Looking for a worthy day hike within Lassen Volcanic National Park? Then you’ve come to the right place! On one of the days I spent within the park boundaries, I trekked over ten miles deeper into Lassen’s wilderness for the day. Hiking the Cluster Lakes Trail in Lassen National Park is a worthy day excursion or overnight backpacking trip. Follow me deeper into Lassen’s backcountry on the Cluster Lakes Trail.
About Hiking the Cluster Lakes Loop Trail
Located in the northeast area of Lassen National Park, hiking the Cluster Lakes Loop trail is a worthy way to spend a day in the park. Getting you deeper into Lassen’s wilderness, this hike winds you around almost a dozen bodies of water. The peace and tranquility of the backcountry out here makes it a worthy hike to add to your Lassen itinerary. Beginning at around 6600 feet in elevation, a roundtrip hike on the trail is about 12 miles with a moderate elevation gain of +1500 feet. It took me about 5.5 hours of moving time to complete the entire loop.
We were hoping to backpack and camp out on the Cluster Lakes Loop but recent bear activity prohibited us from doing that. It’s a worthy spot to spend the night in the backcountry but be sure to check whether the trail is open before embarking out for the day or night.
Be sure to check the NPS website here for current conditions and alerts for the park
Tips for Hiking the Cluster Lakes Trail
Because of past wildfires, there isn’t much tree coverage on the trail. Try and embark on the hike earlier in the day to experience cooler temps before it heats up. The first mile before reaching the junction climbs about +500 feet in elevation so be prepared for a workout early. Once reaching the first junction for the loop, I chose to do the hike clockwise to get the elevation gain out of the way early. Also, the trail coverage begins about 7 miles into the hike which is perfect to have later in the day. Halfway through the loop you’ll find a lot of fallen trees, making the terrain more difficult. We lost our way a couple times but got back on trail by looking for prior hiker’s footprints.
Hiking the Cluster Lakes Trail in Lassen National Park
Distance: 12 Miles
Type: Loop
Elevation Gain: +1,499 Feet
Best Time to Hike: July – October
Getting to the Cluster Lakes Trailhead
Since we camped out at the Summit Lake campground, we started our hike from there. Along the Lassen Scenic Byway, there is a parking area at Summit Lake North to start the trailhead from (directions to the trailhead here).
Beginning the Cluster Lakes Hike
About a mile into the trail, you’ll meet the trail junction for the Cluster Lakes loop. Here you can choose to go clockwise or counterclockwise. I went clockwise so that’s the route we’ll take for this blog post. In that first mile we gain about +500 feet in elevation.
Meeting the First Lake
While there’s no name for this small body of water, about 2.5 miles in to the hike we meet our first lake. Complete with evergreens running the perimeter of the lake, it’s a good place to stop on fallen logs to take a break before continuing on.
Little Bear Lake
In about 1 more mile of hiking, we meet Little Bear Lake. Along the way we can see the remnants of past wildfires which took our tree coverage for the time being. In this mile, we lose the elevation that we worked hard to gain, dropping around 450 feet.
Big Bear Lake
Almost immediately after leaving Little Bear Lake, we can see the beginning of our next body of water. In less than a half mile, we meet Big Bear Lake along with a subtle drop in elevation.
Continuing our Trek on the Cluster Lakes Loop Trail
It’s not long after leaving Big Bear Lake that we have a tough time staying on trail. The next half mile we attempt to follow prior hiker’s footprints in the dry terrain. Luckily we find our way. After about 0.8 miles from leaving Big Bear Lake, we reach the banks of Silver Lake.
Feather Lake
Within a half mile of leaving Silver Lake, we come upon a no name lake to the north before meeting Feather Lake. The tree coverage still lacks at this point in our hike. At about 5.5 miles into the trek, shade isn’t too far off from here.
Meeting the Pacific Crest Trail
In just over a mile from Silver Lake, we meet a junction where we’ll merge with a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. While we only get to experience about a half mile on the PCT, we’re finally welcomed with a bit of tree coverage for some shade.
Lower Twin Lake
Finally, shade coverage and even a sandy beach! Lower Twin Lake is a heck of a gem along the Cluster Lakes Loop trail here in Lassen National Park. At just over 7 miles into our hike, it’s a welcoming place to dip your toes into the water while enjoying a lunch break.
Upper Twin Lake
Running parallel with the banks of Lower Twin Lake, we reach Upper Twin Lake almost instantly. While there is no elevation gain during this time, it takes over a mile of hiking to see the entirety of the two lakes.
Thankfully this area marks the beginning of our tree coverage, supplying us with the shade we need at the hottest time of the day. In the next mile and about +300 feet in elevation gain, we pass by 3 more smaller bodies of water.
Echo Lake
The final lake on our trek along the Cluster Lakes Loop Trail is Echo Lake. Beings it’s only about 2 miles from the beginning of the trailhead, it’s a popular spot for people looking for a more secluded spot to take a dip. We saw multiple people floating, swimming and fishing here. Since it’s nearly 10 miles into our entire hike for the day, it’s a great spot to spend some time soaking up Lassen’s wilderness before finishing the loop.
Finishing the Hike on the Cluster Lakes Loop Trail
Within a mile of leaving Echo Lake, along with losing about 300 feet in elevation, we meet the trail junction where we started the hike from. After this point, it’s only about another mile until we complete the entirety of the Cluster Lakes Loop Trail here in Lassen National Park.
While hiking on trails, please abide by the “Leave No Trace” principles.
Read More: Leave No Trace: The 7 Rules of the Backcountry
Learn more about Leave No Trace on their website here.
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