Sunday, August 23, 2020, saw us hiking the Black Lake Loop in the Caribou Wilderness, on the east side of Mount Lassen. We left the smoke from the valley behind, but soon ran into smoke from a fire south of Susanville. But it wasn’t too bad, and partially cleared up by mid afternoon.
August 23, 2020. Photo by Don Burk.
Black Lake Loop Trail begins at Caribou Lake Trailhead, and is what we refer to as a lollipop trail—a loop on a stick. In less than a mile from the trailhead, the trail hits an intersection where the loop begins. We like to go widdershins (counter-clockwise) and head toward Jewel Lake. From there it’s just lake after lake for 8 miles—so many lakes that they aren’t even all named!
This is a lovely, very lightly traveled trail—one of our very favorites. It runs through lodgepole pine and red fir forest and is well signed; has a mostly good, even footbed; and only ~550 feet of elevation gain—a hike of moderate difficulty only due to its length.
August 23, 2020. Photo by Don Burk.
The best season to enjoy this trail is late summer through late fall. Go too early and you’ll be hounded by mosquitoes; too late, and it will be snowbound. Of course, waiting until fall does limit the number of blooms to be found, but there are still plenty of late-bloomers to assuage the botanist in us all.
This hike, we were wowed by several marvelous miniatures, including a buttercup and a crucifer—a common native and a List 4.3 rare plant, respectively—both deserving ample admiration. We were also delighted to see how happy the CNPS List 1B.3 rare Lassen paintbrush, Castilleja lassensis, seems to be this year—we noted many blooms without having to search for them.
To get to Caribou Lake Trailhead, take Highway 44 East out of Old Station, and drive 38.5 miles, past Bogard Station, to Mooney Road (AKA A21). Turn right (south) onto Mooney Road and drive ~4 miles to Silver Lake Road (AKA Forest Road 10). Turn right (west) onto Silver Lake Road (an irritatingly wash-boarded, but perfectly passable, dirt road) and drive another ~7 miles to the trailhead, following the signs at intersections. (There are other ways to get to this trailhead; this one minimizes dirt-road travel.) There is a pit toilet but no running water at this trailhead.
August 23, 2020. Photo by Don Burk.
It is always a pleasure to get back to this beautiful trail. Here’s a slideshow of some of the things we marveled at this year on this hike. All photos by Don Burk. Enjoy! -Laurie & Don Burk
