Lassen National Park - the "invisible
park" is in the northern part of the "lost Sierras". The
great combination of these two words in the same sentence, invisible and
lost, makes for an incredible crowd-less getaway destination, even on popular American
holidays such as Memorial Day weekend in May and Labor Day weekend in
September.
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Lassen offers a little bit of everything. You could bag Lassen summit by midmorning, hike
to the sulfur and hot springs in midday, go spelunking in the afternoon, and end your day
by hiking to the top of an extinct cinder cone. Lassen is full of variety, both geological
and natural. Unlike other National Parks Lassen is still relatively uncrowded and
unspoiled. Lassen sits at the northern end of what is often referred to as the "Lost
Sierra", even though technically Lassen is not part of the Sierra
Nevadas. The
"Lost Sierra" loosely means that this part of the Sierra Nevadas
do not get the crowds and visitors that other parts of the Sierras
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such as Yosemite National Park,
Lake Tahoe, and the Mt. Whitney area. Mount Lassen is actually the largest plug dome
volcano in the world. This means that magma wells up deep inside the mountain and becomes
plugged which causes great pressure to build up, which eventually results in dramatic
explosions.
Lassen National Park covers about 106,000 acres. There are several other relatively tall
mountains besides the 10,457 foot Lassen Peak. Prospect Peak is 8,338, and Mount Harkness
is 8,045. Both of these mountains are volcanoes and there are trails leading to both
summits.
Mount Lassen has remained quiet ever since a huge eruption in 1915. After the main
eruption volcanic activity continued until 1921. If you enter the park from the south side
coming from Red Bluff notice the large slightly sloping valley that is near the entrance
station. This valley is sitting where the great Mount Tehama used to be. This former giant
volcano has been projected to have been above 12,000 feet in elevation. Glaciers and
hydrothermal activity led to the demise of this large mountain.
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