We’ll assemble in Reno, and van shuttle early morning of Day 1 to the Drakesbad region of the park. We’ll spend the afternoon exploring the Warner Valley region with its bubbling hot springs, lush meadows, and secluded lakes. We’ll climb moderately from the valley and visit Devil’s Kitchen (5 miles). We’ll then head to Chester and our first of two overnights at the Rose Quartz Inn. We’re headed for Lassen’s south entrance on Day 2 and an engagement with Brokeoff Mountain in the context of what many consider to be Lassen’s finest hike. From the summit, the views of Lassen Peak are without equal (8 miles).
We’ll return to the park on Day 3 to the Kings Creek Falls Trailhead for another of the park’s exceptional day hikes (10 miles). We’ll spend the night in the quaint cottages at Mill Creek Resort. On Day 4 we visit a cluster of glacially-sculpted lakes on the hike in Paradise Meadows. We’ll climb from Summit Lake, then a long descent along cascading Hat Creek to into the meadows. We’ll then head to the park’s western entrance and the Manzanita Lake Museum and Visitor Center on the way to Shingletown and the secluded setting of the Grace Lake Resort where we’ll spend our final two overnights.
On Day 5, we’ll climb Lassen to its spectacular 10,457 -foot crest along a trail that is well maintained and non-technical. From the summit the views of Mt. Shasta to the northwest and the Devastated Area on the slopes of Lassen itself are breathtaking (5 miles). We’ll be down from Lassen early enough to enjoy a picnic along the shores of Lake Helen and then hike through nearby Bumpass Hell, (8 miles). On Day 6,we’re headed back to Reno when we’re finished but we’ll return by way of the park’s far northeastern corner on the shores of Butte Lake for a memorable encounter with awesome Cinder Cone. What a way to end our week in Lassen! (5 miles)
