The 5 Most Amazing Peaks in Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Peak, or Mount Lassen, is a 10,457-foot lava dome volcano and highest peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California. It is the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range of the Western United States. This is a steep, challenging climb from the parking lot at roughly 8,450 feet with fantastic panoramic views from the summit. Please be aware that this is still an active volcano so before you set out, be sure to check in with park officials!

The Mount Harkness Fire Lookout sits on the summit of Mount Harkness. The lookout has been in operation since its construction in 1930. Seasonal staff stationed at the lookout continue the vigil today and are often available to answer visitor questions and demonstrate fire lookout techniques. At an elevation over 8,000 feet, Mount Harkness provides excellent views of the park and distant mountain ranges.

The tallest remaining portion of the eroded andesitic stratovolcano, Mount Tehama, Brokeoff Mountain has the second-highest elevation in the park, behind Lassen Peak, which is connected to Brokeoff Mountain, geologically, and can be seen from the summit.

Mount Lassen in Lassen Volcanic National Park is the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range that stretches from Northern California all the way up to British Columbia in Canada. The 10,457 feet lava dome volcano offers a stunning view over the National Park which was severely damaged by the Dixie Wildfire in 2021 and over to the snow-capped Mount Shasta, the closest volcano of the Cascades.

Nlce hike and great view

In summer the summit is snow-free and accessible via a steep but not very technical hiking trail. In winter snow-shoes or ski with skins and crampons are typically required.

Brokeoff Mt is the second highest point in the Lassen Volcanic National Park. It sees year-round activity because of it’s easy access from Highway 89. The round trip from the trailhead (approximately 6,600’) to the summit (9,235ft / 2814m) is 7 miles on the summer trail, and about 6 miles during the winter with a direct snow approach. The southern slopes offer excellent ski and snowboard descents all the way to the car on moderately steep pitches. Views from the summit are of Mt Shasta to the north and Mt Lassen to the northeast. Brokeoff Mt is the furthest west mountain in the park and is adjacent to the parks Southwest entrance. It is three miles southwest of Lassen, and connected to it via a ridgeline. This ridge linking Brokeoff and Lassen includes Mt Diller, Pilot Pinnacle, Ski Heil Peak and Eagle Peak. It is possible to make a ridgeline traverse linking Brokeoff to Lassen. This traverse would involve a few technical sections. Brokeoff Mt is one of the last remaining remnants of a large volcano called Mt Tehama that was at it’s maximum height and girth around 300,000 years ago. Mt Tehama was a stratovolcano that was about 11,000’ and similar in size and shape to Oregon’s Mt Hood. Because of it’s existence during the Ice Age, Mt Tehama was heavily carved away by massive glaciers which left only fragments from Brokeoff Mt to Mt Conard to the east and Mt Diller to the north. The glaciers left Brokeoff with an impressive vertical north face with an appearance that half of the mountain ‘broke off’. https://www.summitpost.org/brokeoff-mountain/150928

Southermost vulcano in the Cascade vulcano range which stretches north from here, including Mt Shasta in California, and then continues into Oregon. The road to the plateau below the summit can be reached by car in late summer, making it a short 1 hour hike to the summit. During the rest of the year the road is closed, and the summit is usually approached on ski or snow shoes as a long day trip, or with a one night camp at Lake Helen. If the road on the north side of the park is ploughed or melted out in spring, it is possible to shuttle a car there a day earlier and descend the North Face from the summit vi a the Devastated Area from the last eruption https://www.komoot.de/tour/9088250