Summit hike Lassen Peak – Lassen Peak Volcanic National Park

Lassen Peak is the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range. Located in the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California, Lassen rises 2,000 ft above the surrounding terrain and has a volume of 0.5 cu mi, making it one of the largest lava domes on Earth. It was created on the destroyed northeastern flank of now-gone Mount Tehama, a stratovolcano that was at least 1,000 ft higher than Lassen Peak. It is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc which stretches from southwestern British Columbia to northern California. On May 22, 1915, a powerful explosive eruption at Lassen Peak devastated nearby areas, and spread volcanic ash as far as 200 mi (to the east. This explosion was the most powerful in a series of eruptions from 1914 through 1917. Lassen Peak and Mount St. Helens were the only two volcanoes in the contiguous United States to erupt during the 20th century. Lassen Volcanic National Park was created to preserve the devastated areas as they were, for future observation and study, and to preserve the nearby volcanic features.