Lassen Volcanic National Park

Calling all 5th graders! You can bring your family to all NPS sites and more for free through August 31, 2021. Many 4th graders missed out on using their Every Kid Outdoors Annual 4th Grade Pass last year. So, here's a second chance to enjoy the great outdoors! Current fourth graders are still eligible for the continuing 4th grade pass. ... Families and students can download their 4th or 5th grade passes at nps.gov/kids. #FindYourPark #EveryKidOutdoors

Manzanita Lake Campground will close for the winter/spring season this Thursday, 11/5. Southwest Walk-in Campground is open year-round. There is finally some snow in the forecast! If you are visiting soon, be prepared for winter conditions. We encourage visitors to carry chains October through May. Check current conditions including the status of park roads, trail conditions, and more at go.nps.gov/lavo/conditions. ... #FindYourPark #WinterisComing

Every day is Halloween for this cute critter that looks and acts a lot like a chimpunk. Golden-mantled ground squirrels' (Spermophilus lateralis) small size, body stripes, food-holding cheek pouches, and preference for burrows makes them a shoo-in for a chipmunk costume contest. This small squirrel is also a big fan of trick or treat. They can be quite bold in seeking out human food and may use their extreme cuteness to trick you into giving them a treat. Don't be fooledhum...an food can make wild animals unhealthy or even kill them. : Golden-mantled ground squirrel on Brokeoff Mountain summit by Troy Saunders. #FindYourPark #LAVOWildlifeWatch go.nps.gov/gmsquirrel

Can you spot the least chipmunk (Tamias minimus) in this photo? At just 7 to 9 inches long including the tail, it is the smallest species of chipmunk. The small size and characteristic white stripes with black boarders across their face makes least chipmunks easy to identify. Just don't mistake them for the golden-mantled ground squirrel. While similarly small and cute, this squirrel has stripes on its body, but not on its head. go.nps.gov/leastchipmunk #LAVOWildlifeWatch

Bewareboth lycan and werewolves can transform into wolves under the full moon this Halloween! Lassen Volcanic is full of wolf lichen, however this tree-clinging lifeform has more bark than bite. Lichen is a symbiotic partnership of a fungus and alga and no two are alike. Two of the most commonly sighted species in the park are wolf lichen (Letharia vulpina) and brown-eyed wolf Lichen (Letharia columbiana). These bright yellow-green, shrubby lichen are plentiful on tree limbs... and trunks, despite the fact they grow very slowly (about 4 mm per year). Wolf lichen is somewhat toxic to mammals and has been historically used as a poison for wolves and foxes. It has also been used traditionally by many American Indian peoples as a pigment source for dyes and paints. Take a likin' to lichen: fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/lichens/

Learn more about the recent SOFIA discovery of water on the moon today at 6 pm PT with Lassen Dark Sky Festival presenter Sachin Shenoy. The event is free, but you'll need to register to join. #LassenDSF #60MinutesinSpace

Ready to enjoy a fall hike in Lassen Volcanic? You can make the most of this unseasonably dry autumn by being prepared and choosing a hike appropriate for your skill level and fitness. Dress in layers; low temperatures are dropping into the 20s and 30s (F) plus temperatures decrease about 5F for every 1,000-foot increase in elevation. However, the sun is still out despite the cooler temperatures. Keep your sunglasses and sunscreen handy, the sun is intense at high elevatio...n all year long! By being prepared and keeping yourself safe while hiking improves your safety and helps reduce risk for emergency responders. : 360-degree photo from the summit of Mt. Conard, accessed via an off-trail route on 10/24/2020. go.nps.gov/lavo/hike #FindYourPark #GoTakeaHike #RecreateResponsibly

NASA’s flying telescope SOFIA recently discovered water on a sunny surface of the Moon! Congratulations to Lassen Dark Sky Festival presenter and co-investigator on this research, Sachin Shenoy. #LassenDSF

Your Manzanita Lake Area rangers wish you happy trails until next summer! The Loomis ranger desk and park store will close for the season after this Sunday, November 1. Rangers Shanda, Austin, Shay, Elaine, Trixine, and Karla thank this summer's visitors for recreating responsibly by wearing a face covering and observing social distancing, the Manzanita Lake closure, and park-wide fire restriction. We've been tossed a lot of curveballs this season, but we all came together to... protect each other and our national park. Rangers and the park store will be available at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center Wednesday through Sunday beginning November 2. #RecreateResponibly #FindYourPark

Weather Alert - A heads up that gusty winds are expected early Sunday morning through Monday night. The gusts may reach up to 70 mph over exposed terrain and ridgelines in the park. According to the National Weather Service, this wind event looks to be the strongest event of the year so far. The winds will be strong enough to down weakened trees in forested areas. With that in mind, hiking in the park is not advised due to the likelihood of snapping trees especially standi...ng dead. As a reminder, a fire ban is in place at Lassen. High winds coupled with extreme dry fuels and low humidity means that one spark will lead to catastrophic fire. Use extreme caution to prevent new fire starts. Read more from the National Weather Service - https://bit.ly/3ml5DaM Photo shows standing dead in the Snag Lake Area. See more

Enjoy your visit to Lassen Volcanic in the fall season by bringing everything you need. Services and facilities are limited. All roads and trails are open and snow-free. There is no gas available in the park. Food and supplies are available only at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center Saturday and Sunday, between 11 am and 2 pm. The visitor center and park store are open daily until November 1. Beginning November 2, the visitor center and store will be open Wednesday through... Sunday. Loomis Museum will close on November 2. Rangers are available outside the museum Friday through Sunday through closing. Manzanita Lake Campground is open to dry camping (no drinking water) until snow closure. The Southwest Walk-in Campground is open year-round. All other campgrounds are closed until Summer 2021. View all current conditions at go.nps.gov/lavo/conditions. #FindYourPark : Hat Creek and Lassen Peak, 10/19/2020 by George Parker

Can you spot the Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) in this photo? These grey birds are slightly larger than Jays and when they fly a bright white tail with a central black strips flashes. Clark's Nutcrackers can be seen throughout the park and are often spotted among the shrubby whitebark pines on Lassen Peak. The birds rely on the pines' high-calorie seeds to survive harsh winters at high elevation. The birds can cache up to 33,000 seeds in the fall. Not surprisingly, some of these seeds are never retrieved and may sprout into seedlings. go.nps.gov/clarksnutcracker #LAVOWildlifeWatch

Visitor Services Update - At Manzanita Lake, a ranger is available Friday through Sunday between 10am and 5pm outside the Loomis Museum through October 31. Lassen Association Gift Store is open Friday through Sunday inside the Loomis Museum through October 31. At the Southwest entrance, rangers are available daily between 10am and 5pm outside the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center through October. Food service and gift stores are open daily inside the Visitor Center. ... We hope to see you this fall!