Lassen National Park - Chpt III

Shingletown, CA

 

    Mount Lassen as seen from a vista-point above Little Hot Springs Valley. Note the lack of snow as compared with the photos in my two previous passes through the park in posts on 2 and 8 Aug 2011.

 

 

 

    Panning right to cliffs somewhat yellow from the sulfate cyrstals....

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Panning farther right....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Bumpass Mtn (elev: 8753').

 

 

 

 

 

 

    A view of the bottom of Little Hot Sprs Valley.

 

 

 

 

 

    On the left, Brokeout Mtn, remnant of a composite-type volcano which was perhaps 8 mi in diameter; Lassen Peak, formerly St. Joseph's Peak, formed c27,000 years ago on the northern side of Brokeoff Volcano. (Bumpass Mtn is on a nearer ridge.)

 

 

    Brokeoff and Bumpass Mtns again.
    If you're unwilling to take the word of a gelogist that Lassen Peak marks the southern end of the Cascade Range (Mt Garibaldi in British Columbia is at the northern end), note what botanists say about plants in Lassen Natl Park.

    Here's an interesting paragraph from the Lassen NP brochure. "Diversity abounds here because plant life mixes species from the Sierra Nevada to the south, the Cascade Range, and the Great Basin to the east. The park hosts nearly 800 plant species, whereas nearby Mount Shasta has only 485. In the park, 24 Sierrian species occur at the northern limit of their range, and 14 Cascadian species are at their southern limit."

 

 

    Lassen Peak as seen from the ESE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Reading Peak (8701').

 

 

 

 

 

 

    St. Joseph's Peak (aka Lassen Pk) as seen over the Kings Creek Meadow.
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Links:

• National Park Service webpages for Lassen National Park
• National Park Foundation Photos of Lassen NP

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T 17 Jul Actual Route: La Porte Rd bd - Quincy - Paxton - Greenville - Chester - L Almanor CG

W 18 Jul Actual Route: L Almanor CG - Chester Lib - Childs Mdw - Lassen NP South Entrance - Summit L CG

Th 19 Jul Actual Route: Summit L CG - Viola - Shingletown

F 20 Jul Actual Route: Shingletown

Sa 21 Jul Actual Route: Shingletown

Su 22 Jul Actual Route: Shingletown

M 23 Jul Actual Route: Shingletown - Palo Cedro - Redding - Palo Cedro - Shingletown

T 24 Jul Actual Route: Shingletown - Redding - Buckhorn Summit - 17 mi E of Weaverville bd

W 25 Jul Actual Route: 17 mi E of Weaverville bd - Weaverville - Hayfork - Hyampom

Th 26 Jul Actual Route: Hyampom - Hayfork - Peanut - Forest Glen - HellGate USFS CG

F 27 Jul Actual Route: HellGate USFS CG - Ruth Lake - Zenia - Alder Point - Jcn Alder Point & Bell Sprs Rds bd

F 28 Jul Actual Route: Jcn Alder Point & Bell Sprs Rds bd - Garberville - Laytonville - Branscom - Cleone

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Finding Campgrounds:

• RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
• Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com
• Free campsites website
• Info on finding BLM Campgrounds

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life, Woodalls, or FreeCampsites.net for including links to their free campground lookups.

At Long Last, Lassen National Park!

Shingletown, CA

    As some of you know I've been chomping at the bit to visit Lassen National Park for the first time. It finally opened 2 days after I left my sister's place in Shingletown and eventually traveled north to Oregon on CA97.
    The photo to the right is from the Southwest Entrance road branching north from CA36 and is of Mt Conard (elev: 8240').

    At the left, the top of Lassen Peak (10457'); in the middleground, a craggy mountain called Diamond Peak (7968'); and to the right of the large red fir loaded with cones in the middle of the photo: Bumpass Mtn (8753'). [Incidentally, Bumpass is the name of a former USPS employee -- not what happens when you fall on your posterior!] The yellow-whitish area, caused by sulfate crystals, is still an area of geothermal activity.

 

    [Click 1 or 2 times to zoom in.] A view back down toward the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center through the trees just above the bridge railing below the Sulfur Works.

 

 

 

 

    Mount Diller (9087') in front with Pilot Pinnacle (8886') behind it as seen from the first large hairpin turn up the road from the Sulphur Works.

 

 

 

 

    Another view of Mt Diller and Pilot Pinnacle from further up the road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    A closer shot of Diamond Peak as I look for a place to stop for lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    A clear view of Lassen Peak as well as a parking place where I ate lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

    [Click 1 or 2 times to enlarge.] What does the top of Diamond Peak look like to you? A crown where the left side had fallen? A turtle on its back kicking its feet and complaining, "I fell over backwards and can't get up"?

 

 

 

 

 

    Lassen Peak uber alles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Yet another view of Mt Diller and Pilot Pinnacle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Lassen Pk as seen from the Bumpass Parking Lot.

 

 

 

 

 

    Lake Helen as seen from near the highest point on the road through Lassen NP.

 

 

 

 

 

    A plaque on the downhill side of high point (8512') in the road, which was built in 1925 and maintained and improved by the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1933 to 1940.

 

 

 

    At first glance the lake in the distance might be Juniper Lake, the biggest lake in the park. However, it's too large and almost certainly is Lake Almanor.

 

 

 

 

 

    Panning to the left slightly there appears to be another lake in the distance; believe that's the eastern (Big Springs) portion of Lake Almanor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    I took this shot of the top of Lassen Peak and because there appeared to be a small white structure near the top; however, I should have zoomed in bit before shooting this since I can't make out anything on the top.

 

 

 

 

 

    The top of Lassen Peak as seen across Kings Creek's Upper Meadow.

 

 

 

 

 

    Summit Lake from a campground closed for the season. (Since there was a controlled burn [management burn in USPS-speak] nearby, the closure was warranted.)

 

 

 

 

    Hot Rock. No, a thief didn't ditch this "hot rock" as a posse closed in on him; rather, a May 19, 1915 eruption propelled it to the spot where B.F. Loomis took this photo.

 

 

 

    Crescent Crater (8645'), where the "blowout area" is reminiscent of another more recent blowout of another mountain in the Cascade Range: Mount St Hellens in Washington.

 

 

 

 

    Manzanita Lake, which at one time contained large brown trout -- and, despite the efforts of nimrods, may still harbor a few.

 

 

 

 

    The larger northeastern portion of Manzanita Lake. Incidentally, fishing at Manzanita is now catch and release only. Artificial lures with a single barbless hook and no power bait. Manzanita Creek above the lake is closed to fishing.

 

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Links:

• Nearly a verbatim transcription of the park brochure
• Wikipedia article on Lassen Natl Park with ourstanding photos
• Wikipedia article on Burney, CA

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Su 2 Oct Actual Route: Lake Almanor - Lassen NP - Shingletown

M 3 Oct Actual Route: Shingletown

T 4 Oct Actual Route: Shingletown

W 5 Oct Actual Route: Shingletown

Th 6 Oct Actual Route: Shingletown - Anderson - Sacto River RV Park

F 7 Oct Actual Route: Sacto River RV Park - Redding - Burney - Lake Britton

Sa 8 Oct Actual Route: Lake Britton - Burney Falls - Burney - Lassen NP - Gurnsey Crk CG

Su 9 Oct Actual Route: Gurnsey Crk - Chester - Butte Mdws CG

M 10 Oct Atual Route: Butte Mdws CG - Forest Ranch - Chico - Orland Old Orchard RV Park
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Finding Campgrounds:

• RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
• Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life or Woodalls for including links to their free campground lookups.