Lassen Volcanic National Park: Hiking Cold Boiling Lake Trail
Cold Boiling Lake Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park is an easy, kid-friendly hike with great scenery and an interesting look at Mother Nature’s wonders. The 1.6-mile hike starts at the Kings Creek Picnic Area.
My wife and I hiked this trail in the middle of summer. We got to the trailhead parking lot just after noon. Plenty of parking was available, but the lot was only about half full. It was already hot! When we got out, the car thermometer read 101. Rest assured, I felt every single one of those degrees.
The trailhead is at 7,400 feet. Needless to say, make sure you have sun protection and plenty of water.
- Trail Name: Cold Boiling Lake Trail
- Trailhead Location: Kings Creek Picnic Area
- Distance: 1.6 Miles Roundtrip
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: ~100 Feet
- Type: Out & Back
- Features: Lake, Geothermal Features, Kid Friendly
- Dogs: No
Hiking Cold Boiling Lake Trail
We chugged ice-cold water before, filled up our Nalgenes, and hit the trail. There is a slight uphill section out of the gate, but that quickly levels out. It would remain flat for the most part.
After the initial uphill, we went through a nice forested section. Both of us thanked the trees out loud for providing much-needed shade. Soon, however, the trail opened into a meadow, which looked like it was just about ready to be saturated with wildflowers. My best guess is that we were about two weeks too early to enjoy the wildflower bloom fully.
After we made our way through the meadow, the trail dropped to Cold Boiling Lake on the right. The lake was pretty in its own right, but the cool thing is how it got its name.
Tiny gas bubbles float to the surface from Lassen’s hydrothermal system underground, making part of the lake appear to be boiling water.
We relaxed for a bit there and took in the view. Neon blue dragonflies buzzed everywhere. After enjoying the scenery and sipping some water, we turned back towards the trailhead.
If you want a longer hike, you can continue another 0.5 miles to Crumbaugh Lake or another 1.8 miles to Bumpbass Hell Basin.
This entire hike took us about an hour, but again, we sat and relaxed at the lake for a while.
