After hiking Lassen Peak, Zac and I headed to Bumpass Hell which is a geothermal area of the park. This hike is a lot easier than the peak and doesn’t have half as much elevation gain just a lot of ups and downs. Bumpass Hell itself is hard to describe other than that it is a geothermal area with a lot of colors, a strong sulfur smell and many huge steam vents coming right out of the ground. It truly has to be seen to be believed but the pictures should help you understand more.
The hike itself starts at a small parking lot which can fill up fast and proceeds along the side of a mountain to many beautiful vista points where you can stop and take pictures. Unlike Lassen Peak this hike is mostly through the forest and you proceed along this trail for a mile before seeing the first site of Bumpass Hell.
Nestled in the side of the mountain Bumpass hell immediately greets you with a smell of sulfur and as you walk closer that gets even stronger. The landscape itself looks like it is other worldly and you are only able to walk along a boardwalk as the ground is very fragile and you can fall through into the scalding water below.
Zac and I took our time here and really took in the sites. It was strangely beautiful and there is a lot to see. Some areas have pools that are constantly boiling while there is even boiling mud and steam you can walk through. It is a completely worthwhile adventure and something I would recommend that anyone experience as the hike itself is easy and the payoff is huge.
Let me know if you have done this hike or one like it in the comments. Also make sure you check out the rest of the pictures.
Duration: 1 hour and 35 minutes
Length: 3.2 miles
Total Elevation Gain: 1493 ft
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Trail map: Click Here
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I agree, this area does look other worldly! Quite the geology lesson here!