Half a Park, Fully Worth It: Lassen Volcanic

We rolled up to the north entrance of Lassen Volcanic National Park with dreams of a mountain lake reflecting the volcano in postcard perfection—and Lassen didn’t let us down. Rising out of nowhere in northern California, this massive peak makes its presence known, vaulting from budding spring valleys into snow-draped heights. It’s the kind of view that makes you pause mid-sentence, or mid-snack.

But our first hint that this national park experience would be a little different came quickly: the pay station at Manzanita Lake was closed. No ranger booth, no cheerful welcome, just a handwritten sign and a ranger parked a few hundred yards down the road, deeply focused on a spring maintenance task that clearly took precedence over checking our pass. We drove through, hoping to find a visitor center.

At the nearby Loomis Museum? Doors locked tight. Not opening until Memorial Day, said a sign taped to the window. And with it, the realization hit—no Junior Ranger books today. But we’re seasoned roadschoolers by now. We charged ahead, ranger badge or not.

We had the north side of the park to ourselves. Empty trails, quiet roads, clean bathrooms (thank you, spring prep crew), and views that changed by the step. In less than half a mile, the kids went from peeking at lily pads and darting garter snakes to scrambling over craggy fields of volcanic rock. They climbed massive fallen logs, examined pinecones longer than James’ leg, and marveled at how a single trail could morph so quickly.

But with Highway 89 closed for snow just a mile in, we hit the seasonal wall. The road that would have carried us to the south entrance—where we planned to finish our Lassen adventure—was buried in snow and closed until sometime in June. No shortcuts. No detours. Just a winding, 90-minute drive around the park.

Our Airbnb happened to be on the south side of the park—a happy accident that felt like a win. “At least we’ll get to the visitor center tomorrow for the Junior Ranger badges,” we told ourselves.

Except... we didn’t check the seasonal hours.

Turns out, the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We were staying outside the gate on a Tuesday night—timed perfectly wrong.

So much for the badge ceremony.

Still, the kids earned something else—time in nature without crowds or lines. Time with a volcano that doesn’t care whether the visitor center is open. We saw the peak from nearly every angle we could reach and considered that good enough to earn a spot on our Bucket List water bottle.

The badge, book, and oath will wait for another day. For now, Lassen has earned a page in our memory—half a park, stilly fully worth it.