Lassen Volcanic National Park Reopened Following Destructive Wildfire

After experiencing Park Fire evacuation orders and warnings, portions have been lifted and the Lassen Volcanic National Park is welcoming visitors on a limited basis.

Mike Chapman/Record Searchlight via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Saturday, August 17 was a good day for people wanting to experience Lassen Volcanic National Park. The park located in California is home to steaming funaroles, wildflower filled meadows, beautiful mountain lakes and its trademark numerous volcanoes.

Recently the area has experienced a wildfire named the 2024 Park Fire that has burned more than 425,000 acres in Butte, Plumas, Tehama and Shasta counties. The fire is the fourth largest fire in California's history. While the fire never penetrated the park boundaries, there is still a threat on the south side and in the local communities of Mineral and Mill Creek.

It has been determined that the fire danger has dropped to safe levels where certain parts of the park can be reopened. Even to that extent, visitors should expect to experience smoke and reduced air quality in the area.

According to the National Park Service, Highway 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park will be open to vehicles from the Northwest Entrance at Manzanita Lake to the parking lot at Devastated Area. From there, the highway will be open only to bicycles and pedestrians to Summit Lake. The highway will be closed to all traffic from Summit Lake to the southwestern park boundary due to ongoing evacuation orders and warnings.   

The outlying areas of the park, such as Butte Lake, Juniper Lake, and Warner Valley, will remain closed until normal park operations resume. 

The standard $30 entrance fee will be in effect. Visitors should be prepared for limited services as park employees work to resume operations. Loomis Museum will be open for information Saturday through Tuesday, 10am - 4pm. The Lassen Association store will also resume normal operations on Saturday, Aug. 17.  

The Manzanita Lake Camper Store will be open for retail, “grab and go” food, laundry, and showers beginning Aug. 17. Gasoline will be made available as soon as possible. It’s yet to be determined if or when the Manzanita Lake Cabins will reopen.  

Manzanita Lake Campground will reopen to reservations beginning Monday, Aug. 26. Fires, including campfires and charcoal grills, are prohibited. Devices for cooking and lighting with ignition sources that can be turned off and that do not produce ash are permitted. Summit Lake Campground remains closed. The entire park remains closed to backcountry camping as long as any park closures are in place. 

Open hiking trails include Manzanita Lake, Nobles Emigrant, Chaos Crags, and Echo Lake/Twin Lakes. Trails that remain closed include Bumpass Hell, Lassen Peak, and Mill Creek Falls. 

More than 6,000 people were assigned from all across the country to the Park Fire incident. Cooler temperatures and higher humidity have been of great help to all of the dedicated firefighters who have been trying to get containment.

For information about the fire itself and management of firefighting operations, visit https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2024/7/24/park-fire.

For all of the information regarding changes to the Lassen Volcanic National Park operations and park specific information, visit www.nps.gov/lavo.