Destination West!
  • Home Page
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Idaho
  • Montana
  • Nevada
    • Las Vegas
  • New Mexico
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • Wyoming
  • Route 66
  • About
  • Get In Touch
  • Landscape Gallery I
    • Landscape Gallery II
  • Macro Gallery
  • Street Gallery
  • Wildlife Gallery I
    • Wildlife Gallery II
    • Wildlife Gallery III
  • Archive Albums
DestinationWest.Org

A western tourism resource featuring majestic destinations and lesser known places!   

Lake Helen & Lassen Peak

10/12/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Lassen Peak

Lake Helen is located next to Lassen Peak and this picturesque alpine body of water certainly does provide all the inspiration needed for hiking to the top of this gigantic volcano. In fact, Lake Helen is most famous for boasting majestic views of the reflection of Lassen Peak on the water, which naturally has a way of luring landscape artists worldwide. The best time to catch a clear reflection of the volcanic peak at Lake Helen is early in the morning while the water is dead calm before the warmth of the sun strikes up a breeze. Getting an early start to capture this one of a kind image will also place a visitor in a good position to hike to the top of Mt Lassen, which certainly is a fulfilling accomplishment that will provide fond memories that last a lifetime.

Of course spending some time at Lake Helen is a good way to allow the body to adjust to the high elevation, before starting the strenuous hike up Lassen Peak. By taking it easy for an hour while snacking and hydrating, the body will be better in tune with the high elevation conditions. Taking things a little slower above 8,000 feet will also ensure that the effects oxygen depletion will be less severe, so it is best to cast aside any urge to set a new world speed record on the trail. The 2.5 mile ascent to the top is moderately steep and there is no climbing involved, so as long as a hiker avoids becoming winded, the effort will be a rewarding experience. As a plus, the trek back to the base trailhead is a very easy downhill run, which is a nice reward for the strenuous ascent.

As can be seen in the photos, the smoke from the 2020 wildfire season was just starting to become thick while I was at Helen Lake and Lassen Peak. In fact, by the time I exited Lassen Volcanic National Park a little later that morning, Mt Lassen could not even be seen through the billowing smoke clouds. Needless to say, high elevation hiking is a no-no in smokey conditions and capturing a memorable landscape photo of the reflections on Helen Lake was an impossible dream due to the same conditions, so there was no use hanging around longer than necessary.

The extreme wildfire season of 2020 was cause to shorten my planned lengthy tour to a three day evacuation from the deep woods in northern California and a quick visit at Mt Lassen was all that could be accomplished on the way to Nevada. After a very long wait, the California summer forest fire season of 2021 turned out to be even worse than the year before, so that tour was cancelled too. Recently the Lassen Volcanic National Park was completely closed due to the Dixie Fire and as of the time this article was composed on October 2nd, the park still remains off limits. Fortunately most of Lassen Volcanic National was unscathed, so the scenic beauty has been preserved. For those who wish to experience this majestic volcanic landscape, checking for closures will be necessary when making plans in the near future.
​ 
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Leave no trace!

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020

    Donations help the Destinaton West project continue into the future! 
    Go Fund Me!

    This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies.

    Opt Out of Cookies
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home Page
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Idaho
  • Montana
  • Nevada
    • Las Vegas
  • New Mexico
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • Wyoming
  • Route 66
  • About
  • Get In Touch
  • Landscape Gallery I
    • Landscape Gallery II
  • Macro Gallery
  • Street Gallery
  • Wildlife Gallery I
    • Wildlife Gallery II
    • Wildlife Gallery III
  • Archive Albums