Lassen Volcanic National Park: Home to the World's Volcanoes

There are four types of volcanoes in the world: shield, composite, cinder cone and plug dome volcanoes. You'll find ALL FOUR of these types of volcanoes in the beautiful, Lassen Volcanic National Park! About 600k years ago, there was a massive volcano named Mount Tehama that eventually eroded into many smaller peaks, after being dormant for thousands of years. The area's hydrothermal alteration and glacial action were the main contributors to the erosion. Thanks to Mount Tehama, all the volcanos, every rock and every peak in the park originates from a volcano. 

The park is named after Lassen Peak, a plug dome volcano, that was the most recent to erupt in 1914. Other notable peaks in the park are Prospect Peak, a shield volcano, Broke Off Mountain, a composite volcano and Cinder cone Peak, a cinder cone volcano. The park is most abundant in plug dome volcanoes!

Big Boiler

Even though these volcanoes have been dormant for over a hundred years, boiling springs and bubbling mud pits are evidence that the volcanic center still smolders. Big Boiler, a fumarole in the park, has been measured at 322 F degrees, making it one of the hottest hydrothermal fumaroles in the world. 

Aside from the sleeping volcanos and steaming fumaroles, the park houses beautiful meadows, volcanic lakes and water falls. Wildlife also thrives here! We were lucky enough to spot an "albino" black bear.