5 Notes on Visiting Redwood National & State Parks
I got to visit Redwood National & State Parks in Northern California. Here are 5 notes from the trip.
National Parks
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The Individuals Who Championed Each National Park
Over the past few years, I’ve been able to visit a few of America’s National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, and other public lands in addition to reading several excellent histories. For the Parks that I’ve visited so far, it seemed like there was an outsize influence of either single individuals or small groups in getting the Park established.
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TIL About The Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service
Exhibit 5000+ that Jimmy Carter was a brilliant President & was deliberately slandered by Ronald Regan -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Conservation_and_Recreation_Service
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Boiling Springs Lake at Lassen Volcanic National Park
Boiling Springs Lake in Lassen Volcanic National Park is exactly what the name says. It’s absolutely fascinating to see. It’s accessed via a short hike up the Warner Valley. Also, the Pacific Crest Trail goes right by it!
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Redwood Grove
On my visit to Redwood National Park, I learned that Redwoods generally grow in a grove around a “mother tree” – so you’ll often get this cluster of tall trees around a mega tall tree…or a giant shaded circle where the “mother” used to stand.
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Redwood Forest & Ecosystem
On my trip to Redwood National Park, I learned that the story isn’t really about the Redwood trees – it’s about the entire ecosystem, which is both under threat and at the center of conservation efforts today.
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Flowers on a Volcano
I took this photo atop Cinder Cone in Lassen Volcanic National Park.
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Boardwalk at Lassen Volcanic National Park
In Lassen Volcanic National Park, there is a trail headed up past Drakesbad Guest Ranch to Boiling Springs Lake. It goes through the Warner Valley, which is something out a story book…that has also been recently hit by a wildfire. The creeks, grasses, and trees are all just idyllic even with the burnt up trees.
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View of Fantastic Lava Beds from Cinder Cone at Lassen Volcanic National Park
I first saw “Fantastic Lava Bed” on a map of Lassen Volcanic National Park and was like “ok, that’s a funny name” – but yeah, they totally live up to their name. They are huge, scenic, and quite fantastic!
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Elk Meadow at Redwood National Park
The Elk Meadow in Redwood National Park was, only a few decades ago, a giant paved lumber yard with trucks, oil spills, giant cranes, warehouses, and piles of felled old-growth Redwood trees. Now, the National Park Service has helped nature along and the land is a fully restored meadow with bubbling creeks and Elk grazing in the distance.
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Lassen Volcanic National Park
Definitely one of the most underrated National Parks. There is not a lot of tourist infrastructure, but my goodness, it is wild, scenic, and alive.
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Lassen Volcanic National Park after Dixie Fire
Lassen Volcanic National Park was hit pretty hard by the Dixie Fire of 2021. We got to visit in Summer 2025 and saw not only how the land was recovering, but also how much it still impacted the Park after 4 years.
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Cinder Cone at Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park has all the types of volcanoes within its boundaries. It’s really cool! And Cinder Cone is one type that’s a lot more climbable than the others. It’s tough but straightforward. The volcano is also highly symmetrical and surrounded by the Fantastic Lava Beds!
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Mud Boiling at Lassen Volcanic National Park
At Lassen Volcanic National Park, I was surprised by just how volcanic it was, everywhere. And yes, I know it’s in the name. But I was not expecting lava rock to be everywhere and for all the lakes & springs to have a whiff of sulfur and boiling water to them. It feels like the Earth is genuinely alive & active beneath your feet (which, in fairness, it is..). Boiling Hot Springs Lake in the Warner Valley is a little off the beaten track, but we had it all to ourselves on a summer weekend.
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The Fantastic Lava Beds at Lassen Volvanic National Park
In the Southeast corner of Lassen Volcanic National Park, there are entire square miles of lava beds. They are so perfect and so beautiful in their starkness that they were literally called the “Fantastic Lava Beds”. There’s no hiking across them, but there are several excellent trail around and through them. In fact, the original California Trail goes around it.
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Canyons at Crater Lake National Park
On my visit to Crater Lake National Park, I got to explore some of the Park outside of the rim & the eponymous Lake. It had never really occurred to me that…the water in Crater Lake goes somewhere. Like, it never fills up and it also never sinks down. However, it maintains its level via rain / snowfall, evaporation and some seepage into the porous rock at the top.
However, even though no water leaves the caldera, the rim is incredibly steep, incredibly high, and incredibly snowbound. So it’s the source for a lot of creeks. And these creeks all run through volcanic soil, which creates some beautiful, complex canyons all around the Park.
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Creek at Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park is a park of colors. Blue water cuts through layers of red, orange, and yellow volcanic rock, coursing through green pines under a blue sky.
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Crater Lake
Crater Lake has to be one of America’s most photographed landscapes. But seeing it in person still exceeded the expectations. It has a depth of blue that I couldn’t quite capture – and I don’t think anyone can. It’s also so photogenic that I don’t think it’s possible to take a bad picture of it.
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A Lake in Acadia National Park
It’s always astonishing to me to see fresh water that is coming off granite in forest with no real runoff. Almost all the lakes in Acadia National Park are glacier melt and are shockingly clear.
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National Park Service Watching Out for You
One of my favorite aspects of the culture of the National Park Service is their commitment to the principle that every American is an owner of their National Parks. It’s a beautiful, democratic ideal.
However.
