cferrb

Hello all. I have dreamed for 10 years of hiking up Mt. Lassen with my son, who is now 20. We are planning to stop there on his way back up to college in the middle of August, but the NPS website says that the trail to the peak will be closed except for Aug. 13 and 14. It says that you can get to the Grandview area, but does not say where that area is or how far from the peak it is. Does anyone know? I'm trying to decide if we really want to detour our drive up to WSU for two days for a hike that will end up being anti-climactic. Thanks to any Lassen experts out there. BTW, I did see that there is an alternate peak to hike, but it's a seven hour hike, which is a bit more than we are willing to do

tomfuller

Are you aware that the Mt. had 136% of average snowfall last winter? If you can't make it on the posted dates you will have to wait. The trails up Mt. Thielsen and the Three Sisters are open in Oregon.

cferrb

Do you know how far the Grandview area is from the peak? Is it between the parking lot and the peak or is further down the mountain. Yes, I know that the snowpack is very high this year.

spirobulldog

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...0IatW7FqybsWF9

Above are photos from last year. I am fairly certain that the conditions were nearly the same as they had above average snow last year as well. The trail begins on about picture #25, you can see how much the lake at the bottom of Lassen is still frozen and snowy. We did this about Aug. 1 last year. It was a warm hike, even with that much snow as you can tell by my 11 year old nephew not wearing his shirt.

The trail isn't closed because of snow, it's closed because they are restructing and rehabilitating the trail. It was closed last year, but was open for all weekends.

Grandview is 1.5 miles up, so a little more than halfway. I wouldn't hike it unless I could do the whole enchilada. Halfway will make you just beg for more.

I haven't hiked Brokeoff Mountain, but it would be a similar experience. Some people even rank it as a better hike than Lassen. Here is an awesome websight. He ranks Brokeoff as 9 out of 10 and Lassen as a 7. He ranks very few hikes as 9's or 10's. He hiked it in 4 hours, but he is a stud hiker. I would think either hike would take at least 3/4 of a day. Brokeoff would be less crowded, so that might make it better.

Lassen is an awesome place and really deserves more time than a day anyway. It would be a shame to not hike to one of the thermal spots in the park. Plus there is a couple of good waterfalls hikes. Wildflowers would be great in August. You might get lucky and catch the thosands of butterflies there, but I'm not sure of when that is.

spirobulldog

I couldn't find 2010 statistics for Lassen, but Shasta was at 194% and 232% in two different spots according to a couple of things I found after doing a search.

Lassen Peak trail will apparently be undergoing renovations for a few years

spirobulldog

I might to give you the link to "he"--Kevin Gongs website

http://kevingong.com/Hiking/OtherCaliforniaHikes.html

cferrb

"Grandview is 1.5 miles up, so a little more than halfway. I wouldn't hike it unless I could do the whole enchilada. Halfway will make you just beg for more." Spirobulldog, thanks for answering my question. I'll need to think about whether I want to do this or not, given that it will be a day-long detour from our drive. We went to Bumpass Hell last time we were there. The real point of going is to hike to the peak this time.

cferrb

We ended up doing the hike for the first 1.3 miles up the mountain. It turned out to be more challenging hike than I expected, but my two children and I did make it up to the closure point on the trail. It was definitely worth the effort. My husband, son and I then took the trail down to Bumpass Hell. Although the trail was open, it was still quite snowy, which made some stretches of it rather difficult, and I inelegantly just slid down on my rear end. There was a father down at the bottom sticking his foot under a waterfall, because he had gone off the boardwalk and fallen through the surface and scalded his foot. We never did find out how they were going to get him back up the mountainside, given that it was slippery and snowy for the first stretch. The hike was again very worth it.

dancingdg

Hi Cferrb,

Isn't Lassen a great area? I took a picture of one of the snow covered mountains mirrored on Manzanita Lake with a 35mm camera 10 yrs. ago, enlarged and framed it for my living room. Lassen is a favorite of mine and one of the best kept secrets in California.

Lassen's Junior Ranger Program on volcanoes was excellent the last time we were there (6 years ago). I enjoyed the program because our 10-yr-old and 6-yr-old were taken with the ranger's volcano reenactments. A photo of the kids by Hot Rock hangs (though smaller) next to the one taken a few years earlier. Have you seen the shape of Hot Rock?

The Devastated area has an easy hiking trail (more like a mosey) but Bumpass Hell Trail is my favorite for the variety of views. The wildflowers against the green and the stark landscapes are lovely. The next trip we take to the area, we want to hike to Cold Boiling Lake and the other (name escapes me) beyond the thermal area. We've not made it to the top of Lassen Peak either - yet.

I can't believe anyone would venture off the boardwalk at Bumpass! Was he deliberately stepping outside the safety walk? Isn't it still CLEARLY marked? I mean that's how Bumpass Hell got it's name, right? Only, Bumpass lost his leg when he fell through, thus making it his Hell.

Did you venture to nearby McCarther-Burney Falls or Lake Britton? Walk around Manzanita and get chased by nesting Canadian Geese?

The little town of Burney used to have a Jerry's Restaurant with the best pancakes and pancake syrup I've ever had. However, I was six months pregnant at the time and my cravings were rather sweet seeking with the first born.

Lots of fond memories from Lassen and Burney.

I'm so glad you made this thread. Sorry for going on so. It's been awhile since I've heard anyone else talk about Lassen. Thanks for sharing!

~Deb

cferrb

Hi Deb,
Thanks for your response. Yes, Lassen is wonderful. We were only there for the day, en route to my son's college so we only were able to do the two hikes.

You can't get to the top of Lassen Peak right now except on certain dates when they have the trail open. I was startled at how tough the trail was at the beginning. The only reason I kept going was that I was not, I repeat not, going to quit with my 15 and 20 year olds there to witness it

Yes, you would think that he would have had more common sense than to walk off the boardwalk, but I guess common sense is not that common. It is very clearly marked, but some people think that the rules don't apply to them. He will be paying the price for several weeks.

Maybe we will inspire more people to go to Lassen. It definitely was worth the trip.

spirobulldog

Lassen is one of those best-kept-secret spots. It has a little bit of everythingeaks, waterfalls, snow, trees, awesome flowers, mini yellowstone, and not tons of folks everywhere.

I was thinking just today about Burney Falls. It really is an awesome waterfall--Be sure and hit it sometime in route to college. It is my understanding that it flows year round, as it is a spring. So the flow shouldn't depend on snowmelt or rainfall much.

For an even different feel to Lassen, stay over a night at the
"in park" lodge on the other side. It is way out of the way and it is a step back in time. They don't even have locks on any of the doors to the rooms. All meals are included with your stay and a swim in the hot spring fed swimming pool is nice. The temperature can range from 90 to 110. They try to mix cool water in with it, but sometimes it is a little to hot, while a couple of hours later it might be just perfect.

There are several good hikes there.

dancingdg

Cferrb,

"The only reason I kept going was that I was not, I repeat not, going to quit with my 15 and 20 year olds there to witness it"

Right you are...never let them see you quit. Huff, puff, and sweat but NEVER quit.
__

My husband and I went on a sort of 'last hurrah' camping/hiking trip before our first born was to arrive. I was six months pregnant and bound and determined that pregnancy was NOT going to slow me down. Uh-uh. Not me.

I was in denial.

We were camping at Burney-McCarther Campground and spent the day at Burney where I was spooked by two stellar jays harassing a rattlesnake in the middle of the trail coming down from Burney Falls. We decided it would be cool enough later in the afternoon to hike Bumpass Trail.

I have asthma but hadn't taken that into consideration with the pregnancy, high altitude, and the sudden loss of my center of gravity when we decided to hike Bumpass.

I THOUGHT I was in good shape but that hike on that day was a struggle on the way back. I was so exhausted and thirsty and was ready to tap into our emergency bottle of H2O with a mile to go. I had to stop every few steps while my husband rationed water and used it to coach me along. I was stunned and frankly, a little depressed about my lack of stamina. After all, I was Mean Deborah Jean and pregnancy was NOT going to change me...EVER! *Shocked look*

I STILL can't believe the hike back was that difficult for me but I'm probably still in denial...Me? A parent?! HA!


One day in Lassen? That's like torture!

~Deb

cferrb

Deb, it sounds like you have to go back with your child and make the same hike. Do take lots of water. We ran out on the way back as well.

dancingdg

We camped at Manzanita Lake and hiked Bumpass Trail with the kids when the oldest was 10 but at the time, our 6-yr-old was a little worried about being "On the volcano" too much to appreciate the wonder of it all. Yes, I plan to take them back, hopefully soon.