LAVA LAND LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK ONE OF CALIFORNIA'S LESSER-KNOWN NATURAL BEAUTIES WITH MUCH TO SEE, DO.

Byline: Bill Becher Special to the Daily News

MINERAL - Around midnight on May 19, 1915, Elmer Sorahan, a homesteader near Lassen Peak, a volcano in Northern California, woke up when his dog started barking. Sorahan went outside, expecting his dog had seen a bear. Instead he found a 12-foot high wall of water and logs surging down the creek. He ran a mile to warn his neighbors.

Thanks to Sorahan's dog, no lives were lost when Lassen Peak exploded. A few days later Lassen Peak erupted again, sending an enormous mushroom cloud seven miles into the stratosphere. Until Mt. St. Helens blew its top, this was the most recent volcanic eruption in the contiguous 48 states. The Lassen area was made a national park in 1916 because of its natural beauty and continued volcanic activity.

As befits a place with ``Volcanic'' as a middle name, Lassen Volcanic National Park supplies its relatively few visitors with an up-close-and-personal look at the geologic forces that shape the earth. All four types of volcanoes are found at Lassen.

``You don't see many people compared to Yosemite,'' said Marc Fivaz, a biologist from Geneva, Switzerland, who works at Stanford University. He was backpacking in Lassen near the Cinder Cone with Isabelle LeBlanc from Paris, France.

``It's absolutely amazing, after hiking in the forest, suddenly you're facing those lava beds,'' Fivaz said.

Lassen had 377,000 visitors last year - Yosemite had 3.5 million.

One of the attractions at Lassen is the Cinder Cone, formed by eruptions in 1650. A short, steep hike takes you to the top, where you can see Lassen Peak. On the other side are the Fantastic Lava Beds and the Painted Dunes, which look like a Hollywood set painter has been at work, dabbing the dunes with red splotches.

Backcountry camping at Lassen requires a permit, which is easy to get thanks to the lower volume of visitors. But one of the charms of the park is the number of short day hikes that take you to interesting places. Cynthia and David Schnee hiked with 1-year-old Sam in a baby backpack to the top of 10,457-foot Lassen Peak.

``You can get to out-of-the-way places with children,'' Cynthia Schnee said. ``That's unusual when you are car camping.''

Unlike Mt Shasta, which takes a full-on mountaineering assault, climbing Lassen Peak is a four-hour, five-mile-round-trip day hike with 2,000 feet of up. But be prepared: Mountain weather can deteriorate rapidly and lightning is a hazard. A light fleece jacket and Windbreaker are a good idea, as are plenty of water and sun block if you plan on summiting Lassen. Even in August, snowfields remain near the top. The trail is well maintained, except for the last few hundred yards to the top, where you will have to do some rock scrambling.

With 150 miles of trails and several lakes, there are lots of other places to explore in Lassen Volcanic National Park. There hasn't been any stocking for many years, but Manzanita Lake near the main campground is catch and release, barbless single hook artificial lure and flies only, and as a result has some good-sized trout. There are no boat rentals or outboards allowed, so bring a pram or canoe. Blue-ribbon fishing water is close by, including Hat Creek, and the Pit and Fall Rivers.

But it's the volcanic history that draws most visitors. The largest of the eruptions in 1915 destroyed three square miles of the northeast side of Lassen Peak - now called the Devastated Area. There is a self-guided exhibit with examples of ``quenched blobs'' and other remnants of the 1915 eruption. Scientists are studying the area to see how plants recover from volcanic activity.

Bumpass Hell is a geothermal feature named for a guy who fell in and lost a leg to the super-heated water. Reeking with the rotten-egg smell of hydrogen sulfide, it's a witch's cauldron of bubbling mud holes and steaming ``fumaroles,'' sort of geyser wannabes.

Bumpass Hell is a three-mile-round-trip hike from the road. The Park Service built wooden boardwalks for visitors, as the ground can be unstable. Planks are broken in a few places, so be careful. A sign said the Park Service plans to helicopter in new sections of boardwalk.

If you feel energetic, you can hike past Bumpass Hell all the way to the campground at the west entrance to Lassen Volcanic National Park, a downhill hike of about seven and a half miles. You'll need to arrange a car shuttle, or hitchhike back to Bumpass. But the hike shows off some of the best of Lassen, including the geothermal features.

The trail is shaded by cathedral-like stands of red fir, interrupted by avalanche chutes dotted with wildflowers: elephanthead, Indian paintbrush, purple asters, red snow plants, pussy paws and yellow seep-spring arnica. Golden-mantled ground squirrels, which resemble chipmunks, abound. Some are almost tame. Just don't feed them. If you're lucky, you might see a bobcat or a red fox.

The trail winds by oxymoronic Cold Boiling Lake, a tiny lake suffering hot flashes from the volcanic activity below. Meadows abound as the trail descends about 2,000 feet, crossing several streams. About a mile and a half from the campground, you get an excellent view of Mill Creek Falls. And at the end of the trail, Lassen Chalet has hot food and drink to restore you.

Bumpass Hell is a reminder of Lassen's turbulent past and the possibility that it could rain ash and big rocks on your tent. But the odds of that are probably far less than of being struck by lightning.

Large eruptions in the Lassen area re-occur about every 10,000 years. However, volcanism is episodic, with periods of relatively frequent eruptions separated by long quiet intervals.

After the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, the U.S. Geological Survey intensified its monitoring of the Lassen area. Scientists periodically measure ground deformation and volcanic-gas emissions, both of which can precede an eruption. A network of nine seismometers sends data to the USGS offices in Menlo Park.

If indications of a significant increase in volcanic activity are detected, the USGS plans to immediately send scientists and specially designed portable monitoring instruments to evaluate the threat. The National Park Service has developed an emergency-response plan to protect the public in the event of an impending eruption.

But if your dog starts barking outside your tent while you're camped at Lassen Volcanic National Park, you should probably check it out.

IF YOU GO

Lassen Volcanic National Park is about an 11-hour drive from Los Angeles. The park is 50 miles east of Red Bluff on highway 36, and 50 miles east of Redding on highway 44. There is a $10-per-vehicle entry fee, good for seven days.

For information regarding backcountry permits, weather, road conditions and other park information, call park headquarters at [phone] or visit the park Web site at www.nps.gov/lavo.

Snow covers much of the park from mid-October through mid-June. The Park Road (the main road that connects Highway 89 through the park) is usually closed from late October through mid-June. During years of heavy snowfall, the road might open much later. Call the park for road- and trail-condition updates. Many of the main park attractions are snow-covered and inaccessible by car and foot during the winter. The steep terrain and abundant snowfall make avalanches a serious problem in winter.

July, August, and September have mostly sunny skies with warm daytime temperatures and cold nighttime temperatures. Naturalist programs are offered from late June through late August. Snowshoe programs are offered to the public on Saturdays, usually from mid-January to late March or early April.

The Loomis Museum at Manzanita Lake offers information, exhibits, videos, ranger-led programs and publications in the summer months.

There are nine campgrounds at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Most are open from the end of May through September on a first-come, first-serve basis, except for group sites that must be reserved in advance. Butte Lake, Juniper Lake and Warner Valley campgrounds are reached by dirt roads.

The main campground at Manzanita Lake is open from the end of May until closed by snow. The campground accommodates trailers to 35 feet, but there are no RV hook-ups at the 179 sites. Camping fee is $14 during the summer season and $8 from late September until snow closure. No drinking water is available after late September. There is a boat launch, fishing, swimming, ranger-led programs and bear-proof boxes. Pay phone, food, showers, laundromat and gift shop are located nearby at the store.

The Southwest walk-in campground located off the Lassen Chalet parking area near the Southwest Entrance Station is open all year. RVs may park overnight in the Lassen Chalet parking lot for $8 per night and should register at the campground. The 21 walk-in sites are open throughout the winter for snow camping. Daily camping fees are $12 in the summer and $8 after late September. Drinking water and flush toilets are available at the campground from Memorial Day weekend through late September and at the nearby Lassen Chalet year round.

The Drakesbad Guest Ranch offers lodging in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Contact California Guest Services, the park's authorized concessionaire, at [phone]. The Ranch is open from early June through early October (snow conditions permitting). There are also a number of motels in the surrounding area.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Gabriela Giron of Camarillo, 12, touches the top of Lassen Peak after a two-and-a-half mile hike at Lassen Volcanic National Park.

(2) Visitors at Lassen Volcanic National Park explore the bubbling mud holes and fumaroles.

Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News

Box:

IF YOU GO (see text)