Many Lassen Volcanic National Park Trails and Roads Closed by Snow

It will be a while before you or I hike the trails of Lassen Volcanic National Park this summer of 2010. Those major winter and spring snow storms dumped a lot of snow, and the entire park is still under several feet of it, so most of the roads and trails are still closed.

I love hiking in Lassen Volcanic National Park — I even wrote a book about it.

Accessible Trails in Lassen Volcanic National Park

You can access Manzanita Lake trails, Manzanita Creek trails, and the Cinder Cone trail and other trails from Butte Lake.

Snow Closures Lassen Volcanic National Park: Trails and Roads

Here are details from a press release about Lassen Volcanic National Park snow conditions and road and trail closures:

The deep winter snows and late storms have extended the road, campground and trail openings at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Visitors can anticipate the main park road to be open for through traffic on July 9. Juniper and Summit Lake Campgrounds will open on July 16 and trails in the higher elevations will continue to melt out as summer progresses. “The Fourth of July weekend has historically filled campgrounds to capacity as families have made it a tradition to spend their holiday weekend in this beautiful park setting,” stated Superintendent Darlene M. Koontz. “This year, visitors will be camping and hiking in the lower elevations, and taking advantage of the snowfields in the park.”

The road will be opened to the Lassen Peak Parking Area from the Southwest Entrance and open to the Devastated Area ten miles in from the Manzanita Entrance Station in time for the holiday weekend.

Hikers can walk trails in the Manzanita Lake and Butte Lake areas. Most other park trails, including Bumpass Hell Trail, are still snow-covered and inaccessible or difficult to locate.

The Lassen Peak Trail is open to the “Grandview” area, approximately 1.3 miles from the parking area providing many views of the surrounding landscape. Portions of the trail are snow-covered and require crampons and an ice axe for climbing. The trail will be flagged so visitors can avoid off-trail damage to the underlying landscape. The remainder of the trail to the summit will remain closed pending further assessment. Trail accessibility information is available on the park website at http://www.nps.gov/lavo/parkmgmt/current-lassen-peak-trail-status.htm.

For additional information, visit the park website at www.nps.gov/lavo or call (530) 595-4480.