The 11 Most Amazing Peaks in Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Climbing towards Mount Shasta via the Everett Memorial Highway is a long, steady ascent offering increasingly dramatic, close-up views of this iconic volcano. Prepare for a sustained climb averaging a consistent 5.6-5.8% over approximately 11.5 miles to reach the Bunny Flat Trailhead area near 7,900ft which will see you gaining nearly 4,000ft from near town. The journey to the top of this Fourteener sees you climb through forests opening up to spectacular mountain vistas on generally good surfaces with light traffic.

Though it might pale in comparison to Mount Shasta's grandeur, Black Butte is still a prominent landmark in southern Siskiyou County and it definitely captivates drivers with its conical shape as they approach it on Interstate 5. Hiking it to the top will allow you to get acquainted with its particular surface formed from viscous lava and it will also unveil the well-kept secret of its lush northern valley.

This is the complete trail from the Trailhead to the Clear Creek springs. After registering at the trailhead and paying the fee for climbing over 10'000 feet elevation the trail climbs gradually through pine forest along the canyon rim to the source of the creek. The best, and only, source of water along the entire trail. From there several more faint tracks climb steeply to the summit.

In the fall you can literally hike up to the summit of this tallest free-standing mountain in the lower US via the eastern route without climbing or any snow. The standard Avalanche Gulch route would be too dangerous without snow due to frequent life-threatening rockfall.

Avalanche Gulch is the standard route to climb Mt Shasta, typically done in spring/early summer as long as snow holds the loose rocks in place that pose a severe rock fall danger (helmets are essential here). Most people camp around 10000 feet at Lake Helen on Day 1 and summit the next morning. For a winter route climbing from Horse Camp via Casaval Ridge and descending via Avalanche Gulch see: https://www.komoot.com/tour/9090975

Tallest free standing Cascade volcano in California. For a winter snowshoe/crampon ascent route via Casaval Ridge and descent via standard Avalanche Gulch route see: https://www.komoot.com/tour/9090975 For an AT ski ascent and descent via West Face see: https://www.komoot.com/tour/9089213 For the least technical snow-free route via Clear Creek Trail see https://www.komoot.com/tour/277653983

Mount Shasta (Karuk: Úytaahkoo or "White Mountain") is a potentially active volcano located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of 14,179 feet (4321.8 m), it is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California. Mount Shasta has an estimated volume of 85 cubic miles (350 km3), which makes it the most voluminous stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. Shasta dominates the northern California landscape. It rises abruptly and stands nearly 10,000 ft (3,000 m) above the surrounding terrain. On a clear winter day, snowy Mount Shasta can be seen from the floor of the Central Valley 140 miles (230 km) to the south. The mountain consists of four overlapping volcanic cones that have built a complex shape, including the main summit and the prominent satellite cone of 12,330 ft (3,760 m) Shastina, which has a visibly conical form. If Shastina were a separate mountain, it would rank as the fourth-highest peak of the Cascade Range (after Mount Rainier, Rainier's Liberty Cap, and Mount Shasta itself). Mount Shasta's surface is relatively free of deep glacial erosion except, paradoxically, for its south side where Sargents Ridge runs parallel to the U-shaped Avalanche Gulch. This is the largest glacial valley on the volcano, although it does not presently have a glacier in it. There are seven named 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 ft (3,000 m) primarily 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. Three of the smaller named glaciers occupy cirques near and above 11,000 ft (3,400 m) on the south and southeast sides, including the Watkins, Konwakiton, and Mud Creek glaciers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Shasta