Parking
Start at Hat Creek Trailhead parking by Hat Lake, then follow the gated access south about a quarter mile to the Nobles trail. Finish at Butte Lake; arrange a vehicle transfer between the two ends.
Overview
About Nobles Emigrant Trail: Hat Lake to Butte Lake
Why go
- Links pine forest and Hat Creek with Cinder Cone’s volcanic landscape.
- A long stretch of the historic emigrant corridor remains a real through hike.
Heads up
- The 13-mile point-to-point route needs a pickup or a second vehicle.
- The Nobles trail becomes faint after it leaves the PCT.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lassen Volcanic map
Full mapElevation6,129–6,470 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Lassen Volcanic alert
- ClosureJuniper Lake campground and day-use area closedJuniper Lake Campground and day-use area are closed for maintenance and campground-improvement projects. - Potable water is unavailable in the campground.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lassen Volcanic Tour Guide
Your drive to Nobles Emigrant Trail: Hat Lake to Butte Lake, narrated.
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 area
Hat Creek: Where Hat Lake Became Meadow0:00 / 0:29
“Hat Creek Viewpoint is ahead, an easy roadside look at the meadow that used to be Hat Lake. Lassen Peak’s eruptions dammed the creek to form the lake, and beavers kept it going for decades.”
Plays on the road 0.2 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Lassen Volcanic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Devastated Area: The Rocks and the Escape
- A Songbird Underwater
- Check the Squirrel’s Face
- Summit Lake Trailhead: The Echo Lake Walk
- 45 audio storiesacross Lassen Volcanic’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Bald Eagle, Mule Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 59 trails, 56 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Nobles Emigrant Trail: Hat Lake to Butte Lake
The through hikeThis is a 13-mile one-way walk from the Hat Lake access to Butte Lake, crossing Hat Creek…
This is a 13-mile one-way walk from the Hat Lake access to Butte Lake, crossing Hat Creek country and a long stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail before reaching Cinder Cone’s volcanic landscape. Allow about 5½ hours of hiking. The grade is generally gentle, but the distance, creek crossings and one-way logistics make this a full-day outing. Arrange a pickup or a second car at Butte Lake before starting.
Hat Creek to the PCTThe first 4.3 miles follow a broad gravel road that narrows to dirt through pine forest.
The first 4.3 miles follow a broad gravel road that narrows to dirt through pine forest. You cross a bridge over Hat Creek early, then cross the creek again around mile three; expect to get your feet wet at that crossing. Burned forest and downed trunks mark part of this section. The route reaches the Pacific Crest Trail around mile 4.3.
Across the PCTFollow the established singletrack north for roughly five miles.
Follow the established singletrack north for roughly five miles. Badger Flats and a junction toward Cluster Lakes come near mile 6.2; Soap Lake is around mile 7.8. At about mile nine, the PCT turns south. Stay left on the less-traveled Nobles trail; this junction is easy to miss if you keep following the wider, more familiar tread.
Cinder Cone countryThe last four miles grow quieter and fainter, changing from dirt to loose volcanic sand.
The last four miles grow quieter and fainter, changing from dirt to loose volcanic sand. Around mile 10.7, Cinder Cone, Painted Dunes and the dark Fantastic Lava Beds open to the east. The trail continues to Butte Lake. Pause where the cone and colored ash slopes come into view for a frame that includes the winding ascent path and the sparse trees at its base.
A wagon road through LassenWilliam Nobles promoted this route in 1852 as a shorter way for emigrant wagons to reach Shasta.
William Nobles promoted this route in 1852 as a shorter way for emigrant wagons to reach Shasta. Shasta businessmen paid him to guide travelers onto it. The walk today follows only a park segment of that much longer historic corridor, whose route and name changed over time; it is not a continuous recreation of the full emigrant journey.
Before you goThe park also lists a separate 5.
The park also lists a separate 5.6-mile Nobles walk from a service-road access north of the Manzanita Lake entrance station; that is not this Hat Lake–Butte Lake traverse. Snow can linger on park trails into June and sometimes July, and the park’s hiking season generally runs May through October. There is no potable water at the Hat Lake parking area. Pets are prohibited on park trails except service animals. Burned sections near Hat Creek contain standing dead trees that can fall without warning; check current trail conditions before setting out.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lassen Volcanic
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.
