
This picturesque meadow is one of the most colorful spots in the park for autumn foliage. In the heat of summer, water from a year-round spring keeps the area a lush green.
This tranquil spot was shaped by Lassen Peak eruptions that dammed Hat Creek creating Hat Lake. Following its formation, American beavers maintained the lake for decades When the beavers departed for an unknown reason, the spring water flows through the meadow.
As previously flooded land slowly dries, plant succession takes place. Quaking aspen and willow are prolific in the wet soil surrounding the lake. Multiple flower species and meadow grasses now grow in the nutrient-rich soil of the former lake bed.
There is no trail through the meadow. Please enjoy it from its edges. Walking on the meadow compacts soil, which can kill roots or preventing new plants from growing.
This tranquil spot was shaped by Lassen Peak eruptions that dammed Hat Creek creating Hat Lake. Following its formation, American beavers maintained the lake for decades When the beavers departed for an unknown reason, the spring water flows through the meadow.
As previously flooded land slowly dries, plant succession takes place. Quaking aspen and willow are prolific in the wet soil surrounding the lake. Multiple flower species and meadow grasses now grow in the nutrient-rich soil of the former lake bed.
There is no trail through the meadow. Please enjoy it from its edges. Walking on the meadow compacts soil, which can kill roots or preventing new plants from growing.
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Itineraries across USA

Acadia

Arches National Park

Badlands

Big Bend

Biscayne

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison

Bryce Canyon

Canyonlands

Capitol Reef

Carlsbad Caverns

Channel Islands

Congaree

Crater Lake

Cuyahoga Valley

Death Valley

Dry Tortugas

Everglades

Gateway Arch

Glacier

Grand Canyon

Grand Teton

Great Basin

Great Smoky Mountains

Guadalupe Mountains

Haleakalā

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes

Hot Springs

Indiana Dunes

Isle Royale

Joshua Tree

Kenai Fjords

Kobuk Valley

Lassen Volcanic

Mammoth Cave

Mesa Verde

Mount Rainier

North Cascades

Olympic

Petrified Forest

Pinnacles

Rocky Mountain

Saguaro

Shenandoah

Theodore Roosevelt

Virgin Islands

Voyageurs

White Sands

Wind Cave

Yellowstone

Yosemite

Zion