Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [256]
The 106,000-acre park is a place of great beauty. The flora and fauna are an interesting mix of species from the Cascade Range, which stretches north from Lassen; species from the Sierra Nevada, extending south; and species from the Basin Range, to the east. The resulting blend accounts for an enormous diversity of plants: 745 distinct species have been identified in the park. Though it's snowbound in winter, Lassen is an important summer feeding ground for black bears and transient herds of mule deer.
In addition to the dozens of volcanoes and geothermal features, Lassen Volcanic National Park includes 150 miles of hiking trails, more than 50 beautiful lakes, large meadows, cinder cones, lush forests, cross-country skiing, and great backcountry camping. In fact, three-quarters of the park is designated wilderness.
Four groups of American Indians inhabited the Lassen area before the arrival of Europeans. The Atsugewi, Maidu, Yana, and Yahi all used portions of the park as their summer hunting grounds. The white man's diseases and encroachment into their territory quickly decimated their population. By the turn of the 20th century, they were thought to be gone from the wilds of the Lassen area. In 1911, however, butchers discovered a nearly naked American Indian man at a slaughterhouse in Oroville. When they couldn't communicate with him, the sheriff locked the man in a cell.
News of the "Wild Man" found a receptive audience among anthropologists at the University of California at Berkeley, who quickly rescued the man. Ishi, as he came to be known, turned out to be the last of the Yahi tribe. He lived at the university's Museum of Anthropology for 5 years before succumbing to tuberculosis. Ishi, who shared his knowledge with anthropologist Alfred Kroeber and others, is responsible for much of what's known about Yahi culture in California.
Avoiding the Crowds. Crowds? Forget it. Lassen is one of the least visited national parks in the contiguous 48 states. Unless you're here on July 4 or Labor Day weekend, you won't encounter anything that could rightly be called a crowd. Even then, you can escape simply by skipping the popular sites, such as Bumpass Hell, Lassen Peak, and the Sulphur Works, and heading a few miles down any of the backcountry trails.
Just the Facts
GETTING THERE & GATEWAYS
Part of the reason Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of the least visited national parks is its remoteness. The most foolproof route is to take Calif. 44 east from Redding (on I-5), which leads to the park's northwest entrance. If you're coming from the south along I-5, take Calif. 36 east from Red Bluff, which leads to the park's southwest entrance.
If you're arriving from the east on I-80, take the U.S. 395 turnoff at Reno and head to Susanville. Depending on which end of the park you're shooting for, take either Calif. 44 (to the northwest entrance) or Calif. 36 (to the southwest entrance) from Susanville.
Calif. 89 leads to the Park Road, which crosses the park in a 29-mile half-circle, with entrances and visitor contact stations at either end.
Most visitors enter the park at the Southwest Entrance Station, drive through the park, and leave through the north entrance, or vice versa. Three other entrances lead to remote portions of the park. Warner Valley and Juniper Lake are accessible from the south on the road from Chester. The Butte Lake entrance is on a dirt road from Calif. 44 between Old Station and Susanville.
The Nearest Airport. The closest airport is Redding Municipal Airport, 6751 Woodrum Circle (☎ 530/224-4321).