Most visitors come for the volcanoes; we came for the snow.
What we found at Lassen Volcanic National Park was our very own winter wonderland.
Over a foot of fresh snow had just fallen over the park, which we had all to ourselves. We strapped on our rented snowshoes and played in the white fluffy powder for hours, making snow angels and having snowball fights.
It was our first time to go snowshoeing. Our plan was to walk the two-mile trail around Manzanita Lake. We gave it our best shot, but there was so much snow, we could not even find the trail.
“If I’ve never told you that you’re crazy,” my husband joked to me, “today’s the day I’m telling you.”
I’ve planned some pretty great adventures, including driving from Alabama to Montana, camping in National Parks along the way; swimming with manatees; canoeing on the Rio Grande; and sledding in the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado. We have found secluded spots in several National Parks. But on this particular Thursday in February, at Lassen, we had only seen one other person – a cross country skier ending his fun for the day and getting back into his car to leave.
“I may be crazy, but this sure is fun.”
We trekked around in the snowshoes, using muscles we weren’t used to exercising as we taught ourselves how to walk up and down small hills. With some steps, we found ourselves knee-deep in snow. We were thankful that the guy at Redding Sports had talked us into renting the poles, too.
We found a rolling stream and a bridge.
We played. We laughed.
We saw the lake, which was covered in a beautiful quilt of snow.
We took pictures.
Snowflakes even fell for a few minutes.
It was our own fluffy paradise.
How did we get there?
We had spent three days exploring Redwood National and State Parks and decided to spend a night in Redding so we could visit Lassen the next day. There was a winter storm advisory, so we were not sure if we would be able to go get to the park in the Ford Edge (AWD) that we had rented. That morning, we visited Redding Sports Ltd, and asked about the road conditions. They were able to pull up several web cams, which showed that Highway 44 was plowed and easily passable. In fact, we didn’t even start seeing snow until we were about 15 miles from the park.
The main park road closes for the winter. We entered the northwest section of the park at Manzanita Lake, because we read on the park’s website that the area is flatter than the southwest section and is, therefore, better for beginners. A snow plow had cleared a section of road from the park welcome sign to a parking lot, but even the Loomis Ranger’s Station there was closed. There were bathrooms to change into our ski pants.
Snowshoeing
Lassen park rangers lead snowshoe walks on winter weekends at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center at the southwest entrance of the park. But we could not work a weekend at Lassen into our schedule. The park does not rent snowshoes, but it does provide on its website a list of stores in surrounding towns that do.
Redding Sports was helpful in providing us with the right sizes and instructions on how they work. The shoes (with poles) were $20 per person for the day. We arrived when the store opened at 10 a.m. and had them back several hours before the store closed at 7 p.m. We wore our waterproof(ish) hiking boots, ski pants, wool socks, gloves, hats and coats.
About Lassen:
About a half-million people visit Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California each year. The park includes 165 square miles in the Cascade Mountains. Its highlight is the 10,500-foot Lassen Peak, which erupted in 1914 and 1915, carving out a 1,000-foot crater still visible today.
When Lassen is not covered in snow, you can find mudpots, fumaroles, and hot springs similar to those in Yellowstone. The park also boasts meadows, clear mountain lakes that are great for kayaking, and numerous other volcanoes, according to the park’s website.
Disclaimer: Always check weather and road conditions before traveling to winter sports destinations. Make sure you wear and bring the proper gear as well as extra food and water.
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