Hiking Kings Creek Falls and Sifford Lake Loop, Lassen Volcanic National Park

With only a few days in Lassen Volcanic National Park, I wanted to try to fit as much of the park in as possible. Mt. Lassen, of course, was one. We also decided to check Kings Creek Falls and Sifford Lake loop off of our list.

We started on the trailhead at around 9am the day before the 4th of July. I was worried we would run into a lot of people on such a short trip to the falls. Thankfully most visitors were all at their campsites. We saw few people for most of the 5.8 mile hike.

Our first destination was Kings Creek Falls to beat the crowds.  This meant we were hiking the loop clockwise through the absolutely breathtaking meadow. The trail down to the falls is loose and filled with gravel. This would have been a less enjoyable climb as opposed to the lengthy, but gradual return on the other side of the loop.

From there, we continued to Bench Lake. Unfortunately due to the absence of winter, Bench Lake was completely bone dry.

Sifford Lake was only an additional .8 miles out and back on the trail. I went ahead and tacked that on to get some more lake action in. Sifford Lake was a neat little spot with some campsites if that catches your fancy.

Water level was a little low and murky. The cliffs by the lake also offered some great views of the forest.

It was a fairly mellow trail that wound through redwoods. I wasn’t terribly impressed by most of it other than the Kings Creek Falls section. This a hit it and quit it trail; probably won’t be back to see most of it again.

Gear: Icebreaker Aero Tank, Outdoor Research Turbine Shorts, Triple Aught Design Artemis Hoodie, Black Diamond Ultra Distance trekking poles, Boreas Topaz 25, and Ahnu Sugarpine Waterproof Boot

Last updated on April 23, 2018.