Lassen is an interesting little park. It is small and compact, but also difficult to access, with a diverse display of landscapes centering around Mount Lassen, the Southernmost of the Cascade Mountains and the largest Lava Dome on Earth. From 1914-1917 the volcano erupted several times, the most recent in the continental United States until Mount St. Helens in 1980. The park boasts distinct alpine regions and also geothermally active regions similar to (if smaller than) Yellowstone- such as Bumpass Hell, named for a cowboy who lost a leg when he stepped into a steaming mudpot- as well as a colorful cinder cone area similar to the Bend part of the Cascades.

Lassen is difficult to like, especially if you only follow the scenic route in the Summer as most people do. I certainly was not impressed the first time I visited as a kid. However Lassen eventually reveals its beauty the more you visit it, with quiet lake and mountain trails, walks around smoking fumaroles and boiling lakes (no geysers), and exhausting climbs up peaks or cinder cones. After 5 more visits over the years across the seasons, trudging through spring snow, facing (another) blackbear, seeing fall colors, I can agree that it is an amazing place.

The Beatles-Mother Nature's Son

Courtesy of  theroguez!