Date: July 8, 2011
Park Superintendent Darlene M. Koontz announced today that the main road through Lassen Volcanic National Park will not be open for through traffic for at least another week. Park road crews have cleared snow past the Lassen Peak parking area and are proceeding downhill towards Kings Creek Meadows. “We anticipated snow removal in this downhill section at the rate experienced in past years, and along this portion of the road we normally have less than ten feet, but there are depths of twelve to fifteen feet, which has increased the time to finish clearing snow off the remaining six miles of roadway,” stated Ms. Koontz.
The scenic park road is open twelve miles to the Summit Lake Area from the Manzanita Lake Entrance and seven miles to the Bumpass Hell Trailhead parking area from the Southwest Entrance. Parking at these closures is somewhat limited and RVs and trailers should not go beyond the Devastated Area on the north side as turnaround space is limited. The first 1.3 miles of the popular Lassen Peak Trail is open to the ‘Grandview’ location and only over snow travel on skis and snowshoes to the summit. The over snow travel will be challenging for those wishing to reach the summit. Hikers will find that to climb Lassen Peak may require an ice axe, crampons and helmet for their safety. Many of the park trails still have snow coverage, including Bumpass Hell Trail, but visitors will still be able enjoy hiking along trails in the Manzanita Lake, Warner Valley and Butte Lake areas.
All campgrounds in the park, except for the Summit Lake and Juniper Lake campgrounds, are now open. We anticipate that these remaining campgrounds will open in the next couple of weeks. The road to Juniper Lake is still snow covered and not passable by automobiles. The Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center and Loomis Museum are open daily and visitors will find concession-run facilities at the visitor center’s Lassen Café & Gifts, Manzanita Lake Camper Store & Cabins and Drakesbad Guest Ranch in full operation.
For more information, please contact the park at (530) 595-4480, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or visit the park website at www.nps.gov/lavo.
