Cinder Cone, Lassen Volcanic National Park

Nearby Destinations

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Other guides in Trailspotting Lassen Volcanic National Park

view the Trailspotting Lassen Volcanic National Park guide bundle

Nearby Guides

Cinder Cone, Lassen Volcanic National Park

Content
provided by

Viewed 6046 times

(1 vote)

Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 5.5 miles / 8.9 km
Duration: Half day

Download to Phone

View Large Map

View Photos

Overview: Located four hours north east of San Francisco this Northern California park might be a little out of the way, but it’s a prime destination for seekers of tranquility and those with even just a passing interest in geology.

Cinder cones are scattered all around you at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Some are in plain sight and others are overgrown and hidden by forest, but none are more recent and more spectacular than the Cinder Cone that created the Fantastic Lava Beds and the colorful Painted Dunes eleven miles north east of Lassen Peak.

Our five and a half mile day hikes takes you to the top of Cinder Cone where you can marvel at a landscape transformed by volcanic activity.

Elevation gain:
• 800ft (from 6,140 - 6,820ft)

Tips:
• Summer through fall is the best time to experience this trail. Snow covers the Lassen landscape for much of the year, closing roads and obscuring trails. See our links below to National Park Service information on road and trail closures.
• Bug repellent is a necessity early in the summer season when mosquitoes are rife.
• Cinder Cone is popular with backpackers since it's only 11 miles from Lassen peak, yet to reach it by car requires a 40 mile drive from the North park entrance. Despite the distance we think this day-hike is well worth the extra miles, thanks to the great scenery en route.
• The last seven miles of the journey is along a dirt road, which when snow-free is entirely accessible even in a two-wheel drive car with relatively low ground clearance.

Points of Interest

map

Forest Route 32N21

Turn off CA-44 at the junction with Butte lake Road, otherwise known as Forest Route 32N21. Though this road is a dirt track it's in great shape, meaning that even a two-wheel drive car with limited clearance shouldn't have a problem with this route.

Follow this road for seven miles to Butte Lake Campground, heading in a Southerly direction at all times.

map

Trailhead & Butte Lake Campground

The shaded campground and trailhead parking lot is a great place to keep your car cool, and a good place to fill up the water bottles before picking up the trail just to the West of the lake.

Butte Lake was once part of a much larger lake until it was cut off by a Cinder Cone lava flow, as evidenced by the jagged jet-black rock wall at the back of the lake.

Our trail follows the Western edge of this lava flow, tracing a path around the devastation and through thin pine forest.

map

[JCT] Cinder Cone Junction

Hang a left and begin your climb up the Cinder Cone.

Thankfully the route up the north face of the cone is frequented foot traffic and should be fairly well compacted, but that still doesn't make the climb easy. Imagine walking along a mile of sandy beach .. at a 30 degree uphill angle!

map

Cinder Cone Summit

Sometime around the middle of the seventeenth century a volcanic vent in this area began to expel small chunks of lava, which cooled in mid-air and fell back to earth to collect into a cone some 700 feet in height. Activity finally ceased when larger amounts of lava flowed up to the surface and eventually blocked the vent.

Standing on the summit of this 350 year old mound of tiny rocks, you're now free to explore the criss-crossing trails which circle the rim without any fear of danger. Should you wish, you can even journey to the exact center of crater well below the summit.

map

Down to the Painted Dunes

When you're ready to depart, you'll be relieved to hear that the trip back down the cone will be a much easier hike. We suggest heading down the South East face, where you can look over the red-topped Painted Dunes and the Fantastic Lava Beds beyond.