Hiking the Lassics

Six Rivers National Forest

Daniil decided he wanted to see the Lassics, which is a rather long drive, especially with CA 36 closed due to the inherent instability of the mountain side it crosses. He bypassed that using the good county road (only half gravel) past Kneeland and filled up the car to help make it feel a little less wasteful for a single day outing. Evelina (his wife) and Carl also came along. It's a bit of a triumph to get Carl to come out and do something fun because he's usually pursuing the destruction of those invasive plants that pursue the destruction of the local environment instead. It was particularly great to get him on this one since he got to poke around some childhood memories while hiking. His family would come to this area when he was a kid and would climb some peak, which we decided was probably Black Lassic, but he hadn't been back since.

Black Lassic

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Meanwhile, I was working with just 2 year old memory when I steered everyone wrong and encouraged using the ridge line instead of the trail from the old campground. Navigating the knee high, and sometimes worse, ceanothus with thick, stabbing ends was much worse than a little extra elevation that really wasn't extra anyway.

Black Lassic as we make our way past the last of the very stabby ceanothus. It was a nice forest when Carl last saw it.

Once we got to the area the trail has formed, we had easy walking and even a few wildflowers on that dry mountain side. Admittedly, it didn't look dry. The rocks glisten so nicely in the sun that the question, "Where does all the water come from?" was heard. Many of the rocks take on such a shine at a simple break that they look like water must be flowing over them.

California fuchsia making a splash of red.

We were quickly at the top, which happens to be the area high point. Even when the trees were lush and green, this would have popped up over them. Now it pops up over the white and black trunks standing dead.

Arriving at the top. Mount Shasta should be somewhere in the clouds and Mad River Rock sits at the far right on the near ridge.

It was already nearing lunch, so snacks were had while quite a lot of viewing was also had. Being at the high point, we had to try identifying some mountains just visible. A peak picker helps.

Across the local green rock fields are the more distant golden fields we came through via the Kneeland Road. Fickle Hill rises from the fog, but its hard to see there's something worth naming there.

Yolla Bolly! The point on the horizon just right of center is South Yolla Bolly and the peak rising behind the south end of South Fork Mountain, also on the horizon center right, is North Yolla Bolly.

Of course, we had to ponder the longest ridge in North America, the 40 mile stretch of South Fork Mountain. It's the second ridge along.

The outcrop that is Mad River Rock, which seems to have more outcrop below it. It's on the first ridge and the second is South Fork Mountain.

Still to come, Mount Lassic. The bump on the right is the highest of it, called Signal Peak.

Red Lassic to the south. The left dark peak is Coffee Pot and the Mount Lassic Lookout once sat on the far edge of Goat Hill on the right.

With enough zoom and enough contrast, Mount Shasta was almost there to see. Its northern (left) slope rises up out of the darker point at center.

After enough pondering the very distant and faint bumps, we finally remembered we had other little wanderings to do and headed back down. By popular demand, and I do mean demand, it was via the trail to the old campground, then up the road.

Also a flare of red, but these are redwood Keckiella.

The spring was still running.

The road to the old camp had been cleared of logs since I was last walking it. The rest looked just the same.

The California incense cedar was settings seeds like crazy.

Mount Lassic

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We did not bother to move the car for hiking up Mount Lassic, but my 3D elevation profile based guesses for how the extra trail went did not pan out. It does not create an extra trailhead, but connects back to the other trail. We found our way quickly to the trail all the same, some of it following the faint old cut that did not get utilized for trail.

On the well built trail to Mount Lassic.

There were many interesting flowers when I walked through the bowl below, but they aren't blooming currently.

The two westerly peaks of Mount Lassic.

The south side shows a mixture of fire scar and green trees.

The old primary station still stands at the top.

We didn't spend quite so long at the top although we did fancy we could see breakers at one point, then decided it was really just mobile marine layer. On a clear day, there are a couple spots to see the flat horizon of the ocean from here.

The other two peaks and Red Lassic beyond.

Black Lassic, the tallest of the Lassics.

A lot of coast line or marine layer. King Peak on the Lost Coast is one of those bumps along the far off left.

The last flowers on a bit of canyon dodder.

When we hit the saddle, we decided to pop up to the interesting central peak which happens to have some of the best rocks around.

Rusty reds, brilliant green, and stark white rocks at the top of the center peak. The wondrous serpentine.

Red passing through yellows before turning green in the rocks.

I decided not to go up the third as Carl and Daniil did. I erroneously thought I'd gone up it last time just because the old road to the top was marked. I guess it awaits my third escapade to the Lassics. Instead, I wandered along the built trail, determined to get it marked correctly this time. I was a little disappointed that no one had corrected it in 2 years.

Plump gummy gooseberries ripened along the stretch of trail.

Red Lassic

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We did move the car before starting on Red Lassic, but not to the camp spot on the little spur road. We parked at the turnout above the lower pond. I wanted to show off the shrimp, maybe end up with a better picture. The pond, as is the way of seasonal ponds everywhere, was dry.

No water in the pond at the end of August.

By popular demand, and I do mean demand, we went down anyway. It is still a bit of a different biome and flowers were found. A small peak was bagged.

The little purple ones are scatter knotweed.

We did eventually turn our attention to Red Lassic, the most difficult of the three to climb. Which is to say, it does give some trouble. I scampered up a too steep bit in the middle, making myself uncomfortable for a few feet scrambling and came down a route that was entirely a walk.

There wasn't any water in the upper pond beside the camp site, either.

Once near the top, we had green stuff to navigate. All of it left me forgetting to get any photo until actually at the top.

Looking back through the last bit of green stuff. There's a couple rough trails established through it. Black Lassic in the background at left.

Impressive tree on a slope I definitely didn't climb up.

Growing in the dangerous position of a slide seems to have saved some trees from the fire.

Black Lassic on the right and Mount Lassic on the left. Shorter than this one, too.

It wouldn't be summer without spotting some smoke.

The look across the peak off southerly and westerly to the further coast line.

Eventually it was admitted it was getting late and there was a long drive back, so we headed down once more.

The way down.

Kneeland Road

While we were high on the road back, the sun was setting over the marine layer as it poured over the nearby hills. We had to stop for a bit to watch it.

Here the marine layer comes.

Just a faint hint of the trees show through the pouring cloud.

Some get to watch it every time.

The sun is quite gone already.

*photo album*




©2025 Valerie Norton
Written 22 Dec 2025