Reflection Lake

Reflection Lake is a small natural lake beside the park highway near Loomis Museum. A half-mile route circles the shore; it’s a good short detour if you want a close look at Lassen Peak and Chaos Crags without walking the longer Manzanita Lake Loop. For the classic view, head to the west shore. The peaks often reflect in still water, but wind can erase the mirror.

At lower water levels the lake was called Mud Lake. In the late 1800s, a channel diverted water from Manzanita Creek to raise its level, and trout were planted; paid fishing access lasted for a few years. The park ended fish stocking in the early 1990s to protect natural riparian ecosystems.

B.F. Loomis photographed Lassen Peak’s eruptions from the lake’s shore between 1914 and 1945. He bought the 40-acre tract that included the lake in 1926, then donated it, the museum and a seismograph building to the park in 1929. That history gives this little viewpoint a connection to the park’s most dramatic chapter.

Native tui chub thrive in the lake’s warmer water. The lake also attracts Canada geese, great blue herons, snowy egrets and kingfishers, so give the shore a quiet look before heading on.