Hat Lake to Paradise Meadow is an unassuming, lesser-known trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Unlike Kings Creek Falls, where you’ll run into many hikers, at Paradise Meadow, you’ll be more likely to have the whole trail yourself. Even though it is not as popular, the Hat Lake to Paradise Meadow trail is beautiful, especially during the summer. You’ll get tons of wildflowers, cascading waterfalls, and, of course, a luxuriant meadow brimming with wildflowers sitting at the base of a rocky amphitheater between Lassen Peak and Reading Peak.
Paradise Meadow Trailhead
40.509465, -121.465017
There is a small parking area available across the street from the trailhead.
Lassen Volcanic National Park charges an entrance fee. The fee varies depending on the vehicle used to enter the park (car, motorcycle, bike, on foot, or on horseback). For more information, click here. If you have an America the Beautiful Pass or an annual pass, you can use either of those instead.
2.8 miles R.T.
700 ft
Moderate
2 – 3 hours
May to October. This trail is especially beautiful when the wildflowers are blooming, usually around the end of May through June.
There is NO restrooms here
Pets are not allowed on the trail!
Lassen Peak Highway through the park closes to vehicular traffic in the winter (around November – April or May). Please make sure to check the road conditions before going.
The trailhead for the Hat Lake to Paradise Meadow trail is located on the northwest side of Lassen Volcanic National Park, next to Hat Lake. It is about 9 miles from the northwest entrance and 19 miles from the southwest entrance on the park road. There isn’t any signage except for a sign for “Hat Lake.” If you’re coming from the northwest entrance, you’ll pass Hat Lake first before reaching a small parking lot on the left-hand side. The parking lot is quite small, fitting about 10-12 cars. However, since the trail isn’t busy, we haven’t had any issue with finding parking. The trailhead for Paradise Meadow is across the street from the parking lot, tucked between the trees.
After spending a lot of time at Kings Creek Falls, we realized we didn’t have much daylight left. However, we still wanted to do another hike. With the timing, the Hat Lake to Paradise Meadow trail was a perfect choice for us.
Hat Lake to Paradise Meadow Trail starts flat before climbing ever so slightly through a lush forest. Even though the hike calls Hat Lake to Paradise Meadow, Hat Lake isn’t visible from the trail. The view of the lake is covered by tons of trees. There are some small side trails that lead to the lake edge if you want to explore. However, we didn’t go this time.
After about 0.5 miles, Paradise Meadow Trail starts climbing as it enters a narrow ravine. Once the trail starts its ascent, it continues quite consistently until we reach the meadow. Along the way, we got occasional views of Lassen Peak. There were also a few wooden footbridges crossing over small streams.
Hat Lake to Paradise Meadow trail got quite steep in some sections. As it steepened, we could hear the sound of rushing water grow louder. Soon, we saw our first waterfall, tumbling down the creek. Of course, we had to take a quick detour for some photos.
After the waterfalls, we followed the trail to continue climbing. As we climbed higher, we came across a few rocky staircases as well as fallen trees. There were many fallen trees along the Hat Lake to Paradise Meadow trail. Some were easier to climb over than others. Soon, we came to our second waterfall. Both waterfalls were beautiful, but I like the second one a bit better. They are nowhere as impressive as Kings Creek Falls or Mill Creek Falls, but they are still spectacular.
Soon after the second waterfall, we came to a junction. If you go right, the trail continues for 1.7 miles to Terrace Lake. If you want to get to Paradise Meadow, continue straight for 0.1 mile. Since we were running out of sunlight, we stopped at Paradise Meadow.
Paradise Meadow sits at the base of a rocky amphitheater between Lassen Peak and Reading Peak. If you come here at the right time, you can see many colorful wildflowers, from paintbrush, clover, and lupin to gentian and more. A small stream runs through the meadow, all the way to the talus fields that line the cliffs. This place reminds us of Sky Meadow in Mammoth Lakes. It was beautiful and very peaceful. We wished we could have stayed here longer.
However, all good things come to an end. We returned the same way we came. If you’re looking for a short yet beautiful hike in Lassen Volcanic National Forest, definitely give this one a try. If you like meadows, check out Zumwalt Meadows in Kings Canyon National Park. For other things to do in Lassen Volcanic National Park, check out Mill Creek Falls and Kings Creek Falls.
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
Nice to meet you!
Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
Subscribe
Get our best adventure tips, guides and more send to you!
Recent Post
