Life with ArielI went to Lassen Volcanic and Crater Lake National Parks in early June 2022. It’s my first RV trip. So instead of trying to hit all touristy spots, I took my time and learnt how to enjoy living in an RV. The itinerary was pretty loose and casual. I enjoyed the drive from the Golden State to the Beaver State.
Day 1 Driving from Home to Lassen
I left home around 6pm. It took about 4 hours to drive from the Bay Area to the national park non-stop. I stopped several times along the way to have dinner and walk the dog and arrived around 1am to the campsite. As soon as we got off of I-5, the road cleared up and the sky started to shine with bright stars. I stopped once just to enjoy the peaceful night and beautiful sky in the middle of nowhere.
My campsite was at the Manzanita Lake campground in the north of the park. During summer months, reservations are required. In early June, it’s first come and first served. I still booked it ahead of time. Although the website says the campsite has no facilities, I found shower, fresh water and dumping area on site.
Day 2 North of Lassen Volcanic National Park
Believe it or not, even in early June, part of the park was still covered by snow, even though the temperature feels like spring. Unless you are visiting in July-August, it’s highly recommended to visit the national park’s website beforehand to check any road closures and whether the park is still open. When I was there, the scenic drive that connect most of the sightseeing spots from the south to the north was closed. The alternative route takes about one hour and a half one way. Thus I planned two days for this park.
Dogs are not allowed on unpaved trails of the national park. So it turned out that the road closure worked very well for me and my dog. We hiked along the paved scenic drive freely without having to worry about any cars. In addition, it’s the slow season there. So we barely saw any other people either.
My first day started from Manzanita Lake and we hiked south with no particular destination, just hiking, taking photos, enjoying the forest and snow. Manzanita Lake is not very big but it’s beautiful, surrounded by green trees and reflecting clear blue sky. I saw people fishing and kayaking on the lake. Ariel doesn’t like water, so she just played at the shore and we hiked along the lake.
In the afternoon, we hiked along the scenic drive with the snowy Lassen Peak always in sight.
Day 3 South of Lassen Volcanic National Park
The national park has two visitor centers, one in the north close to the Manzanita Lake and the more popular one in the south (Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center). On my way to enter the park gate, we sadly saw large areas of burnt mountains and dead trees due to the Dixie fire.
The south part of the park has more sightseeing spots like Sulphur Works and Bumpass Hell. Because of the closure of the scenic drive, we again had to hike along it to hit popular spots and lookouts. I found the south part of the scenic drive more beautiful than the north part with more variety in things to see from meadows, grassland, forest, mountains, creeks, and cliffs. I also saw more snow in the south and Ariel got a chance to cool down.
Day 4 Crater Lake National Park
We left Lassen for Crater Lake in the morning. The drive takes about three and a half hours non-stop. The drive was one of a kind. Oregon forests are breathtaking.
When we arrived at the Crater Lake National Park, it was rainy so bad that the lake was misty. Similar to Lassen, the park’s main scenic drive was closed due to snow and it also felt like winter outside. We didn’t spend much time in the park and left after taking some pictures of it. While I’m sure the lake is stunning when it’s sunny, I found the misty lake mysterious and extra special. The water was purple instead of blue. The surrounding cliffs were white instead of gray. The contrast made the water seem even deeper.
Because of the rain, we stayed at the Crater Lake RV park for the rest of the day. I highly recommend this RV park because it surprised me with full and clean amenities and bathrooms, super accommodating hosts, and proximity to beautiful hikes. It’s right next to the Rogue River and Ariel had a good time along the river. It’s also only about 5 minutes away from Pearsony Falls, Mill Creek Falls, and Barr Creek Falls.
Day 5 Shasta Lake
Because of the rainy weather, we decided to drive back to the Bay Area one day earlier and stop at Shasta for a detour. Luckily, the weather cleared up a little when we arrived at Shasta Lake. We went on a beautiful short hike: Bailey Cove Loop Trail. The trail overlooks the Holiday Harbor and part of the Shasta Lake. It’s also shady, relatively flat, and most importantly, dog friendly. At night, we stayed at Sycamore Grove campground. I don’t recommend this campsite because it feels like a homeless gathering site, there’s no good view, and the bathroom is dirty.
Day 6 Head to the Bay Area
The last day I emptied the RV grey tank and toilet and returned home.
[…] National Park and Crater Lake National Park. I included more details about these two parks in another post and will focus on my first RV experience in this […]