Mt. Shasta and Shasta Lake California

From Sonoma we headed north so explore Mt.Shasta and Shasta Lake California. Along our route we couldn’t help but notice all of the burnt out forest sections. It saddened us to see the devastation from the fires that continue to plague the west coast each summer!

When we booked our RV park in Redding CA we did so in order to be able to visit Mt. Shasta-Trinity National Forest. It wasn’t until we were driving to Shasta that we even noticed Shasta Lake. It was exiting to drive by this vast expanse of clear blue water surrounded by snow capped mountains. But since we were starving we continued to the town of Shasta for some lunch.

Big Bear Diner

Not knowing anything about the area we randomly selected a place to pick up lunch. Big Bear Diner seemed to fit the bill. It was a very cool, rustic, retro diner with bears everywhere. The take out only restriction was still in place, so we did just that. We picked up a couple of juicy Cheeseburger with pickles and special sauce and crispy Fries and found a parking spot with a great view to eat our yummy lunch. Bellies full, we headed out to explore Mt.Shasta and Shasta Lake California.

Shasta-Trinity National Forests

After polishing off our burgers we continued on our way to Mt. Shasta. The closer we got to the National Forest, the more snow we encountered. After traveling through so much of California we were finally far enough north for lots of snow. And it was gorgeous. Thankfully the roads were clear of snow and ice so it was easy to navigate. But the mountains were capped off with lots of the white stuff, as were the forest areas. The temperature was in the 50s so we were not threatened with the risk of it snowing while we were exploring.

Mt. Shasta

Right in front of us was Mt. Shasta which, at its summit is 14,179 feet above sea level. Mt. Shasta is a stratovolcano. It and other Cascade volcanoes resulted from fluids rising off oceanic crust and sediment that were thrust deep beneath the continent.

Klamath Mountains

To the west stands the Klamath Mountains. The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. Those mountains are blocks of ocean floor crust and sediment that have been folded and faulted into their present positions.

As different as Mt. Shasta and the Klamath Mountains are, they both resulted from plate tectonics, where oceanic rocks converge and subduct beneath the North American continent.

Subduction

Subduction has continued at this continental margin for more than 200 million years. But the active volcanoes only record a short space of this history. The Mt. Shasta volcanic complex, for example has been active for about 700,000 years.

The youngest confirmed eruption was 3,500 years ago on the north side of the volcano. It has been speculated that there was an eruption as recently as 1786. Mt. Shasta is relatively quiet today. However studies suggest that residents of northern California have about a one in a three or four chance of witnessing an eruption during their lifetimes.

Bunny Flat Trailhead

The views were magnificent and we enjoyed every mile that we drove. We had reached the Bunny Flat Trail and could not go any further. Snow blocked off the road that led to the summit of Mt. Shasta. So we turned around and headed back toward Shasta Lake and the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in Lakehead CA.

Lake Shasta

This gorgeous and ginormous mountain lake was home to more houseboats than I have ever seen in my life! There were also plenty of docks for speed and fishing boats. What I found fascinating was that those boats were under roof and most were on lifts that kept them hovering just above the water.

Having the vivid imagination that I do, I could picture being out on Lake Shasta in one of those boats. It would be summer, Steve would be driving the boat and I would be catching fish. Then we’d head back to Ladybug and I’d cook that fish for dinner. Yum.

One thing that Steve and I have learned on this amazing journey of ours, is that the natural beauty of America will surprise you at every turn. And that is something that neither of us will ever tire of!!!