Hiking to Terrace and Shadow Lakes in Lassen Volcanic National Park
When people think of hiking in Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lassen Peak and Bumpass Hell are usually the first trails that come to mind. The park has plenty of quieter trails leading to waterfalls, mountain lakes, and volcanic landscapes, including this hike to Terrace, Shadow, and Cliff Lakes.
The trailhead is nine miles from the park’s southwest entrance and 21 miles from the northwest entrance. There is no parking lot, only a wide shoulder beside the park road and a small trail sign that is easy to miss. This is probably not a trail we would have discovered if we had not been looking for it.
Only two other cars were parked there when we arrived, and we did not see anyone else on the trail. Several routes begin from this trailhead, but the path toward Terrace, Shadow, and Cliff Lakes quickly carried us away from the road and into the forest.
The complete hike to all three lakes is approximately four miles round trip. Terrace Lake is about half a mile from the trailhead, with Shadow Lake roughly three-tenths of a mile farther. Cliff Lake requires a longer continuation beyond Shadow Lake.
We reached Terrace and Shadow Lakes but turned around before Cliff Lake when a thunderstorm began moving over the mountains. We were disappointed not to complete the trail, but rolling thunder felt like a good reason to leave the exposed slopes and begin climbing back toward the car.
The trail began with a surprisingly steep descent from the road. It was easy enough to follow, although it felt rougher and less maintained than the park’s more popular trails. After approximately 0.2 miles, the path divided. The left fork continued toward Hat Lake, while the right led down toward Terrace Lake.
Loose rocks and a few switchbacks carried us into a meadow at the edge of the lake. Terrace Lake was beautiful, with green grass lining one side and a steep, rocky slope rising from the other. There was no sandy shoreline, but the meadow gave us an inviting place to approach the water.
The trail continued around the edge of Terrace Lake, passing snowbanks that were still lingering in August. After leaving the shoreline, we climbed high enough to catch a partial view of Shadow Lake through the trees.
We continued toward Shadow Lake as large gray clouds gathered over the mountains. By the time we reached the lake, thunder was rumbling loudly enough that we decided not to continue to Cliff Lake.
The rain never caught us, but thunder rolled behind us throughout the return hike. We climbed quickly through the forest, listening to the low rumbles move across the mountains while we retraced the steep trail toward the road.
Before continuing, we stopped beside Terrace Lake and took off our boots. The water was cold enough to make us hesitate, but it felt wonderfully refreshing once we lowered our tired feet into it.
We expected to see more wildlife around the meadow and lake, especially with no other hikers nearby. The only animals we noticed were tiny fish moving through the clear water. Otherwise, the lake remained quiet.
The quiet was what I remembered most about this hike. We had two clear mountain lakes almost entirely to ourselves, with snow still resting along the shoreline and cold water waiting at the edge of the meadow.
The route was not especially long, but the steep descent meant that nearly all of the climbing came at the end. Even without reaching Cliff Lake, Terrace and Shadow Lakes gave us beautiful scenery and a welcome break from the busier parts of Lassen.
