The Cinder Cone volcano in the northeastern part of Lassen Volcanic National Park requires some effort to reach. From the Manzanita Lake entrance station, drive north out of the park to the intersection with CA 44. Turn right on 44 and drive 13.5 miles to Old Station. Turn right to stay on CA 44 toward Susanville. Drive 7.8 miles and turn right on Forest Service gravel road 32N21. Drive eight miles on the gravel road to the Butte Lake ranger station and campground. Once at Butte Lake, follow the signs to the Cinder Cone Trail. The drive takes about an hour.
The trail to the top of the cinder cone is a four mile round trip with a starting elevation above 6,000 feet and a gain of over 800 feet. During our mid-August, 2013 visit to the park, we turned around at the base of the cinder cone after hearing thunder. This reduced our hike to a total of 2½ miles.
After the eruption of Mount St Helens in 1980, the United States Geological Survey worked cooperatively with the National Park Service to re-evaluate volcanic risks throughout the country. Part of this effort determined that the eruptions that formed Cinder Cone and the Fantastic Lava Beds occurred during a period of a few months sometime between 1630 and 1670.
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| The trail roughly follows the edge of the Fantastic Lava Beds... |
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| ...through a forest that has been scarred by fire |
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| The lava bed eruption covers the cinder cone eruption |
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| Upended roots of a fallen tree |
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| The cinders create a trail that is sandy instead of solid |
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| The first clear view of Cinder Cone is about a mile up the trail |
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| View across the lava beds toward Ash Butte |
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| Double rainbow over the lava beds |
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| The trail steepens as it continues to the top of the cone |
The park website is http://www.nps.gov/lavo/index.htm.
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