Lassen Volcanic National Park ⓘ

Stories of human experience from prehistoric to present day are woven into the landscape of Lassen Volcanic National Park. From American Indians who utilized the Lassen region as a meeting point and seasonal camp, to explorers and pioneers lured by the gold rush and the desire to explore the West; these individuals and groups shaped the park and they way we experience it today.

History here generally describes the period from 1840, even though Jedediah Smith passed through in 1828 on his overland trek to the West Coast. California's gold rush brought the first settlers. Two pioneer trails, developed by William Nobles and Peter Lassen, are associated with the park. In 1851, Nobles discovered an alternate route to California, passing through Lassen. Sections of the Lassen and Nobles Emigrant Trail are still visible. Lassen, for whom the park is named, guided settlers near here and tried to establish a city. Mining, power development projects, ranching, and timbering were all attempted. The area's early federal protection saved it from heavy logging.

Mathias B. Supan came to America looking for a new life. He found one in northern California at a place he dubbed Dr. Supan's Paint Mine, known today as Sulphur Works. As the area surrounding Sulphur Works became Lassen Volcanic National Park, there was much tension between the Supan family and the park. Both parties saw potential in the Sulphur Works area. In the end, the park was able to purchase what is now a popular stop for visitors to explore Lassen's most accessible hydrothermal area.

Women have played an important—though often lesser-known—role in the history of northern California, the Lassen region, and Lassen Volcanic National Park. Women from at least four American Indian groups gathered in the Lassen area and were skilled naturalists and basket makers. In the 1800s, women were expected to play a traditional role in the private world of the family and home. With the birth of the railroad and as the Gold Rush drew people to California in the late 1800s, pioneering women found ways to broaden traditional roles. Clothing reforms, such as the advent of "bloomers," allowed women to participate in outdoor pursuits, while women organizing for suffrage in the West spurred change across the nation. Women's contribution to the park began well before its establishment and continues to this day with women serving in nearly every position from volunteer to Superintendent.

Women of the West were the first in the United States to enjoy full voting rights. Decades before passage of the 19th Amendment , western women voted and served in public office. In the West, woman suffragists campaigned across mountains, plains, and deserts, finding common cause with a variety of communities and other political movements.

Cecil Stoughton. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston

Touring the West to promote his conservation agenda, Kennedy visited Lassen Volcanic on September 27 and 28, 1963. He was accompanied by Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, Press Secretary Pierre Salinger, and California’s Governor Pat Brown. The party arrived at the Devastated Area by helicopter from Redding Airport and rode in cars to Manzanita Lake shortly before sundown. While a park naturalist led Udall and members of the press corps on the nature trail around the lake, Kennedy retired to the Manzanita Lake Lodge manager’s residence (present day Discovery Center) for a much needed rest. As the visit was only an overnight stop on the president’s western tour, the party visited Manzanita Lake for a short period the next morning before leaving the park the same way it had come. The press quoted Kennedy as saying that the superintendent had “the best job in the world” and photographed him feeding a deer. Despite the dubious message contained in this image of the president feeding the park’s wildlife , it was a golden photo opportunity for the Park Service and Lassen Volcanic in particular. To ensure Kennedy’s safety throughout his short visit, the Park Service sent a total of 34 uniformed personnel from seven other units of the National Park System to assist the rangers at Lassen Volcanic. 1 1 SAR, 1963; Thomas G. Smith, “John Kennedy, Stewart Udall, and New Frontier Conservation,” Pacific Historical Review 64, no. 3 (August 1995): 356.

In September 1963, President John F. Kennedy made his historical Conservation Tour across the United States. Kennedy delivered an address upon his arrival at Redding Airport on September 27, before heading to Lassen Volcanic for an overnight stay. The following day Kennedy gave an address at Dedication Ceremonies for the Whiskeytown Dam . The tour was organized by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson and Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall. They suggested that Kennedy make a tour of the nation, highlighting environmental crises and proposing solutions to existing environmental concerns. During his five-day trip, the President visited eleven states from Pennsylvania to California and delivered fifteen speeches. Most of his addresses focused on the environment and were intended to raise the country’s awareness of the existing problems; however, Kennedy also discussed his political agenda concerning the country’s national and international affairs. View additional archives at John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Media gallery of Kennedy at National Park Service sites Video of Kennedy's September 1963 Conservation Tour

John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site As a boy, JFK’s parents never expected he would grow up to be president. Yet in his birthplace home he learned values that inspired a life in public service. His mother, Rose Kennedy, recreated her family’s first home to share her memories of those early years with visitors. We commemorate not only his early life, but the ideas and principles he left behind. Take a virtual tour or watch the site video at nps.gov/jofi.

The traditional interest of the archaeologist is the study of the material remains of prehistoric cultures. As a scientific discipline that studies the past, archaeology fundamentally concerns itself with the interrelationships of three dimensions: space, time, and form (Spaulding 1972: 22-39). This is to say that the archaeologist is concerned with the form of human material culture as it changes through time and over space. However, the ultimate objective of archaeological research extends beyond the material remains of past cultures and seeks some understanding of the systemic cultural processes that governed the behavior of the human beings who used the "things" left behind.

The term "archaeology" most often raises in the public mind such adventurous images as Heinrich Schliemann digging the remains of Homer's Troy, Howard Carter first peering by flashlight into the tomb of Tutankhamun, Stephens and Catherwood searching the Central American jungle for Maya temples, or Indiana Jones off to a new adventure. The truth of the matter is that archaeology is generally a much more mundane and frequently more tedious discipline, focused most often on the small and generally uninteresting debris of daily life.

In the past 50 years or so archaeologists have more frequently been called away from traditional pursuits and asked to join hands with the historian who has come to appreciate the powerful potential that archaeology has to test the truth of the historical record, and to recover vital details thought to be too unimportant to place in the written record. It can be argued that what follows here is historical archaeology, of a sort. The subject of the investigation is bounded in space by the Drakesbad valley and its immediate surroundings in Lassen Volcanic National Park, is restricted to the time period between the approximately 1890 and the present, and is focused on the material evidence of continuity and change in the cultural landscape of the Drakesbad valley.

While the traditional archaeologist studies stylistic change in prehistoric pottery shards to order cultures in time, it is the photograph that is employed here to establish a time sequence. Fortunately many of the photographs of Drakesbad are firmly dated and can be used to form a framework into which undated prints can be placed on the basis of structural elements. The study of this photographic sequence at once yields a clearer view of the history of Drakesbad than is provided by the written record alone. For example, the most dramatic event in Drakesbad's history is the well recorded collapse of the lodge in the winter of 1937-38. The historical record credits the building's structural failure to inadequate construction methods by the builder combined with unusually heavy snow loads, but the photographic record may suggest additional reasons why the building collapsed after standing firm through 47 winters.

The research presented here also has a practical purpose beyond complimenting the written history of the Drakesbad Guest Ranch. The National Park Service in its vision for the future of the Drakesbad seeks to maintain the facility in close harmony with its past. To this end it is useful to the Park Service to know such unrecorded and tedious minutiae as what type of fences were constructed over the years, how and when paths were lined with stones, if a pond or fountain ever decorated the lawn in front of the lodge, to what extent the meadow was once populated with willows, and so forth. In a more important context, if the Park Service, faced in the 1970s or 80s with the considerable cost of restoring a small cabin attached to the back of a log barn and in a state of near collapse, had possessed clear evidence that this cabin was the oldest standing structure in the valley, perhaps a different decision would have been made.

Thus, this research seeks to answer questions about Drakesbad's buildings and environment not fully addressed in the written history with the explicit expectation that such information will assist the National Park Service preserve this unique and beautiful valley as the Sifford family envisioned it, a place close to nature reserved for renewal and reflection.

Finally, it is anticipated that this research marks only a beginning and will be refined and expanded as more photographs of Drakesbad are discovered.

The first person known to have settled in the valley that was later to become Drakesbad was Edward R. Drake (1830-1904). It is possible that Drake may have first arrived in the Drakesbad area as early as 1875. Roy Sifford recalled, "I have been told by others that he was in the valley at Drakesbad when Dr. Harkness, for whom Mt. Harkness was named, was there in 1875" (Roy Sifford interviewed by Les Bodine, 7 July 1987). Sifford also states that before Drake moved further north into Hot Spring Valley he constructed a "squatters cabin" in Warner Valley about a mile south of Lee's Camp where the road crosses "Drake Creek" (Roy Sifford interviewed by Les Bodine, 9 Oct 1987). Records show that in the 1880's Drake purchased a land claim to property in Hot Springs Valley, and over the next decade acquired additional property, the largest parcel obtained through "patents from the United States Government for a total of 320 acres in the areas now called 'Drakesbad' and 'Devils Kitchen'" (Strong:1989:26). By 1900 Drake's land holdings totaled 400 acres and included many hot springs and other thermal features associated with the Mount Lassen volcano.

Roy Sifford described Drake as a trapper and guide who came west from the Rocky Mountains "in the late '60's and '70's, mining up and down the Feather River near Bidwell Bar, [where] he evidently made some kind of a stake. He established a big bar there, and ran it for some time where others have told me that he had employed three or four bartenders, and it was a big place. Then, as the diggings ran out, he moved on up the Feather River into the upper end and into the Prattville - the Big Meadows country. It was there that he came on up into what became Drakesbad, Hot Springs Valley. I think he first came up there in about 1880 or the late '70's. He did not settle the land or anything, but I think he came and went and trapped in there some and made Prattville from about 1875, his winter headquarters" (Roy Sifford interviewed by Les Bodine 5/5/87).

In a letter dated March 27, 1877, to J. Van A. Carter of Fort Bridger, Wyoming, acknowledging the receipt a shipment of moccasins and requesting an additional pair--"the largest pair you have", Drake gives his return mailing address as Prattville, Plumas County, firmly placing him in the Hot Spring Valley area by the spring of 1877 (Original letter in the possession of the author).

When Drake settled in Hot Spring Valley he constructed a small log cabin and a barn. Other improvements were pasture fencing of cedar pickets, a bath house, wooden latrines for campers, and a shallow well. In 1890 Drake built "a good new log cabin of some size" at the edge of the valley where today the Drakesbad lodge is located (Roy Sifford interviewed by Les Bodine n.d.).

Drake spent his summers in the valley "herding livestock, acting as a guide, and providing limited services to the occasional campers he allowed on his property" (Strong 1989:26). During the harsh Sierra winters the lanky 6' 4" Drake, who is remembered by Roy Sifford as a kindly man and a good fiddler, moved down valley to Prattville in Big Meadows (now under Lake Almanor) "doing odd jobs for a living" (Strong 1989:26).

In 1900, Alexander Sifford, an ailing school teacher seeking relief from a troublesome stomach, made the difficult three-day wagon journey with his wife Ida and son Roy (daughter Pearl remained at home with the mumps) from their home in Susanville to Hot Spring Valley to camp and allow Alex to drink the soda waters of "Drake's Spring" (Strong 1989:26).

Alex Sifford's visit with Edward Drake appears to have come at an opportune time. Over the course of the three-day visit the older Sifford drank the water and he and the lanky pioneer talked. Drake was seventy and something about Alex Sifford and his family struck a chord in the old man. After a conversation that lasted "long into the night" (Sifford 1994:14) Drake agreed to sell his 400 acres to Sifford for $6,000 (Strong 1989:27). As part of the deal Alex Sifford assured Drake that he would always be welcome to come and go as long as he lived (Sifford 1994:15).

The following morning the Siffords started back to Susanville where Alex obtained a loan for a down payment. On June 20, 1900, the Siffords took possession of Drake's Hot Spring Valley where they would live and work for the the next 60 summers. In 1901 Alex Sifford purchased 40 acres in the Boiling Springs Lake area, increasing the total Sifford holdings in the valley to 440 acres. Later in 1908 they renamed the valley "Drakesbad" (Drake's baths) to honor the old pioneer.

Life at Drakesbad was hard work for the whole Sifford family, grubbing willows in the meadow, building to improve the property, and providing services to the hundreds of visitors who came to the valley each summer. Making the guest ranch a paying proposition was always a struggle, and the early years were a particularly difficult time of "root hog or die" as Roy Sifford remembers (Roy Sifford interviewed by Les Bodine 7/7/87). However, the Sifford's love of their valley and their willingness to share its beauties never diminished. In no small part the creation in 1916 of Lassen Volcanic National Park resulted from the Sifford's vision for Drakesbad and the Lassen area. It remained an enduring goal of the Siffords, Roy and his father Alex before him, that the Drakesbad valley would some day become part of the Park and open "for any who wished to visit and enjoy" (Sifford 1994:145).

Lassen Volcanic National Park provides habitat for approximately 216 species of birds in which 96 have been known to breed in the park. Most of the species that occur in the park are neotropical migrants. These birds use the park in summer to breed and forage and then fly to Central and South America to spend the winter. View the Lassen Volcanic National Park species list .

Researchers have been studying landbirds at Lassen Volcanic National Park since 2008. Landbirds (tree-dwelling birds, perching birds or songbirds, raptors, and ground-feeding birds) are frequently sighted in the park. Because they spend most of their lives on the ground or in trees, they are sensitive to habitat change. Studying them helps researchers track conditions of their habitats. A riparian area (streams and wetlands) count survey in 2015 recorded 68 species within 50 meters of 25 survey points. Dark-eyed Junco was detected at every survey point, followed by American Robin, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Mountain Chickadee, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Rufous Hummingbird (84% of sites). Learn more about landbird monitoring from the Klamath Network Inventory & Monitoring Team.

Steller's Jay | Cyanocitta stelleri This large, dark jay swoops on its broad, rounded wings. Keep an eye on your picnic as they are quick to spot unattended food. Steller's and Blue jays are the only northern American jays with crests. Listen to a Stellar's Jay call . Mountain Chickadee | Poecile gambeli Sparrow-sized, small-billed bird often sighted in trees throughout the winter months. Makes two distinctive calls, "chicka-dee-dee-de" and another that sounds strikingly like "cheeseburger!" Clark's Nutcracker | Nucifraga columbiana This member of the crow family caches thousands of seeds each year . Easy to spot throughout the park as they swoop between trees. Listen for their frequent long, grating calls.

Also known as Phantom of the North or Great Gray Ghost, this owl blends easily in the forest.

Lassen Volcanic is home to both native plants and invasive (non-native) species . Native are plants indigenous to the area in geologic time. This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area (trees, flowers, grasses, and other plants. Invasive plants are not native to the park and have a tendancy to spread, possibly causing damage to the existing ecosystem.

Select a link to view a list of and information related to native and non-native plant species including: Vascular plants on Consortium of California Herbaria Mushrooms / Fungi on mycoportal.org Mosses on bryophyteportal.org Lichens * on lichenportal.org

At elevations below 6,500 feet the dominant vegetation community is the mixed conifer forest. Ponderosa and Jeffrey pines, sugar pine, and white fir form the forest canopy for this rich community that also includes species of manzanita, gooseberry and ceanothus. Common wildflowers include iris, spotted coralroot, pyrola, violets, and lupine.

Above the mixed conifer forest is the major community of the red fir forest. Between elevations of 6,500 and 8,000 feet, red fir, western white pine, mountain hemlock, and lodgepole pine dominate a community less diverse than the mixed-conifer forest. Common plants include satin lupine, woolly mule's-ears and pinemat manzanita.

Subalpine areas include the upper limit for the growth of standing trees. From 8,000 feet to treeline, plants are fewer in overall number with exposed patches of bare ground providing a harsh environment. Rock spirea, lupine, Indian paintbrush, and penstemon are a few of the rugged members of this community. Trees in this community include whitebark pine and mountain hemlock.

Lichen are a not a plant, but a symbiotic partnership between a fungus and alga. The dominant partner is the fungus, which gives the lichen the majority of its characteristics. The alga can be either green alga or blue-green alga, otherwise known as cynobaterica. Many lichens will have both types of algae. There are some 110 known species of lichen in the park. Learn more about lichen and how they help keep our air clean .

Sprinkled throughout Lassen Volcanic's elevation-defined Life Zones are several plants of concern. "Concern" is based on a variety of variables, including the level of threat a species faces, its abundance and ranking, and also the ecosystem services that it performs. The greatest threats to Lassen's flora include climate change , competition with invasive plants , and historical fire suppression.

Carnivores are perhaps the most widely recognized group of mammals in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Although grizzly bears once roamed the area, they were extirpated from California when the last individual was shot in the early 1920s.

The best known members of rodentia found in the park are mice, chipmunks, squirrels, and gophers. The order also includes lesser known taxa like voles. Mice (8 species) and their allies, chipmunks (3 species), and squirrels (6 species) constitute more than half of the rodent species in the park. Most of the remaining genera are represented by only a single species like marmots, aplodontia, and porcupines. The most commonly sighted rodents are:

Millions of bats live in national parks. They pollinate, eat insects, use echolocation, and fascinate visitors. Learn more about the secret lives of bats on nps.gov .

There are no Federally listed mammals within Lassen Volcanic National Park and the Sierra Nevada red fox is the only mammal species that is listed as Threatened by the State of California. The Sierra Nevada snowshoe hare, Sierra Nevada mountain beaver, and the American badger are all considered a species of concern by the State of California.

Campground List Highway 89 Corridor (listed north to south) Open dates and fees for campgrounds along Highway 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Outlying Areas (listed north to south) Open dates and fees for campgrounds in outlying areas within Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Dry Camping (Autumn) In dry camping conditions, drinking water and flush restrooms are not available. A discounted camping fee will be charged to reflect limited services. The water is turned off in these campgrounds to protect infrastructure when temperatures typically dip below freezing at night. Accessible Campsites Three campgrounds offer wheelchair-accessible campsites located near wheelchair-accessible restrooms. Learn more about accessibility at Lassen. Manzanita Lake: sites A32 & B9 Summit Lake North: site A1 Butte Lake: site A6 Group Camping Manzanita Lake, Butte Lake, and Juniper Lake campgrounds offer larger sites to accommodate groups; Lost Creek Group campground is exclusively group sites. Group sites have a minimum occupancy requirement of 10 people. Group campsites have three picnic tables, three fire rings, and three bear lockers. Groups may also reserve adjacent individual campsites but must adhere to single campsite capacities (3 tents 6 people, 2 vehicles). Group site Capacities: (minimum 10 people) Manzanita Lake: max 15 people /4 vehicles; rvs 40’ Lost Creek: max 25 people / 6 vehicles; rvs 40’ Butte lake: max 25 people / 6 vehicles; rvs 40’ Juniper Lake: max 15 people /4 vehicles; tent only Stock Corrals Butte Lake, Juniper Lake, and Summit Lake North campgrounds also have reservable stock corrals for overnight use. Learn more about stock use in Lassen .

First-Come, First-Served Campsites (FCFS) Juniper Lake and Southwest Walk-in campgrounds are available first-come, first-served and cannot be reserved.

Camping in Self-Contained Vehicles Camping in self-contained vehicles is allowed in the Southwest parking area (part of Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center parking) year-round; camping fee required. Car camping or overnight vehicle parking is not allowed in any other parking area, pullouts, or picnic grounds.

Amenities & Services Amenities All campsites are equipped with: One picnic table One fire ring One bear-resistant storage locker (size: 4' x 3' x 2.5' or 30 cubic feet) to properly store food and scented items. Most campgrounds offer spigots and/or sinks with potable water in season (except Juniper Lake), restrooms, and receptacles for trash/recycling. Some campgrounds have vault toilets and other have flush restrooms – see individual campground pages for full list of amenities. Services Manzanita Lake Campground offers a dump station ($8). Manzanita Lake Campground has a camper store with pay showers and laundry. No other park campgrounds have dump stations or camper stores. No park campground has RV hookups.

Campground Questions Please read through our website before reaching out with questions. Questions about Reservations: contact recreation.gov Other campground camping questions: email us at e-mail us

All dates are subject to change due to weather, road status, or public safety. The dates listed for each campground are the earliest date the campground may open and the latest day the campground may close. Lassen receives up to 30 feet of snowfall each year, sometimes as early as September. Check current park conditions and learn more about Lassen’s spring snow clearing operations .

The operating hours page and recreation.gov will be updated as much as possible to reflect current projected dates.

Reservations are required for all campgrounds except Juniper Lake and Southwest Walk-in. Visit recreation.gov or call (877) 444-6777 to make a reservation. Park staff cannot assist with reservations and on-sight payments are not accepted. Please keep in mind that phone and internet service is spotty at best and often unavailable in the park. We highly recommend making a reservation prior to your visit.

Southwest Walk-In Campground payments are made through the Scan and Pay system. You must first download the recreation.gov mobile app to your phone. It is highly recommended that you download the app prior to coming to the park as connectivity can be limited at times. Instructions for the Scan and Pay system are located on the bulletin board at the campground.

FCFS sites require self-registration and payment. Self-register and pay at the kiosk located at the campground entrance. Instructions are also posted at the kiosk for easy reference.

More than 150 miles of hiking trails provide access to a wide-variety of park features including hydrothermal areas , volcanic peaks, alpine lakes, and mountain meadows. Hiking is the best way to explore Lassen Volcanic Wilderness , a designation afforded to just five percent of America’s public lands. You can enjoy and preserve these wild areas by practicing Leave No Trace (LNT) principles and not contributing to recreation-related impacts in the park including litter, erosion, social trail creation, and food-conditioned wildlife.

Plan Your Hike Hiking season generally occurs May through October . The park receives up to 30 feet of snow each winter. Hiking trails can remain snow-covered into June and sometimes July. Trails are not plowed or shoveled during the winter, and most likely will require snowshoes or skis. Learn more about hiking and over-snow travel in the winter or early spring . 1. Choose a Trail View descriptions and conditions of popular day hikes (May-October). View descriptions and conditions of over-snow routes (November-May). View the park map with distances for all trails. If you plan to backpack, learn more about obtaining a permit . 2. Prepare for Your Hike Learn more about reducing risk when hiking at high-elevation in a remote area. Find out how you can reduce your risk while visiting the park . Learn more about visiting in summer , fall , winter , or spring . Purchase hiking books or trail maps from the Lassen Association store.

All trails west of the park highway were not affected by the Dixie Fire. Be prepared for burned area hazards on all trails within the Dixie Fire footprint. The park is prioritizing efforts to repair high-use trails within the burn footprint as soon as possible. Learn more about visiting after the Dixie Fire .

Leashed pets are permitted only in developed areas: roadways, parking lots, campgrounds and picnic areas. Pets are not permitted elsewhere, including in a carrier. We encourage you to leave your pet at home if you are planning to hike. You can help protect native animals like rare Sierra Nevada red fox by keeping your pet in paved areas. Learn more about visiting the park with your pet .

This half-mile, self-led interpretive walk explores the rich diversity of plant and animal life in this unique volcanic landscape.

The 5-mile round-trip trail climbs to the summit of one of the largest dome volcanoes in the world.