Cinder Cone trailhead — Attraction in Chester

I was told hiking the cinder cone was like taking 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. I didn't want to believe at first, it just seems preposterous...I should've listened back then. The start of the hike up until the cinder cone traverses through a beautiful forest while hiking on ash (I think, I could be wrong). You can see the lava flow on the left side throughout the hike. After some distance, you are then met with the fierce cinder cone and the trail running up the side. My first impression was "I'm hiking up that?! I'm going to die." And while I didn't die, it sure felt pretty close to it. I had to pause multiple times, and remembering not to look up at the top as that only makes me realize how little progress that I've actually made in the 10 mins I've struggled to walk 5 ft. It's taxing on the psyche and the body and the cinder cone doesn't care. It laughed in my face as it sees me struggle to make the climb. But I didn't dare let that stop me. I'm not taking sass from no cone. I eat that for dessert. So I persevere. I push on. And after 30 pain grueling mins, I conquered. And it was amazing. The top of the cinder cone promises views of Lassen, the lake, and the many lava flows surrounding it. It truly was a sight. If you're masochistic enough, you can hike down to the middle of the cinder cone (I knew my limit. I wasn't going back up. The cinder cone would've had a new resident). I didn't see any bears either when I went but several people had video evidence. Guess my sweaty cinder musk came with bear repellent. 5/5, would...

Camped out at Butte Lake Friday night, then did the Cinder Cone hike the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. Total hike came to around 5 miles with 1300 feet elevation gain and took us around 2.5 hours. We got to the trailhead at around 9am and it was easy to find parking right there. At around a mile in, you'll start having great views of the dormant volcano, and then you climb a very steep scree field, so you always have to keep pushing up else you start slipping down. Those 400-500 feet of gain are tough, but otherwise this is a good hike. Once you're done with that climb, you start getting nice views of Lassen Peak as well. There's a good trail to get down into the crater atop the volcano. You can come back a different way from the other side and get great views of the Painted Dunes. Saw some horses...

This was Great, I loved the Beauty and views. Especially with the partial cloud cover casting dark and light contrasting color everywhere.

If you plan to climb the Cone, take hiking poles. The 907 foot climb is on a 5 foot wide 2' to 1' grade on loose volcanic gravel. It is a workout for sure because without the poles, you are going to slide two to four inches down with each step. BUT, the view at the top is worth the hike. Do walk the entire ridge for more fantastic views. I did go to the bottom of the cone but this too is very steep an loose. It was slightly warmer ground in the Cone but I believe this is due to the sun and Radiant heat from the walls. I also recommend starting early and hike some of the other...