There is also a Target, open til 10 pm just south of the Rd. 102 overpass (next to Costco) They have a "camping" section in the store as does the Wal mart. Go to Target and you can swing into Costco and get some food, booze, and toilet paper. Okay, you probably don't need 60 rolls of t.p. but a case of beer won't last long

jcsesica wrote:Nothing around here that is open 24/7 (That I know of). If you are driving up hwy 99 in the morning you can go to Chico Mountain Sports in Chico, CA. It's about an hour and 45 min north of Sac and on the way to the park via 99 to 36 to the South entrance. Good luck...!

I would also stop off in Chico. Both Walmart and Target here in Woodland doant have jack, unless your looking for colemen products. Chico also has a Sports LTD (pretty much like an REI) If you do decide to go to Chico, take HWY 32. MUCH more scenic drive then 99. Pretty curvey but BEAUTIFUL.

When are you planning on going up there? Need a partner?

I notice the snowpack at the SW entrance is reported to be over 10 feet as of Saturday ! A couple more feet on the way with the latest storm, according to the forecast. Sounds like high avy danger too ..

In other news, it sounds like they released an environmental impact study for rehabbing the main Lassen Peak trail. Something like 113 pages to wade through, but the gist is that they would like to remove the radio repeater (phallic symbol) at the top, rework the trail, add a toilet and a more formal summit register.

Interesting. Thanks for the link. These are the options listed in the Executive Summary:

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Alternative A: No Action (Continue Current Management): Existing management, including ongoing maintenance and occasional reconstruction of the non-wilderness Lassen Peak Trail, would continue. There would continue to be no trailside toilets and human waste disposal problems would also therefore continue. Social / way trails would continue to be the primary means of access in the summit crater and true summit areas. Interpretation would be provided by existing interpretive exhibits and occasional staff presence. Aside from removal of older exhibits, rehabilitation or replacement of exhibits would generally only occur as these were damaged.

Elements Common to All Action Alternatives: All action alternatives (Alternatives B, C, and D) would include: rehabilitation or reconstruction of the trail tread, including rock walls and steps; shoulder season way finding / access improvements; relocation of the radio repeater structure; use of rock from within and outside the park for trail rehabilitation; helicopter transport of materials for the Peak trail rehabilitation; ongoing trail maintenance; increased trail monitoring; and potential implementation of a hiker shuttle.

Alternative B: Minor Changes in Lassen Peak Trail Visitor Experience: The Lassen Peak Trail would be rehabilitated in a single, phased project to a consistent four-foot width (including narrowing of existing wider sections) to replicate its historic condition. No additional group turnouts would be added. There would be no trailside toilets, therefore human waste disposal problems would continue. Social / way trails would continue to be the primary means of access in the crater and true summit areas. The NPS would not maintain a summit register. Limited interpretive opportunities would continue to occur from rehabilitation of existing interpretive exhibits or occasional staff presence and programs.

Alternative C: Modest Improvements in Lassen Peak Trail Visitor Experience: The lower section of trail (approximately 1.2 miles to tree line) would be widened to approximately six feet, while the upper section would remain at its historic width of approximately four feet. A trailside toilet would be provided at a wide area about 0.6 miles from the summit. Approximately 6-8 new turnouts would be constructed alongside the trail to accommodate groups of 10-15 people. There would be designated loop and/or spur trails in the summit crater area and a designated route with stabilized tread and a cable with stanchions leading to the true summit, where the summit register would be identified. A new trail in wilderness to connect the Manzanita Creek Trail to the Lassen Peak Trail would also be constructed.

Alternative D: Lassen Peak Trail Visitor Use Accommodation: The upper and lower sections of trail would be widened to approximately six feet, where possible. Trailside toilets would be provided in two locations (one located approximately 0.75-1.0 mile from the parking area and one approximately 0.6 miles from the summit). Approximately 6 turnouts would accommodate groups of 15-20 people and 2-4 turnouts would accommodate groups of 10-15 people. A formally constructed loop trail in the summit crater area would contain interpretive wayside panels. Another formal trail with even tread, including rock steps would lead to the true summit. The summit register would be moved down to the summit plateau area to allow more people to access it. A new trail in wilderness to connect the Manzanita Creek Trail to the Lassen Peak Trail would also be constructed.
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I'm not sure how thrilled I'd be with them mucking up the summit block, but I've only been there in winter. This weekend I was editing a load of shots from last April:
http://www.qitnl.com/main.php?g2_itemId=5242

Ya I was up there before this big one hit and it was already about 6'...shitty slush layer though...so we'll see.

Something like 11' of snow there this past weekend -



Conditions seemed pretty decent, so I headed up .. the Ranger Cutoff aka Diamond Peak Cutoff is marked by a diamond, oddly enough



Camped at ~8800', just below saddle between Eagle and Lassen -



Got an early start, headed up the SW slope and watched the sun rise (sort of)



Lots of rime ice on the summit -



Funky weather coming in from the NW .. I could see a dark cloud over Shasta, off in the distance. But back down in camp it was sunny, and I got back to the visitor center by lunchtime. It did start getting cloudy by the time I headed out at 12:30 though.

Full set here.

Nice! Thanx for that.

Just got back from another quick trip up Lassen Peak -

~7' at the SW visitor center


broke trail most of the way


Camped at about 8400' and got an early start. Did the South Face this time, headed up some kinda couloir-like thing -





Looking out past the crater I could just make out Shasta off in the distance, with a cloud over top of it -



The wind was blowing, but fortunately it wasn't that cold. Summitted at ~8am



Full set here.

Bumpity for anything recent. Road conditions?

They have started plowing the road on the north side of the park. Two weeks and they should be to the Devastated Area. Then the plows will move to the south west side and start working on the road there. Twenty feet plus snow banks should make forward progress slow.If your hiking up to Lassen summit on the road, on the SW side, on snowshoes,be aware the road cut is now gone. One would need to traverse long slopes with exposure to avi fields above.
The park may close the peak to all persons this spring and summer. They are doing trail work on the new peak trail and do not want hikers and skiers in the way.This closure would effect the whole mountain ; not just the east side. Contact the visiters center for updates.
It was raining hard yesterday and the snow pack is well saturated. Avi danger will be increasing unless the temps start to freeze at night. Snow and rain expected all this week.