Special Events

A young Cascades frog rests on a finger tip

Ryan Wagner

Special Evening Presentations

Putting the Frogs Back

Join Ph.D. student Ryan Wagner to learn about how he and his team are working to save the Cascades frog in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

When and Where:
Friday, July 17 | 9:00 pm – 9:45 pm |Manzanita Lake Amphitheater

Saturday, July 18 | 9:00 pm – 9:45 pm | Kohm Yah-mah-nee Amphitheater

What:
A lone Cascades frog listened for the call of a male, but none ever came because she was the last frog. About a year later, she too disappeared. Eighteen years later in 2025, biologists found another Cascades frog. What caused the population decline? How are biologists helping the frogs return and thrive in their natural habitat at Lassen Volcanic National Park?

Attention Families and Young Tadpoles!

Join Dr. Ryan and park rangers for games and hands-on activities to solve the mystery of what happened to the Cascades frogs and how scientists are bringing them back. While activities are ideal for elementary and middle school aged youth, all are welcome to attend. Please be sure that all youth attending are accompanied by an adult.

When and Where: Saturday, July 18 | 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm |at Kohm Yah-mah-nee Amphitheater

 

A park biologist holds a bird in preparation for banding.

NPS image

Bird Banding Demonstrations

When:
Sunday, July 19, 2026
8:00 am | 8:30 am | 9:00 am | 9:30 am |10:00 am |10:30 am

Where:
Meet at the Manzanita Lake boat launch

What:
Join bird monitoring with Lassen Volcanic National Park biologists. The park provides habitat for over 200 species of birds, most of which breed in the park and then migrate south to warmer climates in the winter. Bird monitoring provides information about the bird species that like us, enjoy summer at Lassen. Visitors are invited to participate in the bird banding process including net capture, identification, banding, and release. Demonstrations will take place along the Manzanita Lake shore, approximately a five-minute walk from the Manzanita Lake boat launch.

 

Two park visitors stargaze at Bumpass Hell

Exploring Lassen's Night Skies

Future Astronomy programs will be listed here.

See More Stars: It can take 15 to 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to darkness and see more stars. Avoid using bright lights or white lights, these can disrupt your night vision and the timer for your eyes to adjust will start over. Using a red light will be much better for preserving night vision. If you don’t have a red flashlight, you can cover a white light with red cellophane to make it a dark sky friendly light.Park partner, Lassen Park Foundation has made these events possible. Learn more about the Foundation.

 

Hike and Bike the Highway

Spring (April - July) | Park-wide
Each spring, visitors are encouraged to hike and bike sections of the park highway once they are cleared of snow and before they open to vehicles. The last section to open to vehicles usually consists of 12 miles between Devastated Area and Lassen Peak parking area. Hike and Bike the Highway (HBH) is an ongoing opportunity for visitors to enjoy cleared sections of highway before they open to vehicles. Check on spring road clearing operations.

*Note that HBH is promoted as a recreational opportunity, and is not a designated special event. There will be no opportunities to hike or bike the highway without vehicles after the road opens to vehicle use. Bicycling is not prohibited after the road opens to vehicles.

 

Field Seminars

June through September
Learn, explore, and discover through field seminars offered by park partner, Lassen Association.

 

National Public Lands Day

Every September
Participate in the nation's largest, single-day volunteer effort on National Public Lands Day. More information on specific volunteer opportunities will be available in the near future. By volunteering on this day, you will receive a fee-free day coupon to be used at a future date. Entrance to all National Park sites is also free on this date.