But visitors still enjoy snowshoe hikes and cross-country skiing ... and plug dome—can be found in Lassen Volcanic National Park, where they literally bubble and steam.

Lassen was designated a national park in 1916 ... as if someone was about to make a dramatic entrance. Farther into the park, the Bumpass Hell Trail boardwalk snakes over a curiously colored landscape ...

Tucked away in far northeastern California, Lassen ... National Parks. The land is maintained and the staff must love what they do, which I appreciate. I like being able to go to obscure places too!

Skip Yosemite’s crowds and explore otherworldly landscapes with lava fields and steaming fumaroles along epic hikes in this California hidden gem.