Mt. Lassen & Lava Beds: 4 days 3 nights

Please don't use the Meetup map link above. I have a link to an accurate Google map at the bottom of this description.

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/b/9/5/event_30607061.jpeg

Part "road trip," part hiking. You can probably sneak out of work early Friday and still arrive in time (it's about four hours from Berkeley).

We'll visit Lassen Volcanic National Park, then Lava Beds National Monument in the northeastern corner of California. Lava Beds is one of the hidden gems of California (takes quite a while to get there from almost anywhere), but it's worth a visit! This trip is a camping trip (two to three nights), as there are no hotels near where we are staying.

To RSVP you must pay a non-refundable $20 for the campsites. If something comes up and you can't make it, you can see if there is a waiting list and "sell" your space to someone on the list. The campsite is "rustic" with vault toilets and no showers ( click here for more details (http://www.recreation.gov/campgroundDetails.do?topTabIndex=CampingSpot&contractCode=NRSO&parkId=74049)). If we get a big turnout and I have extra money, I'll buy us a treat for the Saturday evening http://img2.meetupstatic.com/981263258369601089/img/smileys/smile.gif.

Everyone is responsible for the cost of their own food and transportation, (carpooling is recommended, since we don't have unlimited parking in the campsite).

Itinerary:

Friday:

Leave the Bay Area around mid-day. It's possible to leave late afternoon, although it's about four hours of driving to get to the campground. Camp at Lassen Volcanic National Park: Lost Creek Group campground (about 17 miles past the park entrance) Saturday:

Comfortably early rise and breakfast. Drive to trailhead, then hike to Lassen Peak (hike is about two miles and 2,000 feet of elevation gain; the trail itself isn't that beautiful (http://www.nps.gov/lavo/parknews/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=430019), but the views are spectacular--and where else can you climb to the top of a 10,000 feet mountain in just two miles?). Anyone who's not up for "summitting" can easily occupy their time visiting the hydrothermal vents, lakes, and short trails in the area. Explore the hydrothermal areas along the highway. Dinner and continued camping at Lost Creek Group campground. Perhaps some stargazing after the sun goes down (bring telescope and/or binoculars if you have them). Sunday:

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/4/8/d/4/event_12498644.jpegRise early and drive to Lava Beds (about 3 hours) Explore the caves on Cave Loop Road. Lunch Short hike in Lava Beds after lunch Drive back to Lost Creek Group campground. Dinner at campground. Monday:

Rise early, breakfast, and drive home. Possible slight detour through Redding to see the Turtle Island Exploration Park (http://www.turtlebay.org/), including the amazing glass pedestrian bridge on our way home, depending on people's schedules. Camping:

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: I have reserved a group site that can hold six cars and up to 30 people. I set the limit at 18, thinking three per car. If we get a waiting list, we can see if we can get more people carpooling (I'm not sure how strict they will be on the six car limit).

Campsites have bear cabinets for food; make sure you store all your food away in bear and rodent proof storage facilities.

Weather/Temperatures:

Mt. Lassen in July has average high/lows of 84/40 oF, so be prepared for hot days and cold nights.

Snow should be removed by July ( here's the road conditions, still closed in early June (http://www.nps.gov/lavo/planyourvisit/Winter-Road-Closures-and-Spring-Clearing-Update.htm)), but it's also not supposed to rain in the Bay Area in June, so who knows what will happen. My guess is that the roads will be cleared by the end of June at the latest, and a little more snow won't close the roads even if we get some in July (who would have thought we'd even need to discuss this!)

Food:

Everyone is responsible for their own food. We can probably coordinate sharing stoves, and you're welcome to try to coordinate with others on your own if you want to share food.

Driving:

Let's try to carpool as much as possible. If you can offer a ride, please say so in your RSVP (including your hometown). Ditto if you need a ride.

Cell phone coverage:

Verizon, Sprint, AT&T; I doubt it's going to matter. We'll be so far away from civilization that there may not be any cell phone reception http://img2.meetupstatic.com/981263258369601089/img/smileys/smile.gif

Map:

Here's a Google map I created that shows most of our trip, including drive times from the Bay Area (well, Berkeley http://img2.meetupstatic.com/981263258369601089/img/smileys/smile.gif): http://goo.gl/maps/FeAq

Fees:

I'm charging $20 each which will cover your camping fees, but not park entrance fees ($10/car for each park = $20/car).

Links:

Spring Snow Removal video (http://www.youtube.com/user/LassenNPS#p/u/0/o54EeVIVHvg) Lassen Hydrothermal Area web page (http://www.nps.gov/lavo/planyourvisit/exploring-the-hydrothermal-areas.htm) Lava Beds Geology brochure (http://www.nps.gov/labe/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=158325) Lava Beds Cave brochure (http://www.nps.gov/labe/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=158316)