Lassen Volcanic National Park partially reopened

Lassen Volcanic National Park partially reopened last Saturday, August 17. The reopening followed the lifting of some Park Fire evacuation orders and warnings. This information is drawn from a Park Service news release.

Lassen Volcanic National Park highway OK from NW entrance to “devastation”

Highway 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park is open to vehicles from the Northwest Entrance at Manzanita Lake to the parking lot at the Devastated Area. From there, the highway is open only to bicycles and pedestrians to Summit Lake. The highway is closed to all traffic from Summit Lake to the southwestern park boundary due to ongoing evacuation orders and warnings.

The outlying areas of the park, such as Butte Lake, Juniper Lake, and Warner Valley, will remain closed until normal park operations resume.

The standard $30 entrance fee will be in effect. Visitors should be prepared for limited services as park employees work to resume operations. Loomis Museum will be open for information Saturday through Tuesday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Lassen Association store also resumed normal operations on Saturday.

The Manzanita Lake Camper Store is open for retail, “grab and go” food, laundry, and showers. Gasoline will be made available as soon as possible. It’s yet to be determined if or when the Manzanita Lake Cabins will reopen.

Some camping, but there are caveats

Manzanita Lake Campground will reopen to reservations beginning Monday, August 26. Fires, including campfires and charcoal grills, are prohibited. Devices for cooking and lighting with ignition sources that can be turned off and that do not produce ash are permitted. Summit Lake Campground remains closed. The entire park remains closed to backcountry camping as long as any park closures are in place.

Open hiking trails include Manzanita Lake, Nobles Emigrant, Chaos Crags, and Echo Lake/Twin Lakes. Trails that remain closed include Bumpass Hell, Lassen Peak, and Mill Creek Falls.

Park Fire burned 425,000+ acres

The 2024 Park Fire has burned more than 425,000 acres in Butte, Plumas, Tehama, and Shasta counties and is the fourth largest fire in California’s history. Park staff was evacuated and are now in the process of returning. While the fire itself has not entered Lassen Volcanic National Park boundaries, the threat of fire remains on the park’s south side. Threats also remain in the local communities of Mineral and Mill Creek. The fire danger has dropped to safe levels in the areas of the park that are reopening, but visitors should expect that smoke may linger in the area and affect air quality and views.

More than 6,000 personnel from several different agencies across the country have been assigned to the Park Fire incident. Recent cooler temperatures and higher humidity have assisted fire fighters in their containment efforts.

The Park Service will communicate additional changes to operations, openings, and other park-specific information via the park’s website and social media platforms.

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