Bumpas Hell to Cold Boiling Lake

Jason Graham

Explorer

Bumpas Hell to Cold Boiling Lake

07/29/25

On a Tuesday in July, I set out for a trek to one of Lassen's most storied and primeval features—Bumpass Hell. Rather than the classic route, I started at the King’s Creek Trailhead, threading my way along the Cold Boiling Lake Trail to join the Bumpass Hell Trail. This unconventional approach promised both solitude and a deeper immersion in the park’s evolving story, which, in the wake of the Dixie Fire, is written in both ash and green shoots. Arriving at the King’s Creek Trailhead that afternoon, I was met with a scene emblematic of summer peak: the modest lot was already overflowing, cars lined the narrow shoulders in both directions. This was understandable, as the main Bumpass Hell trailhead parking lot was closed, pushing hikers to seek alternate starting points. I set out on the Cold Boiling Lake Trail, this route more rugged than the standard approach, weaves through stretches of forest still bearing the scars of the Dixie Fire. Cold Boiling Lake itself appeared suddenly, a subtle turquoise eye ringed with grasses and the occasional shimmer of geothermal bubbles. The trail from here to Bumpass Hell grew steeper, switchbacking up through a mosaic of old growth and fire-cleared slopes. With each step, the landscape shifted: sun-dappled glades gave way to fields of wildflowers, and the air grew faintly sulfurous, a prelude to what lay ahead. As I climbed, I found myself almost entirely alone. The more challenging approach from Cold Boiling Lake seemed to deter the crowds; I encountered only a handful of fellow hikers. Passing through this fire-altered forest was both mournful and uplifting. The devastation wrought by the Dixie Fire a few years ago was evident in every scorched hillside and fallen log, yet the park was already healing. Mother Nature’s resilience was on full display here. After about 2.5 miles, I made it to Bumpass Hell. Steam rose from fissures and vents, and the bright blue pools and bubbling mudpots of Bumpass Hell spread out before me like a vision from another world. Standing on the boardwalk, I watched geysers plume and pools pulse with unnatural colors—sapphire, aquamarine, ochre, and bone-white. On my return journey, curiosity led me on a brief side quest down to Crumbaugh Lake. Earlier, from a vantage on the Bumpass Hell Trail, its placid surface had shimmered below a few hundred feet beneath the ridgeline. I headed south along the Crumbaugh Lake Trail back at Cold Boiling Lake and soon I stood on its shore, only adding about a mile total to my hike for the day. For those willing to take the longer, hillier route, the rewards of solitude versus the busier main Bumpass Hell Trail are worth the effort.

5.0

Zach L

Explorer

Bumpas Hell to Cold Boiling Lake

06/29/22

I started at the Bumpass Hell parking area near Lake Helen and hiked through Bumpass and continued on to Cold Boiling Lake. The trail was easy to follow, there's a bit of a climb out of Bumpass and then it's mostly side-hill until you descend to Cold Boiling Lake. The morning I was there it was perfectly calm and nobody else was around, very serene. I ended up hiking out to the Kings Creek picnic area and walking back along the road until two Franks in a pickup truck gave me a ride back to my van (thanks again guys!!). Although it worked out for me that day, it probably makes more sense to do the hikes separately unless you can arrange transportation between the trailheads.

4.0