Lassen Volcanic National Park isn't as well-known as some of the other parks, but it has some hidden jewels to enjoy. Lassen was the northernmost and coldest part of our journey.

As soon as we got there, a minor snowball fight broke out.

The volcanic part is pretty unusual, where you can see snow, water, and steam all right next to each other. Some hills are frozen, others are lush, while still others are scorched by the volcanic heat.

We found a bubbling cauldron of steaming mud that mysteriously never fills up, even though it appears to have mud gushing into it. Lassen has amazing sights, almost no sound, the feel of snow, and it also has many rather strong smells. We visited a delightful place called Fart Gulch, where it perpetually smells like a giant flatulation.

The lakes at Lassen were an amazing sky blue. This scene is created by the lakes still being frozen over, but having a layer of recently melted very clear water on top of the ice.

Some of the lakes are almost completely hidden by snow, but as the surface starts to melt, it reveals either a sky blue reflection or a navy blue hole into the deep water.

The drive through Lassen is delightful with views all around. We only drove through a tiny portion of the park, but still got to see diverse scenery.

We continued to the highest point on the road to get a good view of Lassen Peak. Even though it was July, there was still snow piled higher than our heads.

We left Lassen and made our way over to Nevada, where we spent the night in the Biggest Little City, Reno.