Day: June 17, 2011

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Manzanita Lake Lassen Volcanic National Park

Although most of the trails at Lassen Volcanic National Park remained closed to hiking due to an abundance of snow, that doesn’t mean that you should avoid visiting the park. The short 2 mile hike around Manzanita Lake in itself makes a trip worth it. It would be a beautiful hike any time of year, but it’s especially so now with snow capped peaks in the distance.

Upon entering the park from the Manzanita Lake park entrance, you immediately see Manzanita Lake on your right. There is parking on the right side of the road so that you can begin the hike immediately if you are so inclined. I would recommend driving to the visitors center about a quarter mile past the entrance so you can ask the park volunteers any questions you may have first. Then you can hop on the trail by taking a path directly behind the visitors center which leads to the Manzanita Lake loop trail.

Manzanita Lake at Lassen Volcanic National Park

One of the assets of this hike is that the view of the lake change quite dramatically as you circle it. There are definitely some gorgeous views with Mount Lassen and Chaos Crags in the background:

A Snowy Mount Lassen is mirrored in Manzanita Lake at Lassen volcanic National Park

There were quite a few people on the lake fishing (you can rent boats on the side of the lake). For those who enjoy photography, there are plenty of interesting shape and light opportunities around each bend:

A tree trunk on the shore of Manzanita Lake at Lassen Volcanic National Park

Even after the trails in other areas of the park open up, this short hike is well worth making time to do. For those interested, here are more photos from the hike.

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Gold Bluffs Beach Redwood National Park

When you think of Redwood National Park, the first image that comes to mind usually isn’t the beach. That’s a shame because there are some beautiful beaches which are part of the Redwood National and State Parks. Gold Bluffs Beach is one of these.

Located in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (CA), you need to turn off highway 101 onto Davison Road at Elk Meadow (There is a large sign for Elk Meadow overlook — when you reach the Elk Meadow overlook, continue straight onto the dirt road). Davison Road winds its way through beautiful redwood groves until it reaches the sea. Once you hit the shoreline, you leave Redwood National Park and enter Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (there is a state park fee to enter). While most people head to Fern Canyon and bypass the beach all together, this is a mistake. The beach is vast with very few people (because they are all heading to see the redwoods) making it a perfect place to take a long stroll in near solitude:

Gold Bluffs Beach in Redwood National Park

For those who don’t feel like walking, there are plenty of ocean-worn rocks littering the beach to look at and admire:

Rocks in sand at Gold Bluffs Beach in Redwoods National Park

And for those with a little bit of ambition, the rocks are perfectly shaped to have some fun stacking them:

Stacking rocks at Gold Bluffs Beach Prairie Creek Redwoods state park California

While the redwoods are obviously the main attraction at Redwood National Park, try to take some time to visit the beach as well. You won’t regret it.