Part 3

By proceeding down the west side of Mount Harkness, then turning northeast along the shores of Juniper Lake, an interesting all-day hike can be had. The round trip will require about 6 hours and involve about 5½ miles of hiking.

33. BOILING SPRINGS LAKE

Starting Point: Drakesbad Lodge Distances: 1 mile to the lake, 2 miles round trip Topography: Easy 200-foot climb Time: 2 hours for the round trip Features: Flowers, forest, hydrothermal activity

A number of steam vents are located under Boiling Springs Lake, keeping the temperature of the lake around 125 degrees. The mudpots on the southeast shore are among the best in the park. Their coloring is magnificent.

The trail crosses a meadow and then goes through forest to the lake and around it. Trees include incense-cedar, ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, white fir, sugar pine, and others. A variety of wildflowers are found, and it is a good area to observe birds.

At the beginning of the trail hikers can pick up a leaflet describing 44 points of interest. These refer to trees, shrubs, flowers, geology, and other nature subjects. This is a relatively easy walk and one can profitably spend half a day using the leaflet.

34. DEVIL’S KITCHEN

Starting Point: Drakesbad Lodge Distances: 1.5 miles one way Topography: Gradually uphill 300 feet Time: 2½ hours for the round trip Features: Flowers, forest, hydrothermal activity

This hydrothermal area is larger than the Sulphur Works, smaller than Bumpass Hell, and differs from both. Hot Springs Creek runs through the area, and on a shelf just above this creek are a number of mudpots. Whoever named this area apparently imagined the devil cooking over these pots. The area extends above and beyond the mudpots with a number of steam vents on the side of the hill. And at the lower end are a group of trees which were killed quite recently when new vents opened up. In exploring the hot springs area, hikers should be extremely careful as crusts may be thin and trails thru the area have not been established.

The trail to Devil’s Kitchen crosses a meadow near Drakesbad (where one should look for wildflowers) and enters the forest. Just beyond the meadow are some dead snags where marmots are frequently seen. Further along, just below the trail and in the creek are some beaver dams.

This is an excellent trail for those interested in biology and geology.

Trails not described in the booklet:

Kings Creek to Drakesbad, 5 miles, downhill Around Butte and Snag lakes via Cinder Cone, 13 miles Butte Lake to Rainbow and Twin lakes, 7 miles Summit Lake to Rainbow and Snag Lakes, 6 and 8 miles Juniper Lake to Jakey Lake, 3 miles Juniper Lake to Jakey, Widow, and Butte lakes, 12 miles Around Juniper Lake, 5½ miles Drakesbad to Drake Lake, 1½ miles Kings Creek to Twin Meadows, 2½ miles

These trails are shown on the topographic map of Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Experienced hikers may want to visit places not on the trails, and with a topographic map as a guide should be able to go to a number of places in comparative safety. But beginners should stick to the established trails. Before venturing off the trails one should consult with a park ranger.

INDEX

Trail No. Page No.

Bathtub Lake 24 43 Boiling Springs Lake 33 54 Brokeoff Mountain 1 10 Bumpass Hell 5, 6 16, 18 Butte Lake 25, 27 44, 46 Cinder Cone 22 40 Chaos Crags 18 36 Cliff Lake 8 22 Cluster Lakes 16 33 Cold Boiling Lake 6, 11 18, 25 Conard Meadows 11 25 Crags Lake 18 36 Crumbaugh Lake 11 25 Crystal Lake 31 51 Devil’s Kitchen 34 55 Echo Lake 13 27 Forest Lake 1 10 Grassy Swale Creek 15 32 Hat Lake 10, 17 24, 34 Horseshoe Lake 14, 15, 28 30, 32, 47 Inspiration Point 30 50 Juniper Lake 29 48 Kings Creek Falls 12 26 Lassen Peak 7 20 Lily Pond 19 37 Manzanita Lake 20 38 Mill Creek Falls 2, 11 12, 25 Mount Harkness 32 52 Paradise Meadows 10, 17 24, 34 Prospect Peak 23 42 Ridge Lakes 3 13 Shadow Lake 8 22 Snag Lake 27, 28, 29 46, 47, 48 Summit Lake 9, 13, 14, 15 23, 27, 30, 32 Sulphur Works Hot Springs 4 14 Terrace Lake 8 22 Twin Lakes 13, 14 27, 30 Widow Lake 26 45

Transcriber’s Notes

—Silently corrected a few typos.

—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.

—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.

End of Project Gutenberg's Lassen Trails, by Stephen Halsey Matteson