Blogs from Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, United States, North America

We had to leave early Saturday morning for the official start of the grandkids trip. We drove away from Long Ranch at 7 a.m. and headed for Redding to meet up with our grandsons. We met our grandsons’ mom and had a nice visit with her. We were happy to see our grandsons as well, as we had not seen them for a few weeks. Our plan had changed slightly when we realized we were closer to Reno then we originally thought. We decided to stop at Lassen National Park. We got into the park and were told that this was the Dark Sky Festival, a once a year festival and that the park was full. This park is certified as a “Dark Sky” park. https://www.nps.gov/lavo/planyourvisit/dark-sky.htm We decided to try to get a campsite anyway, but ... read more

This morning I'm enjoying my coffee by getting Arya to find the biggest pinecone she can find. She kicked, thrashed and flailed all night long, so I ended sleeping horizontal under the two of them instead of all of us vertical with an Arya sandwich. I love sleeping in tents, though. Also, this morning, I discovered the second thing we forgot to pack, the pancake mix. Eggs and bacon morning it is! Since most of the park was inaccessible due to heavy snow pack, we drove 1.5hr down the mountain and back up to the southwest park entrance. There we were able to check out the big new visitors center and atleast drive up as far as the Sulphur Works. Even though the road was closed past that point, they still allowed visitors to HIKE or ... read more

Keeping it local this time. It feels like it’s been forever since our last trip! August 25, 2016, marked the 100thbirthday for the National Parks Service. We joined the celebration and took advantage of the fee-free weekend, woohoo! Within 4-hr drive from home, I’ve been to Yosemite and Sequoia NP multiple times. Lassen NP was totally under-the-radar. I’m not sure if it falls under the shadow of the fame of Mt. Shasta nearby. Now that we’ve decided to check it out, I started seeing more articles about Lassen being one of the most underrated NPs! I looked into the camping situation and hiking trails. Camp sites are walk-in for the most part, although selected locations have reservable sites. By the time we decided on Lassen, all reservable sites were booked for Friday/Sat nights. We will leave ... read more

Bumpass Hell in Lassen National Volcanic Park. We had to go there on the strength of the name alone! The firefighters beat us to breakfast at the hotel, which was hardly worth bothering with anyway. We set off for Lassen, which encompasses Mount Lassen, a volcano which last erupted in 1914, and encompasses areas of both wilderness and geothermal activity. The temperature in Redding was already well into the 80s, but as we climbed up towards the park, it fell until it was down to the mid 60s. Hmm - had we brought a sweater, were we - implausibly - going to be cold? We drove straight to Bumpass, as the car park is small and fills up fast. You need to trek for about 45 minutes to Bumpass, which is an area of geothermal activity ... read more

Had some great riding along the pacific coast, looking much like the photographs. The infamous mist would come and go along with dramatic temperature changes, before returning to the bright blue skies again, although keeping a brisk breeze, perfect in the sun. Crossed back into California. Found a campsite in the Redwood National park, but balked at being charged $35 for the night, but paid up in a gripey manner that we brits do so well (or is that just us?) Drove and then went on a short walk through a part of the forest, these trees really do need to be seen, they are astounding, and we managed to pick a time when there was no one else about, late on a sunny afternoon when the light was beginning to fade and a real peace ... read more