Brokeoff Mountain

Brokeoff Mountain is a 9,235-foot summit near the park’s southwest entrance, reached by a strenuous out-and-back hike from the Brokeoff Mountain parking lot. The climb is 7.4 miles round trip and about six hours, gaining roughly 2,600 feet. Keep it for a day when the peak itself is the goal; this is one of the park’s toughest hikes, not a quick roadside stop.

The route climbs through forest and open meadows, then scattered hemlocks and above timberline. Red fir, mountain hemlock, and whitebark pine mark the changing elevation; volcanic sand and rocky outcrops make the footing rough. Near the mountain’s west end, a view of Mount Shasta opens before the final half-mile push to the top.

Brokeoff Mountain is an eroded remnant of Brokeoff Volcano, the park’s former composite volcano, also called Mount Tehama. From the summit, you can look across its old caldera. Lassen Peak, Mount Shasta, Conard, Chaos Crags, and Diller fill out the wider panorama. The summit’s rocky ledges make a useful foreground for that broad view.

There is usually too much snow to hike here before mid-July, and patches may linger until mid-August. Lower-elevation wildflowers peak in July; summit blooms arrive around mid-August, so timing changes as you climb.

Deer are common, and the forest and high slopes are home to juncos, chickadees, western tanagers, and flycatchers. Give yourself time to notice the trail between the summit views.