Lassen Volcanic National Park 

Our 45th National Park on days 17 & 18 of our summer road trip.  Lassen was such an unexpected hidden gem to us even though it has been a National Park since 1916.  We arrived late in the afternoon the first day and rode bicycles, cooked dinner, and enjoyed an evening around the campfire.  Drew, Ben and I played Navy Bridge and Phase 10 before bedtime.

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Lassen NP

Campfire 2

Kings Creek Falls Trail

We left the campground at 9:30 on Saturday morning and drove to the parking lot for Kings Creek Falls. There we hiked down through the Kings Creek Meadows and forest before dropping steeply down to the cascades and falls.  The hike was a beautiful 3 mile trek.

 

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Kings Creek Falls - our destination!  

After hiking back UP to the parking area, we took Drew and headed deeper into the park to check out some other sights while the Findleys and Lukes returned to the campground.  

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Look at those strong boys rolling that rock!

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“The park contains eight hydrothermal areas.  The roaring fumaroles, thumping mud pots, boiling pools, and steaming ground in these areas are produced when water is heated by magna three miles underground.  These features are related to active volcanism and are indications of the ongoing potential for further eruptions.”  (From the park guide)

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Boiling Mud Pots located at the Sulphur Works, the park’s most accessible hydrothermal area

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Steam escaping from the earth

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High above the snow is the Lassen Volcano

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On the way back to the campground two bear cubs crossed the road right in front of us!

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Manzinita Lake

In the evening Tom and I hiked around the Manzinita Lake next to our campground. This trail was mostly flat and only two miles.  I was able to take this picture of Lassen Peak reflecting in the lake.

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Trip Statistics

  • Miles driven in the motorhome -  2,698; miles driven in the car 645; total miles driven 3,423 miles
  • We camped at the Manzinita Lake Campground for only $13 a night. Total trip campground cost of $604.16
  • We purchased gas at $3.939 a gallon for $106.87.  For a trip total of $1307.01