Trip 24: Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake and Redwood National Parks

In late August, we traveled to Northern California and Oregon to see Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake and Redwood National Parks. For this itinerary, we flew to Sacramento, spent one day at Lassen Volcanic, overnighted in Redding, then drove to Crater Lake. We had planned to spend two nights at Crater Lake but altered our itinerary and drove to Crescent City a day early, which gave us an extra day to explore Redwood National Park and the surrounding area. It turned out to be a great decision, and we could have used yet another day near Redwood to explore even more.

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We spent one day in Lassen Volcanic National Park and that was sufficient to see most of the major features there. Lassen Peak is one of the largest plug dome volcanoes in the world and its last eruptions were between 1914 and 1921. Geothermal evidence of current volcanic activity, such as steam vents and boiling mudpots, can be seen in the park, along with views of the destruction caused by Lassen Peak's eruptions from the past. Driving the Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway through the park (30 miles one way) provides access to scenic vistas and hiking trails. We stopped at the Sulphur Works to see an active hydrothermal area, had a picnic lunch at the high-elevation Lake Helen, hiked the Devastated Area Interpretive Trail, and hiked around Manzanita Lake before heading to Redding, CA, for our overnight stop.

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Crater Lake is truly beautiful! It is the deepest lake in the United States with waters that are unmatched in its stunning blue color and clarity. It was formed about 7,700 years ago when a violent eruption of Mount Mazama caused the mountain to collapse, forming a deep caldera that eventually filled through precipitation. Rim Drive circles the crater, providing many overlook opportunities. Normally, the 33-mile drive goes fully around the lake; however, there is work being done on the eastern side of Rim Drive and it is currently closed to traffic. In addition, Cleetwood Cove Trail, which provides the only access to reach the lake, is also closed for trail and marina rehabilitation. Construction started in spring 2026 and is expected to take three years. Near the Rim Village Visitor Center, there is a hiking trail that follows along the rim for several miles with views of the lake. There are several other trails in the park, but not with views of the lake. We had planned to spend two nights at the park, but had completed our itinerary early on our second day there, so opted to drive to Crescent City near Redwood National Park a day early. While it is very beautiful here, one day is sufficient to see the park, especially given the current closures.

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Redwood National Park was a bit of a pleasant surprise to us. We expected to see redwood trees, but did not realize there would also be lovely beaches, coastal trails, and scenic overlooks of the Pacific and coastline. Redwoods are the tallest trees on earth and can live to over 2,000 years, reaching up to 26 feet in diameter. Only 5% of old-growth redwoods remain due to logging, and Redwood National Park contains 45% of the world's remaining old-growth redwoods. A great way to see these trees up close is to drive the unpaved Howland Hill Road and stop for some of the hikes along the road. We particularly enjoyed the Grove of Titans and Stout Grove trails.

Much of the park runs north-south along the coastline, with Highway 101 running through it. There are several stops with hiking trails and overlooks. We chose to stop at the Crescent Beach, Klamath River, and High Bluff Overlooks and hiked the Yurok Loop Trail, Fern Canyon, and Lady Bird Johnson Grove. Hiking Fern Canyon requires a reservation for the Gold Bluffs Beach/Fern Canyon area. Reservations can be made in advance. Additional reservations are released at 9 am the day prior, but they book up quickly. Getting to the parking areas for Gold Bluffs Beach and Fern Canyon requires driving 8 miles on a narrow, windy dirt road and crossing two stream areas. (We managed it driving a sedan but would have been much more comfortable driving through the streams in an SUV or 4x4.) Fern Canyon was beautiful with ferns and moss growing up the walls of the canyons and it was a really fun hike as the trail meanders back and forth across a stream. Fortunately, there were planks in place to cross, but you could easily get your feet wet! Our final stop in the park was the Kuchel Visitor Center, which has fantastic views of the ocean and easy access to the beach. Being at the southern end of the park, we were only about 45 minutes from the California Redwood Coast Humboldt County Airport in Arcata, which worked out great as a departure airport.

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As for brew pubs, there were plenty in California and Oregon! In Redding, we made it to Fall River Brewing Company, Final Draft Brewing Company and Woody's Brewing Company. It was taco Tuesday at Final Draft and they had awesome street tacos for just $3 each. On the way to Crater Lake, we stopped at Common Block Brewing Company in Klamath Falls for lunch. Then, on our way to Redwood National Park, we stopped for lunch at Wild River Brewing & Pizza. In Crescent City, we went to two breweries -- Sea Quake Brewing and Port O'Pints Brewing. I did a flight of six porters, stouts and dark ales at Port O'Pints and loved their Decadent Decade Belgian Dark Strong Ale! We also drove to McKinleyville, CA, to visit Six Rivers Brewery for dinner one night. All the beers we had were very good, which is not surprising as this area is well known for their craft beers.