9 Best Sights in Lassen Volcanic National Park, California

A handsome, contemporary LEED-certified structure at the southwest entrance, this helpful year-round resource is a good place to pick up maps, inquire about kids' activities and ranger programs, view an engaging park film, and check out the well-conceived interactive exhibits. There's also an excellent bookstore and a casual café.

In this handsome building constructed of volcanic rock in 1927, you can view artifacts from the park's 1914 and 1915 eruptions, including dramatic original photographs taken by Benjamin Loomis, who was instrumental in the park's establishment. The museum also has a bookstore, excellent exhibits about the area's Native American heritage, and a helpful staff who can recommend hikes and points of interest on this side of the park.

Learn about black bears at this ranger-led talk, offered mid-June–mid-August, that takes less than an hour.

This worthwhile 3-mile loop leads from the Warner Valley Trailhead to Boiling Springs Lake, which is surrounded by high bluffs topped with incense cedar, Douglas fir, and other conifers. Vents beneath the milky gray-green lake release bubbles into it, heating it to a temperature of 125°F. Most who come all the way to Warner Valley combine this hike with one of the others that it connects with, typically either Devils Kitchen or Terminal Geyser. Easy–Moderate.

Lassen Peak's 1915 eruptions cleared this area, which makes up a good chunk of the center of the park, of all vegetation, though after all these years the forest has gradually returned. The easy ½-mile interpretive trail loop is wheelchair accessible.

Visit the otherworldly Sulphur Works with a ranger and learn the secrets behind this unique hydrothermal feature.

Junior Rangers, ages 5 to 12, meet for 45 minutes three times a week with rangers, including for talks about the role wildfires have in shaping our national parks. Kids can earn patches by completing an activity book, or joining the Chipmunk Club and earning a sticker by completing various activities.

This ½-mile jaunt loops past a small lake and through a wooded area, ending at a pond that is filled with yellow water lilies in summer. Marked with interpretive signs, it's a good choice for families. Easy.

Listen to the fascinating tales of the intrepid travelers who made the journey in 1853 to California via the Nobles Emigrant Trail wagon road.