Lassen Volcanic Backcountry
Lassen Volcanic National Park · near Chester / Mineral · Shasta Cascade
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 17 miles
- Elevation gain
- 2,500 ft
- Time needed
- overnight · multi-day
- Best season
- July–September
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- Yes
- How the permit works
- Free Lassen Volcanic NP wilderness permit, reservable or self-issued, with designated backcountry camping zones. A quiet, uncrowded national park. Bear-resistant storage required in some areas.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 2 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Active volcanic landscape · Hydrothermal basins & Cinder Cone · Dozens of backcountry lakes · Southern terminus of the Cascades
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Hiking detail
- Nights
- 1–3
- Resupply
- None needed. Bear canister recommended; bear boxes at some sites. Volcanic terrain — some water sources are limited.
- Intl tip
- The Cinder Cone area in the park's northeast, reached from Butte Lake, is the most otherworldly backpacking in the park — black volcanic sand, painted dunes, and a perfect cone you can climb. Water is the main planning constraint on the volcanic plateau; map your sources carefully and confirm current conditions at the ranger station.
The guide
Lassen Volcanic is one of the least-visited national parks in California, and its backcountry is a strange, wonderful landscape…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Lassen Volcanic Backcountry — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 40.452, -121.434