Starting Point: Bumpass Hell parking area
Distances: 4 miles one way
Topography: A rise of 500 feet in the first mile followed by a
descent of 1,000 feet
Time: 5 hours, round trip
Features: Flowers, forest, scenic views, hydrothermal activity
[Illustration: Trail map]
Following the trail from Bumpass Hell to the Kings Creek campground
furnishes an interesting variation from the usual round trip. Starting
at stake 23 on the Bumpass Hell self-guiding trail, it crosses the creek
and leaves the basin on the east side. It then goes downgrade for 1½
miles to Cold Boiling Lake. Along this section of the trail are good
views of Mount Conard and Crumbaugh Lake, and the wildflower display,
especially lupine, is exceptionally good in the open places where seeps
provide moisture.
Cold gas bubbles are continuously coming from Cold Boiling Lake, hence
its name. From Cold Boiling Lake the trail is in the open, passing by
clumps of mountain hemlock and other trees.
By arranging for pick up at Kings Creek, this trail makes an ideal
downhill hike, and cuts the time in half.
[Illustration: White-bark Pine]