Lassen Volcano National Park High Point Trip Report

Lassen Peak (10,457 ft)

Date: October 11, 2001
Author: Peter Maurer

This ascent was part of a 6th grade class field trip, and we awoke in the pre-dawn hours to the sound of rain. However, by the time we made it to the trailhead, the rain had long since stopped, and the sun was attempting to break through the cloud cover. A strong, cold wind was blowing, however, and we had to prepare for the worst.

The trail, in Lassen Volcanic National Park, is well used (over-used?), traveled by thousands each year. It's a steady grind up past a few Western hemlock and whitebark pine to timberline, then switchbacks up for 2.5 miles to the summit. The view from the top was obscured by clouds to the north, but the mist would lift occasionally to provide the classic views of the northern Sierra and Central Valley. Frozen rain left over from the early morning storm made footing treacherous for those of us who scrambled up the last several hundred yards to the benchmark and highpoint outcrop.