Lassen Volcanic in One Day

Start your day early at the park's northwest entrance, accessible via Route 44 from Redding. Make a stop at the Loomis Museum, where you can view exhibits before taking the easy, 1-mi round-trip Lily Pond Nature Trail. Back at the museum, drive down to Manzanita Lake; take a mid-morning break and pick up supplies for a picnic lunch at the Camper Store before taking the main road toward Lassen Peak. As you circle the peak on its northern flank, you come upon Devastated Area, testimony to the damage done by the 1915 eruptions. Continue to Summit Lake, where you can picnic and swim, or to Kings Creek, an area of lush meadows and where you can hike to Kings Creek Falls. Allow at least two hours to make the 3-mi hike, which ends in a 700-foot descent to the falls. If time permits, continue to the Sulphur Works to stroll sidewalks that skirt sulphur-emitting steam vents.