Its at Lassen Volcanic National Park, and most of the trails are open. Unfortunately, Bumpass Hell Trail hasnt opened yet due to snow cover. That trail leads to Bumpass Hell, which, as I understand it, is an area with steam vents, hot springs, and mud pots. There is a boardwalk for people to walk over and see the features. To get there, you need to hike for about a mile on Bumpass Hell Trail. During our drive through the park yesterday, we stopped and checked out the trail head. It was still covered under a thick blanket of snow, so I think it will be a while before it opens. I believe there is another way there, through the Kings Creek Trail, but that route is much longer.
We stopped and visited the rangers outside of the Kohm Visitor Center this morning. As part of their phased opening from COVID19, Id read that the rangers would be available outside of the visitor centers between 10am and 2pm, Fridays through Sundays for the Junior Ranger program. The kids showed off Junior Ranger books and were sworn is as Junior Rangers at Lassen Volcanic National Park. They each
received a nice wooden Junior Ranger badge (the ranger held out a bucket, and the kids each selected one). After their swearing in, I asked the ranger for a on what to see with Bumpass Hell Trail closed off. She Sulfur Works. We visited Sulfur Works yesterday, but I thanked her for her recommendation.
Afterwards, I was checking out the map, and I saw a trail that leads from Sulfur Works to Ridge Lakes. All I knew of the trail was from the map. I saw that the trail was 1.1 miles, and half of it was highlighted in red, which means you need to be careful to stay on the trail due to hydrothermal activity. I thought this meant wed see more features like steam vents on the trail, so we decided to check it out. The trail head starts by the bathrooms at the parking lot for Sulfur Works.
Immediately, we started on a steep incline up. After we climbed for a bit, the trail turned northeast. We were well above the road, but we followed the road for a short while (maybe 1/8 of a mile). This allowed us to see Sulfur Works
from above. We were at a greater distance, but we could see everything at a new angle. It was neat! Sulfur Works was the only hydrothermal activity we saw. So, dont expect to hike this trail and see more steam vents or anything.
Before the trail turned west, away from the road below, there was a brief period we hiked where there was a a to the left. It wasnt a total drop off, but it was an extremely steep slope. As a parent, its a little having your kids hike where they cant really make mistakes. I continually reminded them to focus on where they were walking. It was a brief part of the trail, but I was glad when it was over!
Once the trail turned, it essentially did switchbacks up the mountain. I had no idea our climb would be so steep, and the steepness of the climb reminded me of the hike to Hanging Lake in Colorado. Joanna started to really struggle, and we had to stop every 1/10 of a mile for a rest. I was OK with that rest, as my thighs were on fire from the steep climb. We
When we were about 2/3 of the way to the lakes, Joanna had a brief cry on the trail. She said she couldnt do it, and it was too hard. We then let her set the pace. We rested frequently, sometimes only walking from one shady patch to the next.
We passed a German couple who were hiking down the trail. I asked if the trail continued to be this steep. They said yes, it did, and they actually turned back because the trail turned to snow and they didnt have the correct shoes for it. I had our generic Yak Tracks in my hiking backpack, so we pressed on.
It was a warm, sunny day at Lassen. When we reached the snowy parts of the path, the parts in the shade were hard and iced over. Most of the snow on the path, however, was actually in the sun. We quickly realized that the top few inches were starting to melt and turn to slick mush on top of frozen snow.
