Ke and I can sometimes get a little stir crazy in between international trips so we decided to try and take more weekend trips out of the city. While listening to Dinner Party Download one day, Ke was inspired to check out Lassen Volcanic National Park and managed to book their last remaining camping cabin for July!
Lassen Volcanic National Park is known as one of the snowiest places in California, it gets a ton of snow early in the year and by July, a lot of it still remained. One of the main roads was still blocked by snow this late into the year but luckily it was cleared a couple of days before our arrival.
Kings Creek Falls Hike
We left San Francisco early Saturday morning and decided to do some hiking before our 3pm check-in time. Unfortunately, the popular Bumpass Hell trail was closed due to snow but we had a blast hiking the Kings Creek Falls trail. It’s much longer than you’d assume looking at the map, especially since a shortcut in the trail was also closed, so I’m happy we were prepared with comfy shoes and a lot of water.
This hike was so worth it for a view of the waterfall. There was a large viewing deck from above but the real beauty was the climb down to the bottom. It looked terrifying and steep but we didn’t have too much trouble climbing down and it was even easier on the way back up!
Camping Cabins
After hiking for about 3 hours we drove to our cabin! The cabin Ke managed to snag was by Manzanita Lake. These cabins are super adorable and are walking distance from the lake. They come with a heater, beds, and a lamp as well as a fire pit and sitting area. You’ll need to bring bedding and other lighting as they have no electricity.
The cabin was very comfortable though and we definitely want to come back here again with friends.
Manzanita Lake
After checking in to our cabin, we relaxed a bit and then decided to take a walk around the lake. It’s about 1.5 miles around the lake and took us maybe an hour to circle it. We then chilled at the campfire before returning that night to look at the stars and relisten to this episode of Dinner Party Download.
The next morning, we checked out of the cabin and then headed down to the lake for some kayaking! You can bring your own kayak, canoe, or paddle board but the park requires everyone to wear a life jacket. You can also rent kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards but it’s first come first serve. They didn’t have a ton available so expect a 30 minute to an hour wait depending on when you go.
It was incredibly fun, the view was even more spectacular when kayaking around. This was one of the highlights of our time here, I highly recommend it!
Sulfur Works
Like I mentioned earlier, we couldn’t hike Bumpass Hell due to the trail being closed but we stopped by Sulfur Works on our way home. At this viewpoint, you can see sulfur vents, witness the boiling mudpot, and smell the rotten egg odor associated with the sulfur. It’s a convenient stop since you don’t have to do much hiking and the mudpot is super cool…and smelly.
Weekend Getaway
This was such a fun and relaxing last minute trip. Ke and I are even more inspired to take more weekend trips like this, We also can’t wait to return to Lassen. Normally, Ke likes to plan camping trips with friends to Tahoe, but I believe Lassen has even more to offer in the summer. There are so many trails and lakes to check out and the camping cabins are a huge plus. We definitely plan on booking a few of those next year for a group trip!
