Falls Trail is located at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center, about 5.4 miles (8.7 km) north of the Lassen Peak Highway junction in Mineral.
Google Maps Directions: Mill Creek Falls 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 Mill Creek Falls Trail
To get to the start of the Mill Creek Falls Trail, go right on the path that leads away from the visitor center.
When the path reaches this service road and the trail on the far side of the amphitheater, go straight to begin the Mill Creek Falls Trail.
Initially, the Mill Creek Falls Trail will descend about 150 ft. (46 m) to a bridge that crosses over West Sulphur Creek.
What’s most apparent when hiking south of Lassen Peak Highway is the severe devastation left from the 2021 Dixie Fire that tore through much of Lassen Volcanic National Park—devastation that will take many, many decades, if not centuries, to fully recover!
That said, coming to Lassen prepared to hike in what is typically a very sunny place is more important than ever, meaning I highly recommend traveling with a hooded sun shirt for Mill Creek Falls, among countless other day hikes throughout the park.
This is where the Mill Creek Falls Trail crosses over West Sulphur Creek.
After West Sulphur Creek, the Mill Creek Falls Trail simply traverses the hilly slopes of Diamond Peak, winding its way east toward the waterfall.
Along with a sun shirt, don’t forget to pack plenty of water for these hot and exposed trails in Lassen!
This is where the Mill Creek Falls Trail makes a hard turn to the east, beginning the hike up East Sulphur Creek Canyon.
This small, unnamed creek is a nice mental checkpoint on the hike to and from, as much of the Mill Creek Falls Trail can look the same!
This is just one of the many rolling hills along the base of Diamond Peak.
It’s hard not to love all the Lupine and other wildflowers throughout Lassen Volcanic National Park!
This is where the trail begins the final descent to Mill Creek Falls!
Mill Creek Falls
According to the National Park Service, Mill Creek Falls drops 75 ft. (23 m), making it the tallest waterfall in Lassen Volcanic National Park!
Now, what I will say, without going into detail, is that the bottom of Mill Creek Falls can be reached by those who are comfortable hiking off-trail. However, it is not responsible of me to share more information than that, as leaving the trail is truly at your own discretion.
After Mill Creek Falls, the trail continues further across both East Sulphur and Mill Creek.
This first bridge is where the Mill Creek Falls Trail crosses East Sulphur Creek above the waterfall.
Mill Creek Falls-Crumbaugh Lake Junction
The second bridge is where the trail crosses Mill Creek, and it’s where the Mill Creek Falls Trail ends and the Crumbaugh Lake Trail begins.
That said, I don’t recommend hiking to Crumbaugh Lake from this direction, because it’s a long 2.3-mile (3.7 km) one-way uphill hike, compared to a much easier adventure from the Kings Creek Trailhead on the other side.
To learn more about hiking to both Cold Boiling and Crumbaugh Lake from the Kings Creek Trailhead, click the link below to read all the details in my separate post.
Read My Separate Post: Cold Boiling–Crumbaugh Lake Trail
