Diamond Peak

Diamond Peak is a small, sharp little summit tucked into the southern end of Lassen Volcanic National Park, a plug-dome remnant of the much larger Mount Tehama that stood here hundreds of thousands of years ago. Highway 89 wraps three-quarters of the way around the mountain, so despite barely clearing 7,900 feet, it's one of the most visible summits in this part of the park, and also one of the quickest to reach.

The route climbs steeply off the road onto the ridge on a use trail, through open forest and past wildflowers still holding on in early July. Once up on the ridge, the views open fast in every direction — Brokeoff Mountain and Mount Conard across the valley, and long stretches of the blackened, burned-over hillsides left behind by the 2021 Dixie Fire, which tore through most of the park two summers before this hike.

The last bit to the actual summit isn't signed or maintained — the trail more or less gives out along the ridge, and reaching Diamond Peak's true high point means picking a line up onto the rock outcrop that caps it, with one short, easy scramble to finish. Off-trail, but nothing serious, more a matter of paying attention than technical difficulty.

From the top, Lassen Peak dominates the skyline to the north, still streaked with snow even in summer, with the whole forested basin between here and there spread out below. A short outing by any measure, but for the effort involved, one of the better view-to-mileage ratios anywhere in the park.