Schonchin Butte
Lava Beds National Monument · near Tulelake · Shasta Cascade
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 1.5 miles
- Elevation gain
- 460 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Spring–fall · Exposed, hot in midsummer; snow possible in winter
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- Yes
- How the permit works
- ~$25/vehicle Lava Beds NM entrance fee. Short gravel spur road to the trailhead. No shade or water. Dogs prohibited.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Cinder-cone summit · Historic 1940s CCC fire lookout (staffed in season) · 360° views to Mt. Shasta · Overlooks the whole lava-bed expanse
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- No shade and loose cinder underfoot — bring water and go early or late. If the lookout is staffed, the ranger will often chat; be respectful, it's their home for the season.
The guide
A short, stiff climb up a cinder cone to one of the few staffed historic fire lookouts you can visit in California. The summit …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Schonchin Butte — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 41.7135, -121.5062