Red Cinder Cone Trail (8.8 mi, Moderate) – Lassen Volcanic National Park

Overview

About Red Cinder Cone Trail

Why go

A long traverse through the volcanic country around the namesake cone.
Connects to the Butte Lake-to-Snag Lake trail network at its far end.

Heads up

It is an open one-way corridor, not a verified loop; the far end has no confirmed road access.
The exact Juniper Lake parking arrangement and trail conditions are not documented.

Map & elevation

The route

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Full map

Elevation6,070–7,671 ft

TrailheadJuniper Lake area40.48201, -121.30419

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Plan your hike

Before you go

Parking

The mapped southwest start is in the Juniper Lake access area. An NPS lot name or route-specific parking instructions were not found; confirm current legal parking with the park. The northern end is a backcountry junction, not a roadside pickup.

Best time to go

Begin in the Juniper Lake access area; the far end is a backcountry trail junction, not a confirmed roadside pickup. No named lot or trail-specific parking instructions were found, and there is no verified loop or return access, so plan a connected route or retrace the line before setting out. Lassen Volcanic's hiking season is generally May through October, though snow can linger into June or July after heavy winters. Pets are not allowed on park trails, and route-specific water or facilities were not confirmed.

Safety

Treat 8.8 miles as one way. The loop title conflicts with the mapped open corridor, and no vehicle access at the northern junction is confirmed; plan a connected route or a return before starting. Snow can linger into early summer after heavy winters. Pets are prohibited on park trails.

1 active Lassen Volcanic alert

ClosureJuniper Lake campground and day-use area closedMentions Juniper Lake, referenced in this guideJuniper Lake Campground and day-use area are closed for maintenance and campground-improvement projects. - Potable water is unavailable in the campground.Official details

Lassen Volcanic alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Lassen Volcanic Tour Guide

Your drive to Red Cinder Cone Trail, 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 tour

Recorded for this area

Juniper Lake: Beach or Long Loop

0:00 / 0:29

“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 on the road 1.1 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Lassen Volcanic Tour Guide.

Hiking Red Cinder Cone Trail

What this trail isRed Cinder Cone Trail is an 8.

Red Cinder Cone Trail is an 8.8-mile one-way traverse from the Juniper Lake area to a junction with the Butte Lake-to-Snag Lake Trail. It follows the Red Cinder Cone corridor rather than adding an off-trail summit climb. The entry is called a loop in some listings, but the mapped route ends at a separate junction and no closed 8.8-mile circuit is confirmed. Treat the distance as one way; retracing to Juniper Lake makes the walk about 17.7 miles total.

The climb and descentThe mapped line starts around 6,570 feet, rises to about 7,650 feet partway through, then drops…

The mapped line starts around 6,570 feet, rises to about 7,650 feet partway through, then drops to roughly 6,070 feet at its north end. That is about 1,100 feet of climbing and 1,600 feet of descent. At 8.8 miles one way, allow about five hours as a planning estimate. Reliable details about tread, crossings, and wayfinding were not found, so do not assume conditions from the separate Butte Lake Cinder Cone hike.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Lassen Volcanic

All Lassen Volcanic wildlife maps

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 map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lassen Volcanic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Red Cinder Cone Trail