MINERAL— Lassen Volcanic National Park partially reopened on Saturday following the lifting of some Park Fire evacuation orders and warnings.
Highway 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park are open to vehicles from the Northwest Entrance at Manzanita Lake to the parking lot at Devastated Area. From there, the highway will be open only to bicycles and pedestrians to Summit Lake. Due to ongoing evacuation orders and warnings, the highway will be closed to all traffic from Summit Lake to the southwestern park boundary.
According to park officials, the outlying areas of the park, such as Butte Lake, Juniper Lake, and Warner Valley, will remain closed until normal park operations resume.
The standard $30 entrance fee will be in effect. Visitors should be prepared for limited services as park employees work to resume operations. Loomis Museum will be open for information Saturday through Tuesday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Lassen Association store will also resume normal operations on Saturday, Aug. 17.
Park officials said the Manzanita Lake Camper Store will be open for retail, “grab and go” food, laundry, and showers. Gasoline will be made available as soon as possible. It’s yet to be determined if or when the Manzanita Lake Cabins will reopen.
Manzanita Lake Campground will reopen to reservations beginning Monday, Aug. 26. Park officials warned fires, including campfires and charcoal grills, are prohibited. Devices for cooking and lighting with ignition sources that can be turned off and do not produce ash are permitted.
Summit Lake Campground remains closed. As long as park closures are in place, the entire park is closed to backcountry camping.
Open hiking trails include Manzanita Lake, Nobles Emigrant, Chaos Crags, and Echo Lake/Twin Lakes. Trails that remain closed include Bumpass Hell, Lassen Peak, and Mill Creek Falls.
The 2024 Park Fire has burned over 429,000 acres in Butte, Plumas, Tehama, and Shasta counties and is the fourth-largest fire in California history. Park staff was evacuated and are now in the process of returning. While the fire itself has not entered the park boundaries, the threat of fire remains on the park’s south side and in the local communities of Mineral and Mill Creek. The fire danger has dropped to safe levels in the park areas that are reopening, but visitors should expect that smoke may linger in the area and affect air quality and views.
More than 6,000 personnel from several agencies nationwide had been assigned to the Park Fire incident. Recent cooler temperatures and higher humidity have assisted firefighters in their containment efforts.
Park officials will communicate additional changes to operations, openings, and other park-specific information on the park’s website and social media platforms.
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