Lassen Park Highway to Open a Month Earlier than Usual

Photo by Deanna Lewis

With dwindling snowpack melting at a rapid rate throughout the Sierra Nevada, the summer months are quickly approaching in Northern California. With little snowfall occurring this water year, Lassen Volcanic National Park officials and CalTrans were able to complete the clearing of the snow on the park’s highway early this season. The Lassen Park Highway will officially open to thru traffic on Monday, May 17.

Park officials announced on Sunday the early opening of Highway 89, which runs from the north to south end of the park, giving visitors driving access to almost all of Lassen’s destinations. While there is still a lot of snow in different parts of Lassen, you can already find snow-free trails in the Manzanita Lake, Butte Lake, and Warner Valley Areas of the park. Spring skiing conditions are still prevalent on the park’s peaks, but the opening of the highway paves the way for more summer activities and full access to the park’s summer destinations. See all of the park’s conditions here.

If the road opening is any indication of the overall snowpack in California, this year is surely unique. This is the fifth earliest the park’s highway has opened to the public since 1980. The earliest the road opened was in 1990, when vehicles could travel all the way through the park as early as April 28. In 2015, during significant drought in California, the park’s highway opened on May 3.

Are you ready for another epic summer in Lassen Volcanic National Park? For some ideas on your next adventure, check out The 10 Best Summer Activities to do in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Active NorCal

Telling the Stories of Northern California

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