While Lassen Volcanic National Park trails may not be our first choice of trails to hike, we appreciate their proximity and, late in the season, the relative solitude that can be found on them. On Sunday, November 1, 2020, we were on the Summit Lake Loop trail less than an hour from leaving home, and we saw exactly one other hiker during the entire 11-mile hike.
The official trailhead for this trail is at the Summit Lake Ranger Station parking lot, but the trail can easily be accessed via Summit Lake North Campground as well. The first mile or so climbs steadily through open conifer forest, which opens up to beautiful views of Mt Lassen to the west.
The actual loop part of the trail (AKA Cluster Lakes Loop) begins here, on this more level terrain. We like to go clockwise, visiting, in order, Big Bear Lake, Silver Lake, Feather Lake, Lower and Upper Twin lakes, Echo Lake, with a couple pothole-lakes in between, and then back to Summit Lake.
In several sections, the trail goes through forest that is renewing after the 2012 Reading Fire, which is always interesting.
Photo by Don Burk.
In fact, evidence of fire can be seen along approximately a third of the trail, most evident between the Bear lakes, all the way to Lower Twin Lake.
At this time of year, there is hardly anything in bloom, but it is a fun challenge to try to figure out what the plants are so late in the season.
Don did manage to find one miniature in bloom in the mud around Feather Lake: western marsh cudweed.
Waterfowl are beginning to show up at these high-elevation lakes, and the fall foliage is gorgeous.
We highly recommend Summit Lake Loop as an all-day, late-season hike. Because of the length and elevation gain (~11 miles and ~1,300 feet, respectively), along with patches of less-than-ideal trail (very steep, and/or loose/rocky), we rate this hike as moderately difficult.
~Laurie & Don Burk