Staff reports
Snowplows are working hard this spring to make roadways passable in Lassen Volcanic National Park.
There s not as much snow as in past years, but the Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway is still closed to through traffic. The highway usually opens by June.
The Lassen park highway is a 30-mile stretch of Highway 89 between Highway 36 and Highway 44.
Right now vehicles can reach the Loomis Plaza (one mile from the northwest entrance) and the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center (one mile from the southwest entrance). Vehicle travel beyond the entrances is closed. There is no estimate for road opening, the National Park Service says on its website.
Where to see northern California’s most spectacular waterfalls
Forty-two falls splash down across the Shasta Cascade region. Here are five to see in one day.
Middle McCloud Falls is one of a trio of waterfalls that’s easily accessible on a one-day trip.Photograph by PictureLake, Alamy Stock Photo
ByMiles Howard
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Burney Falls doesn’t cascade it explodes. Each day, 100 million gallons of spring water burst from a 129-foot basalt cliff face and spill into a cerulean pool flanked by ponderosa pines. “If you’re there after a storm, you can’t even get close to [the falls],” says Zach O’Brien, founder of the outdoor travel news website Active NorCal. “The spray leaves you soaking wet, even on a sunny day.”
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Ask a Ranger: She s worked in Lassen National Park for 20 years. This one was different.
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The fall color around Manzanita Lake in Lassen Volcanic National Park on Oct. 2, 2020.Michelle Pontoni, via CaliforniaFallColor.com
In her career, Shanda Ochs has had exactly one place of work: Lassen Volcanic National Park. She’s been a ranger in the volcano-studded hydrothermal wonderland for a shade over 20 years, running educational programs, interpreting the nature and culture, leading the visitor center team and providing information to guests and the media.
We are kind of obsessed with Lassen over here, so we were thrilled when Ochs agreed to answer some burning questions about her job as a ranger and her experiences working in the park as part of SFGATE’s new Ask a Ranger series.