Lassen Volcanic National Park Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour

As we drive through Lassen Volcanic National Park, we’re climbing along the pine-covered slopes of Mount Lassen itself.

Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

NOTE: The tour is over 33 miles long, with more than 34 audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete.

This trail is a beautiful 7-mile out-and-back hike that climbs through forests of red firs and meadows of wildflowers before reaching above the timberline.

The trail is a moderately strenuous four mile round trip, and should take about three hours. It leads to a stunning 75-foot waterfall!

The trail for Ridge Lakes is a challenging two-mile hike that takes around an hour and a half. This steep trail features some stunning glacial lakes.

I highly recommend stopping here. It features incredible views of those glacier-carved valleys I mentioned earlier, plus a must-see view of Mount Lassen’s peak.

This valley is full of—you guessed it!—little hot springs. But you won’t see geysers and mud pots here. Instead, you’re likely to see volcanic steam wafting up from between the trees like terrible-smelling campfire smoke.

Bumpass Hell is one of Lassen’s most unique sights, with an incredible stretch of steam vents, mud pots, and sky blue hot springs surrounded by orange soil.

This challenging five-mile hike up Mt. Lassen takes around four hours, but features amazing panoramic views of the park for dedicated hikers.

Kings Creek is one of Lassen’s shorter hikes, at around 2.5 miles. It’s a moderate trail and takes two hours to hike. It follows the creek down through Kings Creek Upper Meadow, where dozens of varieties of wildflowers grow, from the beautifully-named alpine shooting star to the slightly less beautifully-named wandering fleabane.

This easy half-mile loop takes visitors through the area that was wiped out by Lassen’s eruptions over a century ago.

If you want to immerse yourself in lush forests and lakes, these are the trails for you. If you just want something quick, the Reflection Lake trail is only half a mile, while the Manzanita trail is two miles and will take around an hour.