A century ago, Lassen Peak blew its top. The 1915 eruption coated northern California in ash, sent lava colliding into snowfields, and set off mudslides that reshaped everything in reach. Today that same violence is the park's main draw — and its strangest sight, the Painted Dunes, sits in the remote northeast corner of Lassen Volcanic National Park.

The Painted Dunes are a field of oxidised pumice streaked with orange and red, coloured where superheated ash met molten lava. They're fragile, so you view them from a distance rather than walking across them. The classic way in is the Cinder Cone Trail: a steep, ash-and-pine-needle climb through black volcanic terrain that feels more lunar than Californian. It's a hike for reasonably fit walkers rather than beginners, but even partial climbs deliver wide views of Lassen Peak and the dunes below.

One odd bonus: NASA researchers occasionally work in the park, sampling volcanic rock to study whether life could survive on similarly hostile planets. If you see someone in an orange coat chipping at the cinder, that's probably them.

Timing can add another layer. Every July, migrating California Tortoiseshell butterflies pass through Lassen heading for the Sierra Nevada, sometimes in numbers large enough to make the tangerine dunes look like they're moving.

The bigger reason to come, though, is what Lassen isn't. Unlike Yellowstone or Zion, there are no tour-bus queues here. Outside two visitor centres and a handful of campgrounds, amenities are scarce, and on the park's outer edges you're more likely to cross paths with deer, black bears or the occasional mountain lion than another hiker. Between the bubbling mud pots, alpine lakes and year-round snow patches, it's a solid pick for anyone who wants dramatic volcanic scenery without the crowds.

Come prepared, though — this is genuinely remote country. Pack more food and water than you think you need, wear proper hiking shoes for the loose cinder, and check road and trail conditions before you set out, since snow can linger well into summer at elevation.