Monday, October 24, 2011

Bumpass Hell

An easy and worthwhile hike in Lassen Volcanic National Park is the hike to Bumpass Hell
The trail is fairly level for the first mile with views of Mt Lassen along the way.











Looking back towards the parking area there are views of Mt. Diller as well.  An explanatory sign at an overlook explains that Mt Diller is a remnant of the volcano that once covered the area.  Some references call that ancient volcano Brokeoff Mountain and others call it Mt. Tehema.





After a mile you reach another overlook and a 300 foot decent down into the basin.  This is the largest concentration of hydrothermal features in the park.  There are no geysers as in Yellowstone but it is still interesting and I like the pastel colors.
Boardwalks lead through the area allowing safe viewing of the features.  A trail to the right continues on past Cold Boiling Lake to the Kings Creek Picnic area.  
It had been a cold and windy day but down by the hot pools and vents, the steam kept us nice and warm.
We made two trips to Lassen this year and hope to make many more.

See more views of our wonderful world at Our World, Tuesday, hosted by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy.


27 comments:

Sylvia K said...

What a beautiful place! And your captures are gorgeous as always, Martha! Love the shots of the hydrothermal areas! Thanks for sharing your part of our world!!

Sylvia

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Long ago when the kids were young there were just a rudimentary walkway here and there. The guide pamphlet encouraged you to lean against a particular large boulder as you could feel it vibrate from the going ons in the ground beneath it. Years later we returned looking forward to this feature only to find the new full length boardwalk, signs saying to stay on it, and no mention of the large boulder. The kids liked how Bumpass Hell got its name and enjoyed saying the word "hell" as if it was a forbidden word.

Gaelyn said...

I haven't been to Lassen in years and somehow missed the thermal activity. Sure do like the boardwalk trails.

Unknown said...

Great hike Martha!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Ebie said...

I have not been there, but it is so pretty. The foot bridge and the steam reminded me of Yellow Stone Grand Prismatic.

Katney said...

We are considering Lassen for camping with the kids in one of the coming years. I posted Bumpass's Hell once, but can't find it now.

eileeninmd said...

Wonderful photos, Mt Lassen looks like a nice to visit, but a smelly place right! Thanks for sharing, have a great day!

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Learned something new today. What a great hike. I had no idea that there was anything like that besides Yellowstone.

Kay L. Davies said...

Fabulous hike with your usual great photos, Martha. I really enjoyed hiking with you!

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travel

Queenie's Vintage Finds said...

What an amazing place...thank you for sharing these...so that I could visit this place too :)
Queenie

Barb said...

Steamy and spectacular photos, Martha - I've never heard of this place.

Indrani said...

Fantastic place. Nature so beautiful here.

Penelope Notes said...

This is an interesting name for a hiking area that looks a little surreal from your photos. I love the idea of a long winding boardwalk for a path and the soft pastel colors of the terrain.

Adam Tilt said...

Looks like an amazing place Martha. A volcanic landscape is at the top of my must see list.

ArtandArchitecture-SF.com said...

One of my favorite places in the Lassen, your shots are gorgeous

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

That's a gorgeous place to hang out Martha! The pastel pools are lovely. It's been too many years for us since we've been there.

VaishVijay said...

The trails look very inviting:)

Jackie said...

I had never heard of it either, or I would have visited when we lived in the States.
Love the names Bumpass and Cold Boiling, whoever thought them up I wonder.

Diane AZ said...

What a fascinating place with a funny name. I like the pastel colors too and the rising steam.

clairz said...

Lovely walk, thank you for taking us along!

Wenche said...

How gorgeous ! Just love the scenery :0)

Judy said...

Looks like a fun hike! Is there really a place called Cold Boiling Lake?

Lily Riani said...

wow... this is amazing, i wanted to visit similar in NZ... this pic looks even greater. thanks for sharing

eden said...

Beautiful photos. The place is so beautiful.

NatureFootstep said...

my kidn of place. Love it and wish I were there with you. :)

Tina´s PicStory said...

very nice shots! this last one looks very interesting :)

Kay said...

Wow! I'm impressed! What gorgeous photos! I thought these were from Yellowstone at first. You're a fabulous photographer.