The second night in Lassen National Park, we stayed the far northeast corner at the Butte Lake campground. To access the campground, we drove down a long gravel road. In the RV, it defined a bumpy, country road.
The campground was secluded and quiet. Without the city lights, sky looked like a planetarium.
We woke early Wednesday morning to hike Cinder Cone Volcano. We wanted to start early because there is very little shade on the volcano. The trail leading up to the volcano was black sand and surrounded by tall pine trees.
The sand challenged our glutes and calf muscles and the trees provided delightful shade.
Also along the hike to the volcano, we had an upclose view of the Fantastic Lava Beds. The Fantastic Lava Beds formed when Lava seeped out the sides of the volcano and then cooled. The rocks were impressive.
The hike up the volcano reached a 45 degree angle.
Despite being a relatively short hike, it was strenuous.
From the top, we had views of the Cinder Cone Caldera, the Fantastic Lava Fields, and Mount Lassen.
We hiked down into the caldera of the volcano because we could!
It was no small accomplishment to reach the top. Especially considering the angle and lava rock path!
The highlight on the way down was playing “what are the odds” with Fiona. She lost and had to balance a pine cone on her head!
