California · United States
Lassen Park Highway
CA 89Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center to Devastated Area
A volcanic high road past steaming fumaroles and a lava peak.
CA 89 winds through Lassen Volcanic National Park beneath Lassen Peak, climbing past steaming sulphur vents, boiling pools and old lava flows to 8,512 ft. Open only in the warmer months; mind the altitude, the late-lying snow, and stopping sightseers.
On the road
The road runs from Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center, at the southwest entrance, to the Devastated Area. That is about 19 of the 30 miles of the park highway through Lassen Volcanic National Park, which links the southwest and northwest entrances. Near Lassen Peak it reaches 2,594 metres, making it the highest road in the Cascades. The park service allows about an hour for the full park highway without stops.
Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center sits at the southwest entrance. Sulphur Works comes soon after, with steam vents, hot pools and mineral-stained ground. Higher up is Lake Helen, and a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) trail leads to Bumpass Hell, the park’s largest hydrothermal area. Summit Lake makes a good halfway stop. On the northern side, the Devastated Area shows the damage from Lassen Peak’s 1915 eruption. Beyond the end of this route, the Chaos Jumbles rockslide lies near the northwest entrance.
Snow buries the high road every winter, and drifts can reach 12 metres. Clearing usually starts in mid-March, and full opening has ranged from late April to late July. The road normally closes again in October or November. An entrance fee or pass is needed to drive through, collected by the National Park Service, but no reservation. Fuel is limited inside the park, so fill up before you enter.
Lassen Park Highway on the map18.9 mi · point to point
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Character
Corners
busiest around mile 4Elevation
under 4%4 to 8%over 8%1,950 to 2,595 mPoints of interest3 stops
- Emigrant PassViewpoint19 mi in
- Sulphur WorksLandmark0.9 mi in
- Upper Cascades ViewpointViewpoint13 mi in
Hazards
- Late-lying snow at altitude
- Stopping sightseers
- Sudden mountain weather
Sources
“The southern section of the highway is windy and includes a handful of switchbacks.”
Route traced from OpenStreetMap, with its stats measured from that line. How the roads are mapped
Routes for iPhone carries Lassen Park Highway offline, with live weather and a 7 day forecast.
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