Artemesia's Serendipitous Travels

The power and mystery of volcanoes have always fascinated me. That’s why I always wonder why potentially active volcanoes in California are not on the radar for most people. Northern California is home to many volcanoes, including the giants Mt. Shasta and Mt. Lassen. Lassen’s last eruption occurred in 1914.

Lassen National Park area actually consists of 30 volcanoes with all four types represented: plug dome, cinder cone, shield and stratovolcano (composite). The park also contains areas of bubbling mud pots, steam fumaroles and a plethora of unique visual landscapes. What struck me are neither an explosion of colors, nor dramatic heights nor torrential waterfalls, but the complete unfamiliarity of the landscape. It was unworldly and totally out of bounds of my previous travels.

If you enjoy new experiences, like hiking and want to safely explore a volcano you’ll be drawn to the 4 mile Cinder Cone hike located 10 miles northeast of Lassen Peak. Its entrance has a delightful campground whose existence I wish I had known in advance. From the campground it’s a gentle 1.2 mile Jeffrey Pine shaded gray pumice sand approach until you reach the bottom of the cinder cone. The scene was both awesomely striking and eerie. What fabulous explosion had left this amazing cone remnant?

Hiking the cone is unlike anything I’d done before. Uniformly gray pumice, in different shapes and sizes, graces the upward spiraling path.

While ascending the cone, you hear the crunching of pumice under foot and feel your weight compacting the ground underneath. Each step requires a little more effort than the last, as there is a bit of backwards slide with each step forward. When I reached the summit I was rewarded with a spectacular 360 degree view that includes Prospect Peak, Lassen Peak, Snag Lake, the Fantastic Lava Beds, the Painted Dunes as well as Mt. Shasta in the distance. Walking the entire rim and hiking down into the center of the cone crowned the experience, one that resonates with me to this day.

If you plan to visit allocate at least two days to explore the immediate area around Cinder Cone. There are many interesting other paths and flora worth exploring. Keep in mind that snowfall keeps the road through Lassen Park closed even into early July. Plan ahead, call for road status, and bring warm clothes, sunscreen, sunglasses and your bathing suit. You may decide to take a quick cool swim in Butte Lake after the hike.