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.
Is there something we missed for this itinerary?
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