Southwest Area

The southwest area of the park contains a number of evidences of vulcanism, as well as remnants of the ancient Mt. Tehama. It also contains evidences of the work of the glaciers which carved up the great mountain. Near the parking lot for the Bumpass Hell Trail, some rocks can be observed with the marks of glaciers on them, shown below. On top of this bedrock escarpment is a very large glacial erratic, a large rock composed of andesite carried to its present position by ice flow and left there by the retreat of the glacier which carried it there. Evidence of glaciation can be seen by the way the bedrock has been planed smooth by a glacier. This view looks out over the Little Hot Springs Area, once towered above by Mt. Tehama, which for 100,000 years has been deepened and widened by glaciation.

Additional evidences of vulcanism can be seen in the valley and the rocks which lay by the park road.

This and most areas of the park are heavily forested.

The southwest area of the park has a number of rugged peaks.

Eagle Peak lies at 9211 feet. It is a plug type volcano of dacite lava. The name may have been derived from bald eagles which have been seen in the vicinity of the mountain.

For many years the Lassen Chalet, pictured below, existed along the park road several miles inside the south park boundary. This building was originally constructed in 1966. At one time ski equipment for the ski areas within the park could be obtained in the Chalet. The ski facilities, which were located in the Sulphur Works area not far from this location, included 2 ski lifts, but these were removed from within the park in the mid-1980's. The Lassen Chalet itself was recently torn down to make way for a southern area park visitor center.