Hi all. I'm working on some planning for a Lassen hike for the misses and myself... have a question for anyone who might know.

We're thinking of starting along King's Creek and hiking to the falls, then down to Devil's Kitchen. My map shows a cutoff trail just south of the junction at Bench Lake trail and Sifford Lake trail. I haven't found this trail on any other maps. Looking at Google Earth it looks like it descends fairly steeply though a small gorge. Has anyone been this way (trail or not) and is it decently passable or am I better off planning to continue on Bench Lake trail to the PCT out to Warner Valley... then double back to Devil's Kitchen? The shortcut would save a few miles... then again everyone knows how shortcuts turn out :)

Hi Jacob,

Sorry I can't help with the specifics but I can say this: for the love of God take bug stuff! Just got back from a five-day Lassen trip and they were as bad as I've experienced anywhere, ever.

Wildflowers were nice, though. :-)

Good luck,

Rick

Caribou Wilderness known for bad mosquitoes is next to Lassen VNP. = bugs.
No worries, I was along that trail a few years ago in the late Summer. I had issues finding all of the Sifford Lakes, I didn't spend that much time looking around. I started from the south, close to the resort and circled around.

Rick, thanks. We're also planning on being out 5 days. The trip is still a few weeks out. With any luck the bugs will calm down a little by then... but I'm going to reapply Permethrin and have bug spray along as well. We'll be in a tent at night for sure. Which areas of the park did you hike?


Duane, so do you know the trail, or "maybe a trail" that I'm referring to? If you were walking East along the Sifford Lakes trail eventually you would head due south descending down into the valley, as opposed to a long gradual descent by continuing to head east.

Edited by JacobD on 08/24/2011 08:24:30 MDT.

Hi Jacob,

We did a big loop to the east of the peak, starting and ending at Summit Lake. Camped at a different lake each night and seemed to have the joint to ourselves when not within an hour or two of a trailhead (of which there are many). I'd guess in two weeks or so the bug situation will be fine, as the boggy, marshy bits should have drained off. Either that or one cold front to kill the %&$$#@s directly would be fine too. :-)

I'd still prep for bugs but there's little chance they'll be as bad as right now. The deer might keep you up nights, though.

Cheers,

Rick

I used the regular trail I think. I am away from home and my maps, so I'm sure I just used the trail as I parked to the east of the resort where bpers/campers park and hiked up the trail to the creek and then back down to Sifford Lakes, then ended up going home as I did not find a sheltered spot I liked so I could spend a night.

Duane

Nope, I only was on the trail up from the parking lot, where that trail intersected the trail down to where you wanted to go was as far as I went, then over to the Sifford Lakes area.

Duane

Thanks again, Duane. We just returned from our trip, the trail in question was not there and the rangers didn't know anything about it other than a possible steep rock scramble in the general area.

The trip was great. We hiked about 50 miles in a figure 8 loop starting and ending at King's Creek Falls. The weather was great, people minimal in most areas, bugs very light, and yeah - the deer up there are a bit much! No bear sightings, although several hikers reported seeing a mother with 3 cubs... glad we didn't come across them.

Reach out and grab lunch. Last solo trip to the area, going by Snag Lake, I had a small buck I could have killed with a decent sling shot and the next morning, had a doe circling my camp for the kill I guess.:) The fawn hung back and darted away when it thought it was too close. Good you were able to do that many miles.
Duane

We were also at snag one night and had a similar experience, in fact we may have had the same little buck running through our camp. There are only so many good spots to pitch a tent, especially with all the widow makers around, I get the feeling those deer have the place staked out.