Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lassen Volcanic NP · near Mineral / Chester · Shasta Cascade
Nordic & Snowshoe · Stargazing
At a glance
- Best season
- Dec–Apr; enormous snowpack (~6,700 ft)
- Best season
- Summer–early fall (park highway snow-closed much of the year)
What is here
- Activities
- snowshoe · backcountry · classic
- Setting
- summit
- Amenities
- Ranger-led snowshoe walks (when offered) · Deep volcanic-country snow · Backcountry ski touring · Kohm Yah-mah-nee visitor center
- Best for
- Snowshoeing a volcanic snowscape
- Features
- Among the deepest snow in CA · Ranger-led snowshoe walks · Steaming volcanic scenery · Backcountry touring
- Highlights
- milky-way · programs · astrophoto
- Landscape
- volcanic
- Amenities
- Volcanic-landscape foregrounds · Annual Dark Sky Festival · Alpine lakes for reflections · Multiple campgrounds
- Best for
- Dark skies over a volcanic landscape
- Features
- Bortle-2 far-north darkness · Volcanic peaks & cinder cones · Popular Dark Sky Festival · Alpine-lake reflections
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Backcountry avalanche terrain · Deep snow & winter navigation · Cold, wind, storms · Ranger-walk sign-ups; carry essentials
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Hazards
- Park highway snow-closed much of the year — summer–early fall · High altitude — cold nights, thin air · Remote far-north location — plan fuel & supplies · Bears & wildlife — store food properly
- Beginner friendly
- Yes
Guides, rentals and operators
- Rentals
- No
Nordic & Snowshoe detail
- Venue
- park
- Ability
- intermediate
- Snow
- 5
- Trail notes
- A snowbound volcanic wonderland with some of the deepest snow in California — ranger-led and self-guided snowshoeing and backcountry skiing among steaming peaks and buried forests
- Terrain note
- ~6,700–8,000 ft; ungroomed & marked; huge, deep snowpack
- Intl tip
- California's far-north volcanic park (where the Sierra meets the Cascades) gets some of the deepest snow in the state, transforming into a magnificent, little-visited snowscape. From the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center (southwest entrance), marked routes cross buried forests beneath steaming peaks, and, when staffing allows, rangers lead free snowshoe walks (snowshoes often provided) — great for families; check the current schedule. Experienced tourers head toward Lassen Peak's backcountry bowls. Huge, long-lasting snowpack, but avalanche terrain, fierce storms, deep snow — check conditions, sign up for ranger walks ahead, carry the essentials.
Stargazing detail
- Designation
- informal
- Reach
- easy
- Darkness
- 5
- Sky notes
- A dark volcanic wonderland in California's far north — steaming fumaroles, cinder cones, and alpine lakes beneath skies around Bortle 2, with the park's popular Dark Sky Festival drawing stargazers each summer
- Stats note
- ~Bortle 2; volcanic peaks, lakes & cinder cones; annual Dark Sky Festival
- Campground
- Yes
- Intl tip
- A superb, under-appreciated dark-sky park in California's far north — a volcanic wonderland of fumaroles, cinder cones, lava peaks, and alpine lakes beneath ~Bortle 2 skies, with a popular annual Dark Sky Festival. Reflective lakes and dramatic volcanic foregrounds. Seasonal: the park highway is snow-closed much of the year (summer–early fall); high altitude means cold nights; remote far-north location (plan fuel and supplies); bear country (store food). Excellent darkness over a distinctive landscape.
The guide
Lassen Volcanic National Park, in California's far north where the Sierra meets the Cascades, receives some of the deepest snow…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Lassen Volcanic National Park — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 40.44, -121.53