Lassen Volcanic National Park

Location: Northern California
Duration: 3 days, 2 nights
Dates Hiked: June 22-24, 2018
Mileage: 27.64 miles
Camp: Snag Lake
Permit: Yes
Trailhead: Summit Lake North (loop)
Destinations: Echo Lake, Upper Twin Lake, Lower Twin Lake, Rainbow Lake, Snag Lake, Cinder Cone, Horseshoe Lake

Lassen was a dream! The views were dazzling and the memories priceless. This trip included many “firsts” for us. This was our first 3-day backpacking experience, our first time camping in a national park, and the first time eating my homemade dehydrated meals in the wilderness.

Lassen was actually our second ever backcountry excursion. I was initially drawn to Lassen because of its proximity and its no fuss permit process. Oh, and because it’s a majestic and underrated national park. I’m all about the underdog because it means less crowds and more untouched nature.

From the Bay Area, the park is roughly a 4-hour drive. Not too shabby for a weekend getaway. Obtaining overnight wilderness permits is a breeze and free. There are no quotas or lotteries. You just have to apply by email or in person at one of the park’s ranger stations. You can find complete permit info here.

I researched multi-day backpacking trips in Lassen and came across several. I married a few of these trips together and ended up with the following itinerary (map below for reference):

Day 1 - 9.64 miles
Start at Summit Lake North, camp at Snag Lake (stops at Echo Lake, Upper Twin Lake, Lower Twin Lake, and Rainbow Lake)
Day 2 - 6 miles
Hike to Cinder Cone from Snag Lake (camp at Snag Lake)
Day 3 - 12 miles
Return to Summit Lake North (stop at Horseshoe Lake)

Reko and I originally planned to visit in late May during Memorial Day Weekend. However, after I emailed our application, a park guide messaged me and advised us on road closures in May due to snow. Normally, the park highway is plowed and open to vehicle traffic sometime in late June. If we wanted to start from the Summit Lake area, we would probably need to start at another trailhead. Plus, the ranger warned:

Keep in mind that trails at the end of May will likely be snow covered or have large field of snow—especially around the Horseshoe Lake area. You will want a map and compass to help you navigate and something to help you get traction in the snow. There will also be lots of down trees along the routes and creek crossing will be around waist deep with the spring runoff.

Uhhhh. NOPE. So, after receiving this very detailed and cautionary notice, we decided to push back our trip to the end of June. (Btw, the park guide is such a saint for providing comprehensive info on road and trail conditions.) We received our official permit in the mail shortly after submitting a revised application with the June dates.

The night before our trip, we drove to Red Bluff and stayed at a hotel. That way, we could shower in the morning before we head out (I’m OCD and big on personal hygiene), and avoid driving 4 hours to get to the park. Instead, we drove under 1.5 hours that morning after devouring a big breakfast at the hotel.

Day 1: Summit Lake North to Snag Lake

When we arrived at the Summit Lake Ranger Station, we had to battle for parking. Luckily, a party was just exiting and we didn’t have to park on the side of the road. We got our packs out, stretched, and were on our way!

I literally felt like dying the moment we started because I didn’t take into account the higher elevation. I researched and prepared for this trip like no other (Type A personality so it’s in my blood). But I neglected to read up on acclimatization. We went from sea level to hiking at 7,000 ft elevation. I honestly wanted to turn back during the initial few miles. Plus, my pack was at least 35 pounds. It was so heavy, my shoulders and waist hurt days later. The straps of my sports bra dug into my skin and left painful red marks.

We camped at Snag Lake on our first night, and it was blissfully peaceful and solitary. I spotted one couple across the lake from us. The only other visitors we bumped into were deer. They were not intimidated by us and came right up to our tents!

We intended to move to another campsite/lake on our second night. However, when we woke up the next morning, we decided to stay put because we didn’t want to deal with packing/setting up camp again. We also had a very sweet campsite and we wanted to relish it.

Day 2: Cinder Cone

Our second day was going to be a chill one. We planned a 6-mile-RT hike to Cinder Cone, a cinder cone volcano (very self-explanatory). On our way to the volcano, we passed by Fantastic Lava Beds, and they were indeed, fantastic.

The climb to the summit of Cinder Cone was brutal. (Chill day my butt!) Imagine hiking at a 45 degree incline on volcanic ash (similar to loose gravel). We saw some young guys tackle this trail with their packs on. I would have died.

Once we reached the top, the views were sensational. Lassen Peak was spectacular and the Painted Dunes were enchanting. They literally resembled paintings. We explored the rim, ate lunch, snapped many photos, and finally headed back to our campsite.

We made the mistake of not bringing enough water—just one water bladder with 3L of water. Definitely not enough for two people on a rigorous and hot hike. Reko also drinks water like it’s air. Thus, we had to hike back to our camp without any water. It was a long 3 miles. After returning to Snag Lake, we relaxed in our hammock. Then, we filtered some water, made dinner, cleaned up, and crawled into our sleeping bags around 8pm.

Remember how our first night was pure delight? Well, the second night was a total 180. We had a few parties camping near our site. One group in particular did not know the rules of backcountry camping (or how to be courteous human beings). It was super obvious we were in our tents sleeping but these kids (I think they were in their early 20s) were being obnoxiously loud. They were trying to hide their bear canister in a tree close to our campsite, and they were joking and laughing like hyenas. Surprise! Bears are great climbers and putting your canister in a tree is a bad idea! AND WHY ARE YOU PLACING YOUR BEAR CANISTER SO CLOSE TO US???! Reko was irritated and he told them off (politely). He unzipped our tent, and yelled, “Excuse me, we’re trying to sleep so could you please keep it down?” And he even said “thank you”. Lol. Reminds me of the old man howling at the kids to get off his lawn. But it made me fall in love with him even more because those punks were extremely loud.

Day 3: Snag Lake to Summit Lake North

On the final day, we hiked 12 miles and I, again, felt like dying. The incline was relentless. We had to cross a rushing river and the only way to get to the other side was this huge fallen log that connected both banks. (Or, you can wade through the water by foot but we didn’t want to deal with getting our feet wet.) This makeshift bridge was not flat enough to walk across so we had to shimmy our way across on our butts WITH our heavy packs. Then, on the last mile, we had to trek through muddy meadows. And despite eating most of our food, my backpack still felt like a million pounds.

At last! I was never so happy and relieved to see our car at the parking lot. We threw out our trash and zoomed towards our first post-backcountry meal at our favorite ice cream spot: Fentons Creamery.

Notes:

As I previously mentioned, this trip was the first time I dehydrated an entire meal. I was testing out DIY dehydrated meals because I want to eat healthy on the trail, and control the ingredients that go into our food. Before our trip, I purchased a dehydrator from Amazon and scoured the interwebs for homemade dehydrated backpacking recipes. I ended up purchasing this dehydrator because it gets the job done and has a timer. I don’t dehydrate food regularly, only for backcountry meals, so I couldn’t justify dropping $$$$ for a fancy dehydrator. (I’m talking about you, Excalibur.) For the meal, I found a Thai chicken and rice recipe that I used as a blueprint and made several modifications. The end product was delish!
We fortunately left the park right as a bunch of wildfires ignited Northern CA. As we were driving back to the bay, we passed by Cal Fire trucks and crews on the highway, along with helicopters. The sky and air turned smoky and we saw actual blazes in the hills.
Keep Lassen wild: please observe Leave No Trace practices. Camp at least 100 ft from water and trails, and pack out human waste (no cat holes). Bear canisters are also mandatory.

The only real negative from Lassen (other than the mosquito bites, but that’s expected) was that Reko injured his ankle. He got Achilles tendinitis and his ankle prevented him from going to the gym and hiking for a couple of months. He wore a new pair of hiking boots for this trek. Although he did a few day hikes with these boots, the impact is starkly different when backpacking vs. day hiking. After a few doctor visits, we figured out the tendinitis was caused by insufficient padding with his insoles. I still secretly believe he got injured because he was weaker than me. (Kidding!)

Overall, it was a remarkable adventure. The trails were well marked and I was never worried about getting lost. The landscape is exquisite, with a mix of mountain scenery, tranquil lakes, sandy volcanic terrain, green meadows, and lush forest.