A 45 minute drive to the north followed by a 2 mile hike to the top of a volcanic cinder cone yielded a spectacular view of the Painted Dunes. The dunes were created when the hot cinders from the cone eruption fell onto an existing lava bed that was perhaps only days old. The heat from the lava bed combined with the super heated cinders caused immediate oxidation of the cinders. The resulting colors that remain today are left overs from the oxidation process. These dunes surround the cinder cone and border the portion of the Pacific Crest Trail that passes through Lassen National Park.
