Part 2

30 KINGS CREEK CAMPGROUND and Picnic Area. This is the Canadian Life Zone, although a few “Hudsonian” mountain hemlocks are in the cooler portions. The 7,400 foot elevation makes this a most delightful, primitive type of campsite during the warm summer months.

The trail goes south from the campground to Cold Boiling Lake (0.8 mile) and to Crumbaugh Lake (1.5 miles).

Kings Creek, originating from the springs in these meadows, is a part of the Feather River system, draining all of the area between Lassen and the Truckee River Divide, the largest single tributary drainage area in California.

(0.5 mile)

31 READING PEAK rises over 1,300 feet to an 8,701-foot elevation. Like Lassen Peak, across the meadow to the left, this is a plug volcano. It honors Major Pierson B. Reading (pronounced Redding), Northern California pioneer. He was General Fremont’s paymaster, and was involved in the Bear Flag revolt. Reading also discovered gold on Clear Creek in March 1848, and was the first permanent settler of Shasta County. In 1864 he led the third recorded ascent up Lassen Peak. The same year he filed a mining claim jointly with K. V. Bumpass on the Bumpass Hell area.

Deer are generally seen here in the meadow, especially near sunset during late summer and early fall.

(0.6 mile)

32 KINGS CREEK. On the west side of the road is a small picnic area. On the downstream side of the road (left of the creek) is a trail to Warner Valley. Kings Creek Falls is 1.3 miles, and Drakesbad is 4.0 miles. You can hike uphill to the base of Lassen Peak.

In both Lower and Upper Kings Creek Meadow, fawnlilys, red heather, corn lily, and white gentian make a fine floral succession from early spring to autumn. Lupine and pussy paws are also common in the drier locations.

(0.2 mile)

33 An EMERGENCY TELEPHONE is just below the park road for reporting accidents and fires.

(1.0 mile)

34 LAKE ALMANOR, WARNER VALLEY, and what might be called the friendly wilderness of the eastern portion of the park. Trails reach this country from Summit Lake and from dead-end secondary roads at Butte Lake, Horseshoe Lake, and Warner Valley. On Mt. Harkness is a National Park Service fire lookout station. Help keep the forests green by being very careful with matches, cigarettes, and the like.

(0.8 mile)

35 In this vicinity once stood a fine stand of RED FIR. On October 11, 1962, winds of gale force, sweeping up through the valleys from the southeast, blew down and broke off many large trees. This is typical of the story of violence and peace of the Lassen area. In a few years the young growth will hide most of the devastation.

The short, blue-green, single needles of the red fir grow in a brush-like manner. Very symmetrical, the trees are called “Silver Tips” in the commercial Christmas tree market.

The trunks curve at their base due to the heavy snowfall which bends the saplings downhill, flat to the ground. In the spring the young trees curve up, but the bend remains, and persists throughout the life of the tree. Curved trunks can also be found in other species of trees, such as mountain hemlock.

(1.4 miles)

36 SUMMIT LAKE lies on the east side of the road with entrance roads to the North and South Campgrounds, 0.1 mile apart. The lake is so named because it lies at the very summit of a divide between the Feather River drainage to the south and the Pit River drainage to the north.

The elevation of the lake is 6,700 feet. It is good for swimming, and its shores offer fine spots for picnicking or camping. Fishing is generally only fair.

This area is dominated by red firs, with lodgepole pine and western white pines. Also characteristic is the pinemat manzanita which forms a carpet on the forest floor, bearing numerous small white blossoms. Cream-colored marshmarigolds, and later white false hellebore, are the most showy of numerous flowers to be seen in moist areas about the lake.

Hat Mountain is the nearby symmetrical, flat-topped cinder cone, rising 1,195 feet above the level of Summit Lake, to the northeast of it.

A trail circles the lake and on the far side of it, heads east to Echo Lake, Twin Lakes, Cinder Cone, and Butte Lake; or to Bear and Cluster Lakes; or to Kings Creek Falls, Warner Valley, and Drakesbad.

(0.4 mile)

37 SUMMIT LAKE RANGER STATION. An emergency telephone is located there.

(0.1 mile)

38 DRIVE SLOWLY: TRAIL CROSSING FOR HORSES. The side road on the east leads to the public horse corral. Reservations for riding and pack horses may be made during the summer season here or at the Manzanita Lake Lodge.

The trail on the west goes to Cliff Lake (2.3 miles), Shadow Lake (3.2 miles), Terrace Lake (3.5 miles) and on to the base of Lassen Peak.

(1.2 miles)

39 DERSCH MEADOWS is a two mile long series of meadows extending northwest from Summit Lake along the park road. It is drained by the East Fork of Hat Creek and Dersch Creek. A large variety of fine spring and summer wildflowers including alpine shooting stars, columbia monkshood and rare white orchids, milkwhite habenaria, can be found close to the road. Deer are abundant here during the summer and fall seasons.

This is CANADIAN LIFE ZONE country. In addition to red fir, the 2-needle lodgepole pine, and western white pine are abundant. The shrub-like trees in the meadows are the moisture-loving willows. The rust-brown branches on the red fir have been caused by a small mistletoe which, like most mistletoes, cripples but rarely kills the trees.

(0.3 mile)

40 A large ANT HILL at the base of a small lodgepole pine about 15 feet from the road on the uphill side is about a 3-foot high nest built of twigs and dry pine needles by red ants about ¼ inch long. These ants have a very well developed social system comparable to that of bees. PLEASE DO NOT POKE OR OTHERWISE DISTURB THE ANTHILL.

(0.7 mile)

41 On the north (outside) edge of the park road is a truck trail which follows HAT CREEK north, and then eastward to a locked gate at Badger Flat, 6 miles distant. From Badger Flat, trails lead to Cinder Cone (5 miles), Butte Lake (7 miles), Cluster Lakes (2 miles), and many other points.

This is the southeast boundary of the DEVASTATED AREA. The down logs all point away from Lassen Peak, which dominates the scene and which wrought the devastation. Some trees have been uprooted; others have been snapped off like match sticks.

(0.2 mile)

42 HAT LAKE PARKING AREA. Nearby is Hat Lake, elevation 6,450 feet. It was formed by the mudflow of May 19, 1915, when it blocked Hat Creek. All lakes are very temporary features, and this one is a good example, as it is rapidly being filled by the building of a delta at the south end of the lake and by the accumulation of organic debris such as logs, etc. This will become a meadow in the near future. Most meadows have been formed in a similar manner. A cream-colored aquatic buttercup blooms conspicuously on the lake in the summer and early fall.

This is a good place to observe birds. The dark, grey-brown water ouzel, or dipper, can usually be seen or heard near the outlet where Hat Creek is crossed by the Park Road.

Just across the road from the parking area, the trail to the south goes to Paradise Meadow: (1.5 miles). An excellent variety of wildflowers bloom along the trail in mid-summer. Terrace Lake is 2.9 miles from here, and the road is again reached at an elevation of nearly 8,000 feet, 0.5 miles beyond this.

(0.4 mile)

43 HAT MOUNTAIN. This volcanic cone has an elevation of 7,695 feet, rising about 1,000 feet above Summit Lake near its south base.

(0.1 mile)

44 HEART OF THE DEVASTATED AREA. 10,457-foot Lassen Peak rises about 4,000 feet to the southwest. It is the largest plug volcano known. It was formed rapidly, being forced up as a stiff pasty mass of lava.

On May 30, 1914, without warning, Lassen Peak started a series of eruptions which lasted through 1917. The hundred eruptions during the first year were steam explosions which threw out ash, cinders and boulders, thus clearing out a new crater. On May 19, 1915, a black dacite lava flow welled up into this crater and spilled over to the southwest and northeast. At the southwest the lava descended about 1,000 feet on the Sacramento Valley side of the mountain, cooled and hardened. However, the lava coming down the northeast slope broke off in large pasty chunks, quickly melting a huge accumulation of snow. The resulting water, mixed with the large volume of fine and coarse debris from earlier eruptions formed a great mudflow which roared down the mountainside. Divided by Raker Peak, part of this mudflow went down Lost Creek, which the main road now follows northward. The rest went over the 100 foot rise in the east and down that Creek. It cut a swath through the forest which had been continuous across Lassen’s lower and middle slopes. Fertile meadows were covered by as much as 20 feet of mudflow debris. The bark of trees on the edge of the mudflow was pounded and ripped off as high as 18 feet above the ground.

LASSEN PEAK 1915 LAVA FLOW (NE) CRESCENT CRATER SURVIVORS HILL Area swept by hotblast only Area swept by mudflow and hotblast

Three days later (May 22, 1915) a great explosive eruption blasted out a new crater atop Lassen Peak, just west of the one which had been filled with, and sealed off, by the new lava. A portion of the explosive force was deflected downward. The resulting Hot Blast took the same, but wider, path the mudflow had taken. Trees left standing along the mudflow margins were uprooted or broken off by the blast and thrown down, all pointing away from Lassen Peak for a distance of 3 miles from the summit crater. Of the logs and snags which constitute an important part of this evidence, many have already rotted and weathered away since 1915. Some still show the abrasion and impact marks of mudflow and hotblast missiles.

The young trees growing in the Devastated Area have not been planted by man, but are natural reforestation. In National Parks nature takes its course. Man’s meddling, even though well intentioned, often upsets the balance of nature, with resultant undesirable and unforeseen effects.

In summertime christine lupine (cream-colored) is abundant here. In the fall, rabbitbrush (yellow) is conspicuous.

In late summer and fall, deer are numerous on the lower slopes of Lassen Peak. Some of the deer seen here are mule deer and its more common sub-species called the black-tailed deer, both recognized by their tails. The sub-species has a tail entirely black, and the mule deer has only the lower tip black with the remainder the color of its coat.

(0.7 mile)

45 RAKER PEAK to the north is a 1,200-foot cone of andesite lava through which a stiff dome of dacite later welled up, the latter forming the cliffs. Logs felled by Lassen’s hot blast of May 22, 1915, are also visible on its lower slope. The mountain was named Raker Peak in 1933 to perpetuate the memory of John E. Raker, Representative from California and author of the successful bill making Lassen a National Park in 1916.

Across the road to the west, on the left base of the slope, is a small patch of mature trees. The mound, called “SURVIVORS HILL,” protected these trees from both the mudflow and the great Hot Blast. Survivors Hill also protected a patch of forest on Raker Peak where a patch of old trees still stands unscathed, surrounded by down timber.

(0.4 mile)

46 OLD BOUNDARY SPRING lies in the grove of white-trunked quaking aspen trees just southwest and below the level of the Road. The spring provides excellent drinking water. Through this site once passed the original park boundary, hence the name.

Quaking aspens are sun-tolerant trees, members of the poplar family. In autumn, their leaves turn a golden-yellow, sometimes tinged with red. It is a short-lived tree and is often a pioneer in areas denuded by fire or other means. It provides shelter and water-retention, assisting in the establishment of young coniferous trees which eventually crowd out the aspens.

(0.5 mile)

47 An EMERGENCY TELEPHONE is on the east side of the Park Road.

(0.4 mile)

48 HOT ROCK is one of the many large boulders carried from the top of Lassen Peak. In the mudflow of May 19, 1915, these boulders were known to the local people as “hot rocks” because they retained their heat for several days. These which were buried in the mudflow material formed enough steam to cause funnel-shaped “eruption pits” in the mud overlying them. These pits can still be seen by careful searching in the upper portion of the Devastated Area.

The numerous log and boulder jams were built up behind obstacles as the mudflow began to lose its tremendous size and momentum. The new forest growth is partly obscuring this feature, and before long all traces of the devastation will be obscured.

(0.4 mile)

49 LOST CREEK CROSSING. This stream has cut a trench not only through Lassen’s recent mudflow, but through earlier ones, some of which were separated by rather long periods of time. Upstream can be seen two lower layers of tree stumps, still erect and in place, laid bare by the erosive action of Lost Creek.

This is also a good place to observe the activities of the water ouzels.

The Nobles Trail parallels the road a short distance to the east. It was in use until completion of the main road through the park in 1934.

(0.1 mile)

50 WEST BOUNDARY OF THE DEVASTATED AREA. The Great Hot Blast did not affect this area and only the effect of the mudflow of May 19, 1915, is visible. Recent growth of vegetation is healing the scars, but a change in soil, distribution of battered-down logs, barked tree trunks, and the change in the profile of the stream-cut bank across Lost Creek can still be seen.

(0.6 mile)

51 The LOST CREEK DIVERSION DITCH is below on the outside edge of the road. It was dug by Italian labor crews for the Shasta Power Company as a part of a water collection system for Battle Creek electrical development before this region became a National Park.

(0.1 mile)

52 On the inside bank of this turn, above the road, is a cross section of the LOST CREEK DIVERSION DITCH. The eruption of Lassen Peak on May 19, 1915, ended a long controversy between the power companies and the pioneer settlers regarding water rights by destroying, shortly after completion, the whole intake section at a point not far from here, upstream.

(0.9 mile)

53 In this area and on the slope above is an intermediate step in NATURAL REFORESTATION after a fire. The luxuriant growth of young white fir and jeffrey pine has been possible through soil stabilization and moisture retention accomplished by shrubs.

(0.5 mile)

54 A fine specimen of SUGAR PINE.

(0.3 mile)

55 LOST CREEK ORGANIZATIONAL CAMP is used only by organized groups. Reservations for this and other free group campgrounds in the park must be made in advance by writing to the Superintendent, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Mineral, Calif., 96063. Camping space in the other campgrounds is available on a first come first served basis.

(0.2 mile)

56 A magnificent PONDEROSA PINE.

(0.2 mile)

57 This stretch of forest, especially on the east side of the road, may be called a “MICRO-CLIMATE.” The southwest exposure, in a sheltered depression, produces a warmer climate which supports white fir, incense cedar, ponderosa pine, sugar pine, shrubs and annuals characteristic of lower elevations. The green carpet covering the low rocks and parts of the forest floor is called squawcarpet ceanothus.

(0.3 mile)

58 On the eastern extension of the sharp curve is a loose ROCKY TALUS SLOPE composed of fine-grained, dark grey boulders known as basalt. Often basaltic lavas are very porous because they are typically gas-rich when molten, and many bubble holes result as the escaping gases are trapped during cooling. This lava is relatively low in silica and high in iron, hence it is dark in color and heavy in weight.

(0.6 mile)

59 PROSPECT PEAKS are Hawaiian or shield volcanos made of countless thin basaltic lava flows from a central vent, producing shield-shaped outlines. The sharp peaks on top of these two mountains are small cinder cones. Badger Mountain is a plug volcano like Chaos Crags or Lassen Peak. West Peak is outside the park and on it is a Forest Service fire look-out station. To the north and northeast are typical virgin forests mantling a sea of minor volcanic peaks.

LATOUR BUTTE MAGEE PEAK SUGAR LOAF PEAK HAT CREEK RIM HAT CREEK FAULT WEST PROSPECT PEAK PROSPECT PEAK BADGER MT.

The HAT CREEK FAULT SCARP, outside the park, is a great crack in the earth where an enormous block to the east, known as the Hat Creek Rim, rose. The scarp, or bluff, runs about 25 miles north. This is the beginning of the so-called basin range structure of Nevada which is largely composed of such variously tilted fault blocks.

(0.6 mile)

60 NOBLES PASS, elevation about 6,000 feet, was discovered by William H. Nobles. In 1852 he offered to reveal the route to business men of Shasta City, then the leading settlement of Northern California, for $2,000. The new route, the most popular into this region, started at Black Rock, Nevada, and entered the northeast corner of the park at Butte Lake. This Nobles, or Old Emigrant, Trail is still visible to the northeast through the chaparral. From this point, it went west along the south base of Table Mountain and left the park near the highway “Y” beyond Manzanita Lake. Numerous authentic pioneer relics have been found along the route.

The chaparral brush formation here is composed of greenleaf manzanita, snowbrush, ceanothus, and bitter cherry. Establishment of the chaparral is often the first step in the natural reforestation of an area swept by forest fires.

(0.4 mile)

61 This is one of the largest WHITE FIR trees in the United States. It is 168 feet high and has a circumference of 20 feet, 7 inches.

This vicinity is known as SUNFLOWER FLAT due to the abundance of the flower-like plant called wooly wyethia which blossoms in mid-summer. Other flowers to be seen are: skyrocket gilia, California stickweed, Nuttall larkspur, and Pacific monardella. A few brilliant red snowplants are often to be found here up into mid-summer. Remember, no flower picking is allowed in our National Parks.

(0.2 mile)

62 The sudden change in topography indicates the east edge of CHAOS JUMBLES ... the huge landslide from nearby Chaos Crags.

This upper edge of the hummocky rock debris is thin, and lies on a relatively flat undersurface. As a result, the forest trees grow normally here, in contrast to the dwarf forest to be found on the main mass of thick, sloping, and very porous Jumbles.

The pale yellow-green, moss-like material on the tree trunks is called staghorn lichen. It is not a moss, but is a union of two plants growing together; a fungus, giving it form and body, and an alga, growing inside and manufacturing food for both from the air and sunshine. Lichens do not in any way harm the trees, and grow as well on dead material.

(0.6 mile)

63 The pink mountain mass to the south is CHAOS CRAGS. It is composed of three plug volcanos of a lava known as dacite. This material was rapidly pushed up in a molten state, much as one would squeeze paste from a tube. As the lava plugs cooled and hardened, steam explosions took place from the base of the cliff, undermining it and causing at least three tremendous avalanches estimated as occurring about 1700 years ago, 700 years ago and the most recent in about the year 1690. Due to the small amount of soil and porous rock, many of the stunted trees in this Dwarf Forest are over 200 years old.

(1.1 mile)

64 VISITOR CENTER, LODGE and CAMPGROUND, elevation 5,950 feet, is the center of visitor facilities and services.

The Visitor Center is open daily. Free naturalist-conducted hikes, caravans, and nature walks originate here. Informal campfire programs are presented nightly in the Manzanita Lake Campground Amphitheater from June through mid-September.

The LILY POND SELF-GUIDING NATURE TRAIL, an easy 1-mile loop route, starts just across the road from the Visitor Center. It is unique in having ten species of cone-bearing trees and three species of broad-leaved trees along its short and nearly level route.

Abundant wildlife, including deer and a large variety of birds, is found in the Manzanita-Reflection Lakes area. The most common rodents are the golden-mantled ground squirrel and the chipmunk.

The Loomis Museum, with a tract of 40 acres, was given to the Federal Government in 1927 by Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Loomis in memory of their daughter, Mae. On this land are now located the public lodge and dining room, curio store, service station, grocery store and postoffice.

The National Park Service emblem pictured here was adopted in 1953. Many visitors confuse the Park Service (Department of the Interior) with the Forest Service (Department of Agriculture). Briefly, the National Park Service preserves the National Parks and Monuments in an unchanged state, while the U. S. Forest Service operates National Forests on a sustaining yield basis.

(0.1 mile)

65 REFLECTION LAKE, elevation 5,880 feet. A few hundred feet ahead is the road to the Reflection Lake Picnic Ground. There tables, fireplaces, and rest rooms are available for free visitor use.

Reflection Lake gets its name from the fine reflections of Lassen Peak and Chaos Crags to be seen in it from near the picnic ground. It is an excellent place for photography, especially in the afternoon or early evening.

On summer evenings nighthawks can be seen cruising over the lake, emitting their unique harsh cries and their startling “whoomm” sound in flight. Bats on the wing also are seen in the evenings feeding on insects.

(0.2 mile)