This under-discovered national treasure will literally blow your mind. Lassen Volcanic is a national park located in northern California. It is easy to find - about 50 miles east of Anderson, off I-5. The park is chock full of something for every age and interest. Just as one might expect of a fully functioning national park you’ll find a museum, accommodating rangers, extensive educational activities, camping, a junior ranger program, boating, grocery store, picnic areas and even stock corrals!
What makes it special? Lassen is less known, less crowded but no less spectacular. The park rangers are enthusiastic and outgoing. The park is an old growth forest and the rangers are more than happy to explain any aspect of their work and passion.
Lassen has trails for hiking at all levels of fitness. Camping can be as simple as car camping, as adventurous as wilderness camping or as luxurious as staying in one of their new cabins!
Lassen has trails for hiking at all levels of fitness. Camping can be as simple as car camping, as adventurous as wilderness camping or as luxurious as staying in one of their new cabins!
They even boast a Nature Photography Workshop this summer. Not a shutter bug? Then try browsing others' art while sipping wine at the park’s annual Art & Wine Festival, on September 29.
This year, Lassen has a special focus: the night sky. From Lassen, you can see the Milky Way and more constellations than you can count. At the end of the summer, the park staff will debut a new program called the Lassen Dark Sky Festival. The festival runs from August 10-13. The rangers will be hosting astronomers and planetary geologies at this special celebration. There will be a number of celestial programs whose star attraction will be the breath taking night sky that hovers like a dream over Lassen. The activities include presentations, viewings, a Junior Ranger Night Explorers and even hikes.
The park fees are more than reasonable at a mere $10 for a park pass that’s good for 7 days. There is so much to see and do, it is impossible to spend only one day at the park. The in and out privileges of the pass give you ability to enjoy the park and the surrounding area at a more leisurely pace without squeezing your pocket book! Save your pennies, you’ll want to have a soft ice cream from the Manzanita Lake Campers Store. Yum!
Our first day at the park, we explored the Loomis Museum which outlines the rich history of the park through photos and artifacts. After a picnic at the water’s edge at Manzanita Lake, we went on a 4 mile hike to Crag’s Lake – a small snow fed lake high up near Crag’s Peak. The views were wonderful and the hike was thrilling.
The second day, we decided to go kayaking on Manzanita Lake. This gem of a lake is spring fed from Mt. Lassen itself; a great spot for fly fishermen to catch and release their hearts out. It is tranquil and, in the shadow of Mt. Lassen, it is stunning. The kayak rental was $20 for an hour. That gave us plenty of time to see the whole lake. The view of Mt. Lassen is just amazing. We had a fantastic time paddling around the lake enjoying each other’s company.
Be sure to pick up a FitKid card at one of the concession location in the park. As you do things together, your kids can check off the list on the card and get a cool prize at the end of your visit! Before you go, be sure to download a copy of the Lassen Peak Experience booklet. The booklet outlines all the wonderful programs available and gives you a schedule of events and times, so you can plan your trip to make the most of your stay.
As for places to stay in the park, you can rent one of their cabins, camp at any one of the many campgrounds, don your backpack and high tail it to the wilderness, or go all out and stay at the Drakesbad Guest Ranch - a full service hotel nestled within the boundaries of Lassen Volcanic National Park.
There are several places to stay outside the park itself and still be part of Lassen National Forest. There are campgrounds all up and down Hat Creek on Hwy 89/44. These campgrounds are especially picturesque and great if fishing is your kind of fun. If camping is not your style, there are plenty of vacation homes to rent or hotels to rent a room. Our favorite is Hat Creek Retreat; a quiet, pet-friendly mountain vacation rental in Cassel complete with a swimming pool and Hat Creek just out the back gate. It is located about 35 minutes north of the park off Hwy 89. It’s our favorite because…well…it is ours. If you are looking for a lodge or hotel, there are several listing in back of the Lassen Peak Experience booklet.
So turn off the cell phone; put down the Nintendo 3DS and Playstation Vitas and tune into one of the most spectacular natural treasures our country has to offer. Hint: if your kidlet goes into full blown withdrawals if they can’t LOL or Frag someone in a 24 hour period, tell them not to worry, you HYBF. I have a fun way for you to keep their interest with an approved electronic device – a camera. I created a Photo Scavenger Hunt for Jack one year. Download it, bring your digital camera, a pencil and let them loose to make memories at Lassen. They can even enter their best shot in the Lassen Annual Pass Photo Contest.
Regardless of where you stay, or which activities you chose, you can hardly go wrong with Lassen National Park. As Darlene Koontz, Lassen’s superintendent puts it, “It is difficult to describe what a day or two in your national park will do for you –quiet your mind, give you perspective, challenge you, and just make you feel good. Try It!”
**Parenting expert Ann Morgan James is author of How to Raise a Millionaire, a speaker and most importantly – Jack’s Mom. Jack James is an ordinary 13 year old and author of How to Let your Parents Raise a Millionaire. Together they are a mother and son team on a mission. They want fill the world with kid entrepreneurs. You can find Jack and Ann at howtoraiseamillionaire.com.
