Bunchgrass Trail Start, Tulelake, CA
in California
Start across from Site B-7 in the campground. Follow along the northeast side of Crescent Butte to the park road. Approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) long. Lava Beds has twelve hiking trails. The most popular trails are short, but lead to interesting historic sites and geological features.
Due to resource concerns, pets and bicycles are not permitted on any park trails, on in non-developed area or caves. All trails cross or enter the non-developed backcountry, while the long trails are primarily in designated wilderness areas. The trails in this bulletin are arranged by their distance from the visitor center.
Carry plenty of water regardless of trail length—no surface water exists at Lava Beds. Watch for rattlesnakes and wear sunscreen and a hat in summer. Be prepared for sudden weather changes any time of year.
- States
- California
- Trail type
- National Monument trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Bend, OR · 162 mi · ~5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 41.7189°, -121.5075°
About Lava Beds National Monument
This trail is inside Lava Beds National Monument, a national monument managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $25 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/bunchgrass-trail-start-tulelake-ca.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/labe/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Bunchgrass Trail Start, Tulelake, CA and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
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Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.