Mount Shasta (Úytaahkoo in Karuk or “White Mountain”) is a mountain of history, mystery and lore located at the southern end of the cascades in Siskiyou County, California and at 14,179 feet. It is reported to have the single largest footprint of any mountain in the world.
Mt. Shasta is not connected to any nearby mountain. It rises abruptly and stands nearly 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above the surrounding terrain. The mountain has attracted the attention of poets, authors, and presidents. Mount Shasta was memorably described by the poet Joaquin Miller:
“Lonely as God, and white as a winter moon, Mount Shasta starts up sudden and solitary from the heart of the great black forests of Northern California.”
and by John Muir on viewing Mount Shasta:
“When I first caught sight of it over the braided folds of the Sacramento Valley, I was fifty miles away and afoot, alone and weary. Yet all my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since.”
Glacier Tour
Our glacier tour will provide the photo enthusiast witht he opportunity to capture the seven glaciers on Mount Shasta, with the four largest (Whitney, Bolam, Hotlum, and Wintun) radiating down from high on the main summit cone to below 10,000 feet mostly on the north and east sides. The Whitney Glacier is the longest and the Hotlum is the most voluminous glacier in the state of California.
About 600,000 years ago eruption formed what is now Mount Shasta’s western flank near McBride Spring. Over time an ancestral Mt. Shasta stratovolcano was built to large but unknown height; sometime between 300,000 to 360,000 years ago the entire north side of the volcano collapsed, creating an enormous landslide or debris avalanche, 6.5 cubic miles in volume. Over 300,000 years ago the north side of the mountain collapsed into Shasta Valley were the Shasta River now winds through 28 miles of the ancient debris.
Black Butt
About 9,500 years ago lava flows 6-7 miles north and 3 miles south at the same time the n0w 6500 f00t landmark, Black Butte volcanic vent and plug were forming. Remains of the old forest watch station may be seen when floating on the downside of the south face of the butte by Helicopoter.
The hot springs and fumeroles may be seen from your helicopter perch at the Holcum Cone which formed about 8000 years ago.
This cone last erupted about 200 years ago
Check Terrain From The Air Before Attempting The Mountain
Late April is the time for climbers to attempt the summit. Mt. Shasta is also a popular destination for backcountry skiing. Many of the climbing routes can be, mastered by experienced skiers.
There are fumaroles on the mountain, which show that Mt. Shasta is still alive. The United States Geological Survey considers Mount Shasta a dormant volcano, which will erupt again.
Humans have lived in the Mt. Shasta area about 7,000 years. The Native American tribes whocalled the White Mountain home included: included the Shasta, Okwanuchu, Modoc, Achomawi, Atsugewi, Karuk, Klamath, Wintu, and Yana tribes.
See The Sunrise On Mount Shasta, As You Hover Above The Earth
Considered by many as one of the sacred mountains of the world is common to many belief systems:
The lore of some of the Native Americans in the area held that Mount Shasta is inhabited by the spirit chief Skell who descended from heaven to the mountain’s summit.
Among the many settlers in the area, Italian settlers arrived in the early 1900s to work in the mills and as stonemasons, establishing a strong Catholic presence in the area.
Many other faiths have been attracted to Mount Shasta over the years—more than any other Cascade volcano. Mount Shasta City and Dunsmuir, California, small towns near Shasta’s western base, are focal points for many of these, which range from a Buddhist monastery (Shasta Abbey, founded by Houn Jiyu-Kennett in 1971) to modern-day Native American rituals.
A group of Native Americans from the McCloud River area practice rituals on the mountain.
Guy Ballard’s “I AM” Activity (started in the 1930s) and Elizabeth Clare Prophet’s Church Universal and Triumphant (started in the 1950s) are probably the best-known among numerous groups to participate in Mount Shasta’s spiritual umbrella that resonates with the inner spirits of so an eclectic gathering of peoples.
Some people believe that races of sentient or spiritual beings generally considered to be Lemurians, superior to humans, live in or on Mount Shasta, or visit the mountain.
The land held by the I AM group are some of the most spectacular along the fledgling Sacramento Head Waters or Prana Waters.
Free Tour For The First Photo Of A Lemurian!
In August 1987, believers in the spiritual significance of the Harmonic Convergence described Mount Shasta as one of a small number of global “power centers”.
Mount Shasta: Siskiyou County – 60 miles north of Redding. One of the world’s largest and most impressive stratovolcanoes containing five glaciers and consisting of four distinct but overlapping cones.
Discover it today with Lake Shasta Helicopter tours.