Prospect Peak & Cinder Cone

Conquering the Cinder Cone at Lassen Volcanic National Park started with the longer climb first — up Prospect Peak, a shield volcano standing 8,340 feet, reached by a steady, mostly-forested trail that only opens up into real views right at the summit. From the top, Mount Lassen, Mount Shasta, Cinder Cone, and the jagged Fantastic Lava Beds all came into view at once, one of the best vantage points in the whole park.

Back down from Prospect Peak, the day continued on to Cinder Cone itself — a short but genuinely brutal climb up loose, shifting volcanic cinder that gives way underfoot with almost every step. The views from up here were absolutely out of this world — a landscape shaped by fire and ice, with the Painted Dunes spread out below in incredible hues of red and orange, contrasting beautifully against the dark volcanic ash and the distant snow-capped peaks.

The payoff standing atop the cone was everything advertised: the Fantastic Lava Beds stretching out to the east, Butte Lake glinting to the northeast, and a clean view back toward Lassen Peak to the southwest. 11 miles and 3,264 feet of gain for two completely different volcanoes in a single day — a shield volcano and a cinder cone, back to back, with some of the most otherworldly scenery anywhere in the park.

A great way to spend the day, and one more corner of Lassen Volcanic National Park fully unlocked.