This Lesser-known California National Park Is a Great Alternative to Yellowstone-With Fewer Crowds and Stunning Scenery

"Located in Mineral, California, about a four-hour drive northeast of San Francisco, Lassen Volcanic National Park also bubbles with hydrothermal activity, creating "boiling mud pots, steaming ground, roaring fumaroles, [and] sulfurous gasses," according to the official park brochure. While Yellowstone may have six volcano types, this 100,000-acre park has four: shield, composite, cinder cone, and plug dome. In fact, it's home to one of the world's largest plug dome volcanos, Lassen Peak, which last exploded between 1914 and 1917."

"Out of the eight hydrothermal areas in the park, one of the best-and easiest-spots to take in the activity is at Sulphur Works, which the National Park Service describes as "an otherworldly place of vibrant colors, pungent scents, and shifting ground that is both ancient and new." Just one mile up the Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway from the southwest entrance, the area is accessible via a paved sidewalk. The largest area, Bumpass Hell, is reachable by a 1.5-mile trail in the summer and fall months, usually from late July through October."

Lassen Volcanic National Park sits in Mineral, California, about a four-hour drive northeast of San Francisco. The park features boiling mud pots, steaming ground, roaring fumaroles, and sulfurous gases across multiple hydrothermal areas. The 100,000-acre park contains four volcano types: shield, composite, cinder cone, and plug dome, and includes Lassen Peak, one of the world's largest plug dome volcanoes that last erupted between 1914 and 1917. Sulphur Works is an accessible hydrothermal area reachable by a paved sidewalk one mile from the southwest entrance. Bumpass Hell is a 16-acre basin reached by a 1.5-mile trail in summer and fall. The site also includes Terminal Geyser, a steam vent often misnamed as a geyser.

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