Alerts & Conditions

Alerts

 

• Visiting in Spring
• Visiting in Winter
• Trail Conditions
• Visiting After the Dixie Fire
• Operating Hours & Seasons
• Status of Park Roads
• Weather Forecast

Current Conditions

• The Conditions Summary section below includes current information about about seasonal conditions, closures, fire and air quality, and other current information. 
• The park is accessible; most roads are closed to vehicles due to winter snowpack or for 2021 Dixie Fire recovery, and most hiking trails are covered with deep winter snow.
• Road clearing operations are taking place.
• Reservations are not required or accepted to enter Lassen Volcanic. You may enter the park at any time, 24 hours a day. A 7-day or annual pass is required to enter; all may be purchased online.
• most Campgrounds open later into spring and into early summer. Currently, Manzanita Lake Campground is open and requires reservation through recreation.gov.

 

Conditions Summary

View the Fall / Winter Visitor Guide (3.6 MB, PDF) to learn more about planning a visit in winter and spring. .

Service/Activity	Current Conditions
Emergency Closures in Burned Areas Burned Area Safety	Some closures are in place for facilities, infrastructure (e.g. bridges, overlooks), and areas affected by the 2021 Dixie Fire. Please adhere to all closures indicated by CLOSED signs. View a map of key emergency closures. Use caution when recreating through burned areas. Standing dead trees can fall without warning. Learn more about burned area safety.
Park Roads	The Lassen National Park Highway is closed to through traffic for winter and spring snow season. Visitors can reach the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center in the SW via HWY 36/89. Visitors can enter the NW entrance to the Manzanita Lake area via Hwy 44/89 and travel as far as the Devastated Area (10 miles) by vehicle. *Extreme weather conditions may limit or close access. See Alerts above for current information. Spring Road Clearing operations are taking place. Warner Valley Road is closed to vehicle access in 2023 for 2021 Dixie Fire recovery until further notice. Juniper Lake Road is closed to all traffic (vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle) in 2023 for 2021 Dixie Fire recovery and 2023 flooding.
Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center (Southwest Area)	*Open Daily 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Lassen Association Park Store Open Daily 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Lassen Cafe & Gift Shop Open Daily 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Food selection is limited to prepackaged snacks and drinks. *Extreme weather conditions may limit hours. See Alerts above for current information. The electric vehicle charging station is online. System is not always available due to intermittent internet outages. Roads that have been cleared of snow are suitable hiking, bicycling, and for walking leashed pets. Paws on Pavement. Pets are not permitted on snow-covered roads, trails, or in any body of water. The Southwest parking area allows overnight stays in self-contained vehicles (no tents) as the only year-round camping opportunitity in the park aside from backcountry camping. Southwest Walk-in campground will remain closed in 2023 for 2021 Dixie Fire recovery. There is no tent camping available near the Southwest parking area in 2023.
Manzanita Lake Area	Loomis Museum open Fri/Sat/Sun 9:00am-5:00pm. Manzanita Lake Camper Store open daily 8:00am-5:00pm Manzanita Lake Campground will have a phased opening. Complete opening on June 30. View status and closure dates of park campgrounds. Roads that have been cleared of snow are suitable hiking, bicycling, and for walking leashed pets. Paws on Pavement. Pets are not permitted on snow-covered roads, hiking trails, over snow, or in any body of water. Manzanita Lake picnic area and boat launch are open.
Hiking Trail Conditions	Most trails are snow-covered and are inaccessible due to seasonal road closures. View the status and conditions of all hiking trails, many trailhead are not currently accessible by vehicle due to snowpack. (Generally updated June through October.)
Campgrounds	Most campgrounds open in June View status and closure dates of park campgrounds. Most campgrounds require reservation via Recreation.gov. Manzanita Lake Campground will have a phased opening in 2023. Complete opening on June 30. Camping in self-contained vehicles, such as motorhomes and trailers, is permitted in the Southwest parking area year-round. Large trailers and RVs must park in appropriate marked spaces. Do not take additional parking space. Fires and fire pans including portable gas fire pits are prohibited in the Southwest parking area . Warner Valley, Juniper Lake, and Southwest Walk-in Campgrounds will remain closed for 2023 for post 2021 Dixie Fire recovery.
Backcountry	Backcountry Camping is available as allowed by the Backcountry Management Plan year-round. Wilderness permit is required for backcountry camping and only available online through Recreation.gov. Wilderness permits are no longer obtained in the park Food storage requirements are in effect as of April 15, 2023. Some infrastructure (e.g. bridges, overlooks) are affected by the 2021 Dixie Fire. Please adhere to all closures indicated by CLOSED signs. View a map of key emergency closures. Use caution when recreating through burned areas. Standing dead trees can fall without warning. Learn more about burned area safety. Alternate oversnow/ backcountry camping is available on National Forest land, and Morgan Summit Winter area.

 

Weather, Webcams & Snow Depths

Snow depths are updated when there is a significant change. Learn more about Lassen's snowpack and snowpack surveys.
There are no regular patrols into the interior of the park in the winter; information is provided only for the Manzanita Lake and Southwest Areas.

Last updated - May 31, 2023

Weather Forecast	Webcam	Approximate Snow Depth (Nov - Apr)
Manzanita Lake 5,900 feet	Offline indefinitely	No snow View Hiking Trail Conditions.
Southwest Entrance 6,700 feet	Facing north from back of Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center	Patchy to 5 ft of snow depth. View Oversnow Route Conditions.
Lassen Peak 8,250 feet		Daily sensor measurements Monthly manual measurements (Jan - Apr).
Northern California Area	View area webcams

California Cooperative Snow Surveys

Learn about Lassen's Snowpack

Lower Lassen Peak (LLP) | Lake Helen 8200 feet elevation | Feather River Basin

May Survey
Survey Date - April 25, 2023
Snow Depth - 195.5 inches (16 feet 4 inches | 5.0 meters)
Water Content - 108.5 inches (9 feet | 2.75 meters)
Density - 55%

Average of the May 1 water content survey data - 9 feet water content (55%) is 111% of the May 1 average.

New Manzanita Lake (MNZ) | Manzanita Lake 5900 feet elevation | Pit River Basin

April Survey
Survey Date - March 31
Snow Depth - 68.5 inches (5.7 feet | 1.7 meters)
Water Content - 21.5 inches (1.8 feet | .55 meters)
Density - 31%

Average of the April 1 water content survey data - 21.5 inches water content (31%) is 269% of the April 1 average.

 

Status of Roads in the Park

Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway and other park roads are closed for the winter snow season, typically November through May.

Refresh your browser (hit F5) to view the most recent information.

Road Section	Status	Detail
Lassen National Park Highway A 30-mile section of Highway 89 between Highway 36 and Highway 44.	Limited vehicle access	Lassen National Park Highway is closed to through traffic for winter and spring snow season. Check Spring Road Clearing operations progress. Visitors can reach the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center in the SW via HWY 36/89 by vehicle. Visitors can enter the NW entrance to the Manzanita Lake area via Hwy 44/89 and travel as far as the Devastated Area (10 miles) by vehicle. Cleared sections of road closed to vehicle access open to pedestrian and bicycles. Visitors can travel on snow covered sections of park road with proper snow traversing equipment. When open: the park highway connects the northwest and southwest entrance of the park. Vehicles over 45 feet and commercial vehicles are not allowed.
Butte Lake Road	Open	Campground is closed. . This 6-mile road is unpaved/gravel passable by all vehicles. It starts at the junction of Hwy 44 and dead ends at Butte Lake Area. Unmaintained Road.
Warner Valley Road (access to Drakesbad Guest Ranch)	Closed to vehicles	Road closed to vehicles for Dixie Fire repair until further notice. Hike and bicycle access only Campground is closed. Be alert in burned areas. Learn more about burned area hazards. Road is not recommended for RVs, trailers, and low clearance vehicles. The 17-mile-long remote road begins off of Hwy 36 in Chester. The last 3-mile section is unpaved/dirt.
Juniper Lake Road	Closed	Road closed for Dixie Fire repair and flood damages for 2023. (no vehicles, bicycles, or pedestrians) Campground is closed. Be alert in burned areas. Learn more about burned area hazards. Recommended only for high-clearance vehicles. Road is generally not advised for RVs, trailers or vehicles with very low clearance.This remote road travels north from Chester (Hwy 36E). It is paved for the first 6 miles. The remaining 7 miles are rough gravel and rock. A section of the county road just before the park boundary has large rocks and hazards.

 

Roads to the Park

Check conditions for area roads (map of the area) on the CalTrans QuickMap or Highway Conditions lookup page; or view current conditions on CalTrans webcams. The park does not determine chain control restrictions - this is determined by CalTrans. Please go to the CalTrans website for area chain control information.

State Route (SR) 44/89 provides access to the Northwest Entrance/Manzanita Lake Area
State Route (SR) 36/89 provides access to the Southwest Entrance / Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center

 

COVID-19 Response

The National Park Service (NPS) is working service-wide with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 related modifications to park facilities are listed in the Conditions Summary section above. We will continue to monitor all park functions to ensure that operations and services adhere to CDC guidance and take any additional steps necessary to protect public health. View the NPS Public Health Update webpage for additional information about COVID-19 response.