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"Outstanding views of Lassen Peak are visible from highway turnouts near Kings Creek Upper Meadow. This meadow is frequently photographed in its vibrant seasonal colors from the snowy white of spring to the golden hues of fall.
After hiking the "heart-pumping" final 200 feet to the top of 750-feet tall Cinder Cone, you'll be greeted with a view of Cinder Cone's double-rimmed crater. Turn to face away from the crater view and you'll be rewarded with vistas including Lassen Peak, Painted Dunes, Snag Lake, Butte Lake, and the Fantastic Lava Beds.
Chaos Crags is a series of six, steep-sided dome volcanoes. That "jumble" of angular rock you see piled up all over the place is called, interestingly enough, the Jumbles, created from an avalanche off Chaos Crags that occurred 350 years ago. This huge avalanche occurred from three rock sloughings in rapid succession off of the northwestern face of Chaos Crags. In addition to leaving the sharp rocks through which the park road slices, the avalanche dammed Manzanita Creek to create Manzanita Lake.
Many national parks have a "painted" something. Petrified Forest National Park has its Painted Desert, and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument has its Painted Hills. Lassen Volcanic National Park has the Painted Dunes, which should be seen from the top of the Cinder Cone Trail for full effect. Created from pumice and ash that fell upon hot lava to oxidize into these eye-grabbing colors, the Painted Dunes are just part of an amazing vista that greets the intrepid hiker after a final 200-feet workout over loose volcanic gravel to reach the end of the trail at the top.
The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.
This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.
You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.
So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.
