In the central part of Northern California is the US National Volcanic Park called Lassen Volcanic. The most important attraction of this American national park is the largest volcano on the planet Earth with a lava cone. There are also unusual multi-colored dunes, which are also the result of volcanic activity.
Volcanic activity in the national park was observed due to the shift of part of one tectonic plate under another. Because of this, here you can see all four types of volcanoes at once: lava cone, cinder cone, shield volcano and stratovolcano. And because of the still ongoing geothermal activity in the vicinity of Lassen National Park, there are mud boilers and hot springs.
The park was founded in 1907 by Theodore Roosevelt. The 26th President of America decided to create two national monuments here: Cinder Cone and Lassen Peak. Now the total area of Lassen Park is almost 500 square kilometers. The nearest settlement to the park is the town of Redding.
Lassen Peak is an active volcano, but Cinder Cone has been sleeping since the 17th century - the last eruption occurred in the 1650s. Near it, there are two famous psychedelic objects of the national park: lava fields and multi-colored dunes. Tourists are also allowed to go down to the very bottom of the volcanic vent. True, reaching this bottom is not so easy - for this you will need to prepare special equipment. A lifeless pit will await the bravest below. There are no souvenir shops or cafes here. But there is something more substantial and real - traces of the elements that once raged.
But before descending, you will first have to climb to the top of the volcano along a specially laid hiking route. In order for travelers to have a better view of the entire amazing surrounding landscape, a special observation deck is arranged on the way to the top. It is dangerous to go further upstairs - the rock here quite often crumbles.
The colorful dunes of Lassen National Volcanic Park are also popular among travelers. These dunes have such an unearthly appearance and bright color thanks to the ash that settled directly on the hot lava flows. The dunes are located right at the cone of the Cinder Crown volcano. And the lava fields were formed after the cone of the volcano was destroyed due to that. That streams of basaltic lava burst near its base. These natural formations, fantastic in their outward appearance, were named Lava Veil.
Promotional video:
Cinder-Crown volcano consists not of one, but several cones at once. Almost all of the early cone was destroyed by lava flows. Parts of this very old cone can be seen in the form of huge slabs of bright red color. In addition, there are also lakes here, in which tourists are even allowed to swim. And unusual caves - lava tubes - cavities in lava flows, elongated in the form of long corridors.
To visit Lassen National Volcanic Park, you should get to Seattle or Los Angeles, from there - to Redding, and then to the park.
