|
What are the Best Places to Visit in Mt. Shasta?Welcome Visitors and Friends of Mt. Shasta Best Places in Mount Shasta is listed below....
Did you know that Mt.Shasta is a vortex area of the planet? It is said that our Earth has meridians or energy lines similar to what the human body has, and it has chakras too. Mt.Shasta has been described as a chakra of the planet, some say the Root Chakra. People feel like the energy is different here and travel from all over the world to experience it. |
10 Best Places to Visit in Mt.Shasta |
These are some places in and around Mt.Shasta that I love. I made a card that lists them that is available around Mt.Shasta at some businesses and the Vistor's Center on Pine and Lake Street. I love these places, and I love that Mt.Shasta has so much beauty and many places to hike, and that feel really wonderful energetically.
1. Mt. Shasta, the mountain. Go to where you are called to stop and explore! 2. Headwaters at City Park. Off of North Mt. Shasta Blvd, across from the Human Society that is being rebuilt. This place has a playground, picnic tables, a field and a gazebo. It is where people bring their water containers to get the spring water at the headwaters. The river has beautiful green plants next to it along with trails to explore. It is a place where people hang out and enjoy especially in nice weather. 3. Mt. Shasta Gateway Peace Garden: has a lavender labyrinth, statues of the spiritual beings, flowers, a peace pole. You can tie a peace prayer flag (strip of cloth) that you write or draw on with your message. 4. Spring Hill (easy hike to top, great views of the mountain) is near City Park and the Peace Garden 5. Lake Siskiyou (trails around perimeter)- large lake 6. Castle Lake (said to be a dimensional portal in the back where the cliffs are) – smaller lake, higher elevation, colder and more pristine 7. Heart Lake ( a harder upward hike from Castle Lake, with superb vistas)- small and beautiful lake 8. Sisson Meadow ( behind library)- flowers in springtime, birds, views of the mountain and Black Butte. Right in town. 9. Castle Crags in Dunsmuir (huge rock formations, hiking trails)- south of town, a park with lots of amenities such as trails and campling, and view of a monolithic rock formation. 10. McCloud Falls- north of Mt.Shasta City, with camping. Great place to cool off in the water! There are other waterfalls in the area such as Hedge Creek in Dunsmuir. |
The Mountain |
The mountain is considered a sacred site by many peoples. In the fall and winter, it usually gets lots of snow. We are so lucky that this year it received something like 69 inches of snow up in the higher elevations. We want snowpack as it means that we get through the dry months with enough water. Recent years have been drought years with wildfires and water shortages. I love that creeks and waterfalls are running, that lakes are filling, and that life is coming back to the lakes and creeks that dried up. This spring is so green and with so many flowers blooming! It is really quite beautiful and astonishing! Mt.Shasta City, about 3500 feet elevation got some snow and lots of rain. Every time it rained, Mt.Shasta would get snow as it was colder up higher on the mountain. What is there to see in Mt.Shasta? The first thing you want to see is the mountain. From Lake St, Go up the Everett Memorial Highway which takes you past homes, and the road gets higher and with fewer houses. You pass a wonderful forest trail head, The Gateway Trail, which has a views of the mountain that are spectacular. You can drive up the mountain and there are wilderness campgrounds starting at a pretty low elevation. Summer means lots of campers on the mountain. Stopping by the Ranger Station to get a permit for making fires is a good idea. Be careful with fire building as it is a dry area prone to wildfires. You are prohibited from building campfires much of the time. You get a permit for camping once per season and it is easy to do. The Ranger Station is on Alma Street in Mt.Shasta City. As you drive up the mountain, feel where you are called to stop. There are pull-offs with great views and picture taking opportunities. Some places are available for car camping, on roads off the main road. Others are best for backpacking such as Panther Meadow. Panther Meadow becomes popular in the summer. It is controversial as a place to camp and gather as the Wintu tribe considers it sacred. Keep this in mind and be careful to stay on the trail and to avoid stepping on the plants that are delicate so this place can be kept pristine. It is good to not leave anything there or anywhere else with zero impact and leave no trace. Of course, this is a good idea in this sacred place and everywhere. Squaw Meadows is accessible with a hike from almost at the top parking lot, called the Squaw Valley Trail. Bring your backpack to camp and find this beautiful place that has fewer visitors than Panther Meadow. A starry sky is visible from here. You might want to go to the top parking lot and see the view and also go on a hike. On the full moons in the summer, you will find drum circles to celebrate. There are stone spirals that people have created out to walk in. A gate keeps the upper part of the mountain unaccessible much of the year, but it opens July 1 to October 31. It is worth going there at night on a clear evening so you can see the stars. Cloudships are lenticular clouds and rare in the world but not in Mt.Shasta. We see them all the time, like at the top or around the top of the mountain. They look a bit like spaceships and the shape is like mushroom tops nested in each other to form a cloudship. Is it a natural creation from a mountaintop or is it hiding a spaceship? The upper gate is at Bunny Flat at the elevation of 6900. This is where mountain climbers park and then climb the peak. It is also where snowboarders and day hikers park. With lots of snow in the winter, the upper gate being closed, the upper part of the mountain is accessible by car much of the year. Hikers to the top are cautioned to bring proper equipment and get guidance. Some parts of the mountain require an ice axe and crampons and other parts you don't need those things. The time of the year is critical as the snow melts, and it may become soft underneath which can lead to slippage. Some hike in hours of darkness to avoid this, and also during certain dates. Educate yourself and find a guide who has done it before. Panther Meadow is up the highway beyond Bunny Flat, so you could park there and hike there if the upper gate were closed. Sand Flat is another place to check out, and there is a road off to the left to Lower Sand Flat and Upper Sand Flat. Lower Sand Flat has a medicine wheel that is a sacred cleared area made by stones. Camping is available. A campground exists at McBride Springs with latrines, and spots for your car or trailer. A fee exists for these campsites. This may be louder than other places to camp. Red Fir Flat is just below Sand Flat turn-offs. This area is for groups who reserve it ahead of time. It does not have latrines and is wilderness forested camping. What is worth experiencing here is a giant rock, like a cliff but not quite, called Ascension Rock. You can climb up Ascension Rock. It is a great place to do your own ceremony or meditation. The Quiet Side of the Mountain The back side of the mountain is less accessible. You have to be good at driving bad, pitted pothole roads that are windy. A Buddhist Stupa (Shrine) is on the back side of the mountain. Not many people are there so it is great for a personal retreat, especially if you are able to backpack to a camping spot. Tall trees and streams exist along with meadows and stones. There are fewer people and it is beautiful. If you are looking for a guide, I suggest Andrew Oser of Mount Shasta Retreat who offers guided spiritual retreats and sacred site journeys on Mount Shasta. Andrew has been hiking and camping on Mount Shasta since 1978 and has a great love for her. As a life coach, as well as spiritual guide, he can help you to receive the gifts the mountain has for you and to build a bridge from your magical journey to your life back home. For more info, see www.mountshastaretreat.net There are many places that are fabulous in nature and a some great businesses too, such as the Silk Road Chai Shop where you will find a meeting place, sacred space, and events. I have facilitated a group sharing of mystical experiences of Mt.Shasta at the Chai Shop, and hope to again in the future. It is really interesting to hear people share together from the heart as to what they have experienced. The Shasta Yoga Institute has yoga classes. Berryvale Grocery has natural food and is a place to run into people you are supposed to run into, with a small park behind it. Enjoy tapping into the vibe of our little town at the base of the mountain. I hope you love it here as much as I do. If you are interested in learning more, receiving a thai bodywork session, or an akashic intuitive reading, be in touch with me. I am a speaker, teacher, healer, and writer, who does readings. My office is now located at 105 E. Ivy Street near Mt.Shasta BLVD (cross street). Thanks for reading and have a wonderful time in Mount Shasta! Shivrael 530-918-8922 www.ThaiBodyworker.com www.AkashicIntuitive.com Mount Shasta Retreat: |