Bumpass Hell

Nature is amazing! This hike has some good inclines, but nothing extraordinarily difficult. Great hike and a stunning Natural park. Go out of your way to see this,

Really unique experience!

Bumpass Hell is accessible at the end of a 3 mile hike (round trip). The hike in itself is moderate but the steep elevation and the summer heat can get to you during the walk. Summer thru fall is the best time to come here (despite the heat) because snow closes most of the trails pretty much throughout the rest of the year. Bring plenty of water with you on the hike, ’cause you’ll need it.
And though the walk can seem interminable, the sight that awaits you at the end of the trip is well worth it.
One knows that one has reached Bumpass Hell when the rotten egg smell from the sulphur starts to assault you and stays with you as you tour this magnificent collection of thermal features.
Bumpass Hell is a gallery of mud pots, fumaroles and boiling pools in action. Notice boards are displayed everywhere urging visitors to stay on the Boardwalk as the ground is very brittle and a false step can land you in a boiling vent (pretty much what happened to Kendall Bumpass, after whom this place was named).
The Boardwalk trail ends in a small lake and along the way one can see many hydothermal features in action. I was particularly fascinated by the black goo, popularly known as «Fool’s Gold» in one of the boiling pools.
For those who do not wish to undertake the 3 mile hike to Bumpass Hell, «Sulphur Works» which is the first main attraction from the visitor’s center offers a glimpse of what a steam vent looks like. However, you won’t be disappointed if you do the hike to Bumpass Hell. And keep out an eye for wildlife, we spotted a deer on our trail that didn’t seem to mind us at all!

Well hello Bumpass!
I just got back from Lassen and enjoyed this hike earlier today. It is a 3 mile walk roundtrip with a mostly easy trail winding up the hill, however the incredible amount of SNOW definitely made it precarious at times!
We decided we would check it out in our street shoes, even though 10 minutes in I was incredibly nervous looking at a snow covered hill but determined if little kids and older people are coming back, I should be able to make it without being airlifted out.
The views, surrounding trees and sheer beauty of the trail alone are enough reason for me to go on this hike again! (pics tomorrow).
Midday heat was broken up by the ample amount of shady areas and there are MANY opportunities for photos.
If there is snow when you go I would definitely recommend snow shoes or something grippy as street shoes or flipflops will prove to make the last, steeper, leg of the journey a difficult one. And you may decide there is another reason for the name Bumpass…
Coming across the bend and seeing the mud pits and steam for the first time is truly something amazing and gives you a great gauge for how much longer :)
There is a great boardwalk to bring you around the steam vents with once again, ample opportunities for photos. Stay on the marked trail but even from there you may get a steam vent to surprise you :)
Oh and kids will not stop talking about the smell… we had a couple trying to tell us it wasn’t worth it because of that… too cute!

Mr. Bumpass fell into some boiling mud right after explaining how dangerous it was in these parts. He was so severely burned that he lost that leg. The place is named «Hell» because that’s what he thought of it.
Now it’s safe for you to go. They built nice walkways through the hot mud springs, or whatever you call them. It’s really something, sort of colorful and desolate at the same time. It’s stinky, too, like rotten eggs. Sulphur does that, I suppose.