Drive Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway

Drive the 30-mile-long, scenic highway through Lassen Volcanic National Park.

NPS Photo

The 30-mile Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway winds around the east side of Lassen Peak and connects the northwest and southwest entrances of the park. Plan for a one-hour drive time, without stops. Travel the highway in either direction and enjoy numerous roadside highlights.

Roadside Audio Tour

Learn more about the park with an audio tour along the 30-mile park highway. Download the NPS App before visiting. Then, select Lassen Volcanic NP Highway under Self-Guided Tours to listen to 16 audio files that correspond with numbered posts along the highway.

Printed Road Guide

For a more in-depth auto tour, you can purchase a printed park road guide Lassen Volcanic National Park: Auto Tours, Trips, and Trails at park stores in the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center and Loomis Museum or online.

Highway Highlights

The highlights below match numbered markers on the map below and posted along the highway. The highway markers also correspond to stops in the audio tour and road guide. View 360-degree photos from the highway.

0. Southwest Entrance Sign
1. Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center 
2. Sulphur Works Hydrothermal Area 
3. Diamond Peak Scenic Vista
4. Little Hot Springs Creek Overlook
5. Emerald Lake
6. Brokeoff Volcano Scenic Vista (Bumpass Hell Trail parking area)
7. Lake Helen
8. Lassen Peak Scenic Vista
9. Kings Creek Meadow Viewpoint
10. Hat Creek Viewpoint
11. Devastated Area
12. Hot Rock
13. Sunflower Flat (Nobles Emigrant Trail)
14. Chaos Crags Viewpoint
15. Reflection Lake
16. Lassen Crossroad

Details

Duration

60 Minutes

Plan for at least one hour to travel the 30-mile highway. Add additional time for other activities from the highway including stopping to view highway highlights, picnicking, and hiking. 

Activity

Scenic Driving

Age(s)

Suitable for all ages.

Pets Allowed

Yes with Restrictions

Leashed pets are permitted anywhere a car may go. This includes roads and road shoulders (not snow-covered), campgrounds, picnic areas, and parking lots. Pets are not permitted on any hiking trail, in any body of water, or inside visitor centers or other park facilities*. Please clean up after your pet and take responsibility for its behavior.

Additional regulations include:

• Pets must be on a leash less than six feet long at all times.
• Pets may be left unattended in vehicles. However, if hazardous conditions exist, such as hot weather, owners can be cited for endangering an animal. 
• Pets can not be left unattended AND tied to an object, except in designated areas or under conditions which may be established by the superintendent.

*These regulations do not apply to service dogs that perform a specific tasks that assists a person with a disability. Emotional support or comfort animals are not service animals.

Activity Fee

No

A fee or valid pass is required to enter the park. There is no additional fee to drive the park highway once you have entered the park.

Location

Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway

Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway is a 30-mile segment of Highway 89 in northern California. The park highway is accessed via Highway 36 E to the south and Highway 44 to the north. 

Reservations

No

Reservations are NOT required or accepted to enter Lassen Volcanic. You may enter the park and drive the highway at any time, 24 hours a day.

Season

Summer, Fall

The park highway closes to through traffic at one mile from both the Northwest Entrance and Southwest Entrance in the winter and early spring seasons (approximately December through May) due to snow. Vehicles can access the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center from the Southwest Entrance and the Loomis Plaza from the Northwest Entrance when the highway is closed for the winter/spring snow season. 

Time of Day

Day

The scenic highway is best enjoyed during the day when the sights are visible.

Accessibility Information

The park highway is primarily used for vehicle travel for non-commercial vehicles. There are no guardrails on the highway, including across steep slopes. Restrooms provided along the highway are wheelchair-accessible and most pullouts are flat and paved.

Map of Lassen Volcanic National Park and numbered highway highlights.