Cinder Cone, Lassen Volcanic National Park

We drove a little further off the beaten track to cross this place off the list off must see locations in Lassen Volcanic National Park. True to name you really get a chance to admire how the landscape has undergone great and dramatic change. The colors that one sees at the top of the cone are worth the laborious trek up the steep cone. For sure you'll feel a bit tired as the terrain does few favors for you. I really loved this experience and highly recommend it to any visitor to the area

I totally forgot to add my review of this place...haha. Went around June of 2021 and it was an amazing experience, coming from a person that has ZERO interest in volcanos. My friend convinced me to go during a tour through Northern California and I'm glad I did. You'll need hiking boots and just take it one step at a time focused on the top. The hill is steep but it's totally worth it once you reach the top. The pictures are nothing compared to seeing it up close and in person. Absolutely breathtaking...so get out there and enjoy!

Such an amazing experience! Glad we finished the weekend with this trail. It’s a steep and tiring hike up, but so worth it! Amazing view of Lassen Peak and the lava beds. Definitely worth reading up a little on Cinder Cone volcanoes to understand what you’re looking at.

I can’t believe it there is only 98 reviews on Google for this unique hike! My 9 years old daughter hiked up there and the view of the crater, lava bed and painted sand dune. The uphill hike was really challenging but it worthy!!

Cinder cones are scattered all around you at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Some are in plain sight and others are overgrown and hidden by forest, but none are more recent and more spectacular than the Cinder Cone that created the Fantastic Lava Beds and the colorful Painted Dunes eleven miles north east of Lassen Peak. Sometime around the middle of the seventeenth century a volcanic vent in this area began to expel small chunks of lava, which cooled in mid-air and fell back to earth to collect into a cone some 700 feet in height. Activity finally ceased when larger amounts of lava flowed up to the surface and eventually blocked the vent. The hike from Butte Lake campground takes a route along the side of the lava beds and through a thin forest of evergreens before ascending the cinder cone. Although the route up the north face of the cone is well used, the ground underfoot is still loose, feeling much like walking along a mile of sandy beach .. at a thirty degree angle. From the summit you should take the time marvel at the Fantastic Lava Beds and Painted Dunes below you and the great mountain views of Lassen, Brokeoff and Chaos Crags. Though only eleven miles from Lassen Peak, driving to the trailhead of this hike requires a 40 mile drive or 32 miles from the north park entrance and includes 7 miles of dirt road driving. Despite the distance the scenery en route is well worth experiencing, and the unpaved road is entirely accessible even in a two-wheel drive car with relatively low ground clearance. The exit off Feather Lake Road (CA-44) and onto the unpaved Butte Lake Road (NF32N21) is located here. Note that driving directions using Google Maps will not work when the road is closed in winter. We have more on this trail and many other Lassen area hikes over at Trailspotting.com if you're interested.