The USA’s second deepest lake behind us, we began our trek North, researching places as we went. One place that happened to be on our route and seemed interesting enough was Lassen. It sounded interesting enough, but not awe-inspiring, but it was on the way, so why not, right?
The park encompasses one of the highest peaks in the region, but the rest of the landscape really makes Lassen special. A volcanic hotbed, the mountains in the area represent a variety of different ways that magma forms mountains and, as always, the Visitor’s Center provides wonderful exhibits and top-notch information. The park also contains hot springs reminiscent of Yellowstone and several impressive waterfalls.
The park is essentially one long road and you experience the park by driving from one end to the other, stopping as you go. We didn’t have too much time to stop and go on any long hikes, but we did lunch near the top of the highest mountain at a pristine alpine lake. Crisp air and the purest water.
During our time here, we talked at length about coming back for 3-4 days to really explore the place and recommend that you do, too.
We passed through the park and into the woods of Northern California, which meant that wild camping spots littered our area pretty well. We were lucky to camp in places like this.
While we loved being back among trees, the forests here are a little different than those of the Northwest, which are the ones I was really pining for.