Lassen Volcanic National Park’s Bumpass Hell might be one of the most bizarre unique hiking destinations in the state. The 16-acre hydrothermal area is accessible via a 3-mile trail open in the summer and fall, guiding you through a landscape of boiling springs, mud pots, and hissing fumaroles with a pungent odor of hydrogen sulfide. You’ll know you’re close when you catch a whiff of rotten eggs accompanied by a cacophony of bubbling and belching mud pots. Have we not convinced you to make the 4-hour drive from San Francisco? Keep reading, and we’ll give it our best shot!
A glimpse into active geology
This surreal landscape is Lassen Volcanic National Park’s largest and most spectacular hydrothermal area. About 5-6 miles beneath the surface of the Earth, a body of magma or molten rock heats a supply of groundwater from rain and snow. As the water descends, it boils and turns into steam, which rises back to the surface through fractures and faults in the Earth’s crust.
The steam bursts through the surface via fumeroles, which are large vents that create hissing and roaring sounds; boiling pools and mud pots, which are often a bright turquoise color; and steaming ground, where you’ll see steam escaping directly through the soil. The steam also carries the stinky hydrogen sulfide gas, which is produced when the heated groundwater reacts with sulfur-rich materials near the surface.
Mr. Bumpass and his brush with Hell
Okay, okay, we know you’re wondering about the name: Bumpass Hell. As if the geology here didn’t give this place enough lore, the name comes from a cowboy and mountain explorer named Kendall Vanhook Bumpass, who has a wild tale to tell.
According to the National Parks Traveler, Mr. Bumpass discovered the basin in 1864, and led a group to explore the site the following year. Upon cautioning the group to be careful of the precarious ground, he stepped right through the surface of a scalding mudpot. The accident resulted in him losing his leg—hence the “Hell” in the name.
Among the group of witnesses was a newspaper editor from the Red Bluff Independent. His 1865 recounting of the story is inscribed on a plaque in the park:
Our guide [Mr. K.V. Bumpass,] after cautioning us to be careful where we stepped… broke through the crust and plunged his leg into the boiling mud beneath, which clinging to his limb burned him severely. If our guide had been a profane man I think he would have cursed a little; as it was, I think his silence was owing to his inability to do the subject justice…”
The Bumpass Hell Trail
Lassen opens the Bumpass Hell Trail only in the summer and fall, typically from July through October. During the rest of the year, the snowpack makes this area inaccessible, so you’ll need to keep an eye on the National Park Service website for announcements about trail conditions.
The hike is considered easy to moderate, covering just about 3 miles round-trip with 300 or so feet of elevation gain. Upon reaching the hydrothermal basin area, visitors must follow a boardwalk that allows them to get up close to the landscape while avoiding the same fate as Mr. Bumpass. The trail can be busy on weekends, so it’s good to arrive early.
Would you make the trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park to see Bumpass Hell for yourself?