Hiking the Terrace, Shadow, & Cliff Lakes Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park
Distance: 3.8 miles / 6.1 km
Elevation Change: ~700 ft. / 213 m
The Terrace, Shadow, and Cliff Lakes Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park is one day hike that leads to three beautiful alpine lakes just below Lassen Peak!
It is for this reason that the Terrace, Shadow, and Cliff Lakes Trail is one of my favorite day hikes in Lassen Volcanic—especially because each lake is better than another for a different reason.
By this, I mean that I personally think Terrace Lake is the most beautiful of the three, but Shadow Lake, for example, is better for swimming.
This is why I highly recommend hiking the Terrace, Shadow, and Cliff Lakes Trail with the intention of reaching all three lakes, as this trail—along with the Ridge Lakes Trail—is one of the two best day hikes in Lassen Volcanic National Park for enjoying the highest-elevation lakes that surround Lassen Peak.
Terrace, Shadow, & Cliff Lakes Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Terrace, Shadow, and Cliff Lakes Trail is located directly off Lassen Peak Highway, about 1.7 miles (2.7 km) down the road from the road summit near the Lassen Peak Trailhead.
When getting ready for the hike or returning, be careful around the parking area, as it’s not uncommon for cars to drive faster than they should—not realizing they’re approaching a trailhead around a blind corner.
Google Maps Directions: Terrace, Shadow, & Cliff Lakes 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 Terrace, Shadow, & Cliff Lakes Trail
The Terrace, Shadow, and Cliff Lakes Trail is an almost all-downhill trail.
This is why I posted the elevation change above, as the trail loses about 700 ft. (213 m) from the trailhead off Lassen Peak Highway to Cliff Lake.
These beginning sections start off gradual, but the hike eventually gets steeper the closer it gets to Terrace Lake.
Terrace, Shadow, & Cliff Lakes-Paradise Meadows Junction
After just 0.2 miles (0.3 km), the Terrace, Shadow, and Cliff Lakes Trail reaches the first of two junctions on the hike.
That said, go right at this first split, as the Paradise Meadows Trail on the left is simply a connector between this and the short trail to Hat Lake on the other side.
Some hikers may want to carry trekking poles for the near-constant downhill to both Terrace and Shadow Lake.
In addition to poles, don’t forget to wear a hooded sun shirt for the typically very sunny weather during the best and most beautiful months to travel to Lassen Volcanic.
When the Terrace, Shadow, and Cliff Lakes Trail reaches this switchback, it’s a nice sign that Terrace Lake is just around the corner!
Terrace Lake
Terrace Lake is the first and smallest of the three lakes, but, in my opinion, it’s the most scenic—especially when the wind is calm, and beautiful photos can be taken reflecting the cliffs above.
Lassen Peak is hardly visible from Terrace Lake, but the best views are shortly ahead, where the trail reaches the southeast side of Shadow Lake.
After a quick uphill section when leaving Terrace Lake, the trail continues downhill toward Shadow Lake, which can be seen through the trees almost immediately after beginning the descent!
It really doesn’t take long for the views of Shadow Lake to open up!
Terrace, Shadow, & Cliff Lake Trail
Shadow Lake
Once at the bottom of the hill, the trail wraps around the south side of Shadow Lake, where a split can be found near the outlet that leads to the most popular swimming area on the west side.
The west side of Shadow Lake is where the best views of Lassen Peak can be found!
This split leaves the main Terrace, Shadow, and Cliff Lakes Trail toward the most popular swimming spot along the west side of Shadow Lake.
However, to stay on the correct trail toward Cliff Lake, go right at this unmarked junction.
After Shadow Lake, the descent becomes much more gradual, which continues all the way to Cliff Lake.
The unnamed peak in the distance is a good visual indicator of how much is left to hike, as it sits directly above Cliff Lake.
This is where I came across a Black Bear just off the trail.
That said, I think it’s important to mention once again that bear spray is not allowed in Lassen Volcanic National Park, which follows the same rules as Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Park.
Apart from one short hill straight ahead, the Terrace, Shadow, and Cliff Lakes Trail becomes much flatter for the rest of the hike to Cliff Lake.
This is the one short hill just before Cliff Lake.
Cliff Lake-Summit Lake Junction
With about 0.2 miles (0.3 km) left before reaching Cliff Lake, the trail splits one last time, with the connector trail that leads out toward Summit Lake.
Here, go right and Cliff Lake will start to become visible through the trees just a short distance ahead.
Read My Separate Post: Summit Lake Trail (Coming Soon)
Cliff Lake
After roughly 1.8 miles (2.9 km) the trail reaches the beginning of Cliff Lake, where it continues for another 0.1 miles (0.2 km) as it wraps around toward the mountain side of the lake, similar to the Ridge Lakes Trail.
This is where the trail around Cliff Lake ends, near a small stream that flows down from Reading Peak to the west.
