Sight · Lassen Volcanic National Park
A trout lake people have fished since 1936
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lassen Volcanic Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lassen Volcanic National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Lassen Volcanic audio tourRecorded for this place
Juniper Lake: Beach or Long Loop“You’re nearing Juniper Lake’s north-shore day-use area, where a gravel-and-sand beach looks across the water toward Mount Harkness.”
Plays as you drive up to Horseshoe Lake in the Parkwolf Lassen Volcanic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Horseshoe Lake is a trail-accessed lake in Lassen Volcanic's Juniper Lake Area and one of the park's fishing destinations. This is a hike-in stop, not a roadside pullout. A short drop from the trail reaches the shore; look west across the water for the tip of Lassen Peak above the trees.
The Juniper Lake road starts from Chester, and its final six miles are rough, steep dirt. Low-clearance cars should not take that stretch. There is no food or drinking water at the Juniper Lake day-use area, so plan supplies before heading into this outlying corner of the park. Check current road and trail conditions before setting out.
Rainbow, brown, and brook trout live here. The lake was already known for fly fishing in 1936, when it was described as one of the park's consistently productive fishing lakes. Its draw is the fishing and a mountain view after a walk.
Wildlife
103 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
44 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
348 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
17 sightingsSandhill CraneMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
47 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
12 sightingsGreat EgretMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lassen Volcanic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyCameron Meadow Trail2.4 mi · 1.5 hr · 1 mi awayA short, low-gain walk to a seasonal wet meadow.
ModerateJuniper Lake Loop6.4 mi · 4 hr · 1.8 mi awayA remote 6.4-mile circuit around a high-elevation lake.
ModerateHorseshoe Lake Trail2.6 mi · 2 hr · 1.8 mi awayA short forest hike to a lakeshore beneath Lassen's skyline
ChallengingRainbow Lake Loop13.4 mi · 8.5 hr · 1.8 mi awayA remote high-country loop among three tucked-away lakes
ModerateGrassy Creek Long Loop6.9 mi · 4 hr · 1.8 mi awayA ridge-and-creek circuit through Lassen’s quiet Juniper Lake forest.
ModerateGrassy Creek Short Loop5.8 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.8 mi awayA 5.8-mile meadow loop with one faint cutoff to find.
ChallengingJuniper Lake, Cinder Cone and Red Cinders Loop22.3 mi · 11 hr · 1.8 mi awayRemote 22-mile loop linking lake country, crater views and red cinders.
ModerateInspiration Point Trail1.5 mi · 1.1 hr · 1.8 mi awayA brief climb to a ridge above Juniper LakeSight · 1.8 mi awayJuniper LakeA coarse-sand beach, cool swimming, and trailheads share one shore.Sight · 2 mi awayInspiration PointA short, steep climb earns a wide volcanic panorama.
Campground · 2.9 mi awayJuniper Lake CampgroundCamp beside the lake, after six rough dirt-road miles.
Sight · 3.6 mi awaySnag LakeA backcountry lake born from Cinder Cone’s lava.
Picnic area · 3.7 mi awayWarner Valley Day Use AreaA trailhead picnic stop for Lassen's hydrothermal corner.
Campground · 3.7 mi awayWarner Valley CampgroundA remote, wooded base for Warner Valley's trail network.
Lodging · 4 mi awayDrakesbad Guest RanchA remote Warner Valley base for meals, lodging, and nearby hikes
Sight · 4.1 mi awayBoiling Springs LakeA warm, milky lake ringed by steam and bubbling mudpots.Parkwolf’s Lassen Volcanic ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
