12 Rugged DIAMOND PEAK below, nearly encircled by Lassen Park Road, was named for the occurrence of occasional small, double-ended quartz crystals and diamond-shaped calcite crystals. These were deposited by hot volcanic waters that seeped through its already hardened lavas after volcanic eruptions had ceased. The mountain is the tough lava feeder, or core, of prehistoric Mount Tehama. Diamond Peak has resisted the sinking and weathering which reduced its surroundings. (0.7 mile) 13 HEAD OF LITTLE HOT SPRINGS VALLEY. The “U”-shape cross section of the canyon indicates glacial widening in contrast to the “V”-shape found in non-glaciated stream cut canyons. There is another hot spring area above, near the base of Pilot Pinnacle. [Illustration: Landscape] THE SIERRA NEVADA BUMPASS MT. MT. CONARD DIAMOND PEAK LITTLE HOT SPRING VALLEY (0.3 mile) 14 EMERALD POINT: A few yards away is the best view of the southwestern portion of the park. Left to right is Mt. Conard, Little Hot Springs Valley, Diamond Peak, Brokeoff Mtn., Mt. Diller, Pilot Pinnacle, Ski Heil, Eagle Peak, and Lassen Peak. In his book “The Mountains of California”, John Muir wrote of the lovely mountain hemlocks. “Some of the finest groves I have yet found are on the south slopes of Lassen’s Butte.” (0.2 mile) 15 EMERALD LAKE, of glacial origin, was named for its beautiful green color. Fishing is not allowed in this lake, and since it is planted with fish, large Rainbow Trout can be seen close to shore. Please do not spoil the beauty of this spot by littering the lake or the shore with tin cans and other refuse. This point is just over 8,000 feet elevation, in the Hudsonian Life Zone. Here the mountain hemlock trees, with their graceful nodding tops, and the noisy grey, black, and white jay known as the Clark’s nutcracker, are most conspicuous and typical forms of life. The smooth slopes on Ski Heil Peak behind Emerald Lake are unexcelled for skiing. (0.3 mile) [Illustration: CLARKS NUTCRACKER (grey with black and white)] [Illustration: MT. HEMLOCK (immature purple cones)] 16 GLACIAL ERRATIC. This great isolated lava boulder, perched on the outside edge of the road just south of the Bumpass Hell parking area, was carried by a glacier from the southeast base of Lassen Peak and deposited here when the ice river melted. The rock on which it lies has a scratched, grooved, and highly polished surface. This is the work of rocks frozen into the base of the thick glacier, which moved over this area and into the valley below during the Ice Age. There are few places where such evidence of volcanic heat and glacial ice is found. Please park at No. 17 if you wish to walk to the Glacial Erratic. (0.1 mile) [Illustration: Landscape]