Hey friends, welcome back to Grand Adventure!
I'm your host Marc Guido, and during this heat wave in northern California
we're staying cool at an elevation of 6,700 feet, high on a shoulder of Mount Shasta.
But seriously, would you take a look at this view!?
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We're in an extremely popular boondocking area called Sand Flat,
located at over 6,700 feet of elevation
just 7/10 of a mile off the paved Everitt Memorial Highway
that ascends the southwestern flank of the Mount Shasta volcano, elevation 14,180 feet.
It's one of the few relatively level areas off the Everitt Memorial Highway,
which climbs over 4,000 feet of elevation in just 15 miles from Mt. Shasta City.
I mentioned that Sand Flat was extremely popular,
but probably never more so than during the summer solstice which coincides with our visit,
when many counter-culture types gather to celebrate the event
at a location that many believe to be mystical and spiritual.
Mount Shasta has been a focus of legends for the Klamath Tribes,
who hold that the mountain is inhabited by Skell, the Spirit of the Above-World,
and also for white men, centered on a hidden city
within the mountain populated by advanced beings from the lost continent of Lemuria.
Believers in the spiritual significance of the Harmonic Convergence
describe Mount Shasta as one of a small number of global "power centers" like Sedona, Arizona,
and Mount Shasta remains a focus of New Age attention.
Should you decide to camp here, realize that access from the paved road
is only one lane wide and as rough as I'd like to tow our fifth wheel on,
thanks to many embedded rocks.
Sand Flat Road loops back to the Everitt Memorial Highway,
but make sure to take this lower entrance,
which is much less rutted than the upper entrance.
You'll find lots of other places to camp around Mt. Shasta,
along with around 45,000 other campgrounds and boondocking sites all over the U.S.
at our video sponsor The Dyrt PRO!
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Towering Mt. Shasta, a potentially active volcano, dominates the landscape from virtually
any location for many miles around as it towers nearly 10,000 feet above the surrounding land.
There are fumaroles on the mountain, which show Mount Shasta is still alive.
It's the second highest peak in the Cascade Mountains
that run from northern California into British Columbia.
There are seven named glaciers on Mount Shasta,
and the mountain and surrounding area are part of the Shasta–Trinity National Forest.
Our campsite is only an eight-mile drive from the shops and services
in the attractive city of Mt. Shasta,
where 3,200 people reside at the base of the Everitt Memorial Highway.
Visitors use the city as a base for trout fishing in the nearby rivers,
and for climbing Mount Shasta.
The town site was first known as Strawberry Valley,
and then as Berryvale, its name when the post office opened in 1870.
By 1886 it was known as Sisson, after a local businessman who ran a stagecoach inn and tavern,
as well as donated the land for the town site.
The 1887 completion of the Central Pacific Railroad through town
brought a dramatic increase in tourism, lumbering, and population into Mount Shasta.
The name was finalized as "City of Mount Shasta" in 1925 following a popular vote.
Mt. Shasta is far more properous than the town of Weed,
just a few miles to the north along Interstate 5 and on the northwest side of the mountain.
However, a California city with a name like Weed
gives rise to an opportunity to score some very unique souvenirs.
Traveling south along I-5 from Mt. Shasta for a few miles leads to the town of Dunsmuir.
Currently a hub for tourism, it was formerly notable as a site of an important Central Pacific
railroad yard, where extra steam locomotives were added to assist trains on the grade to the north.
This downtown area is now a designated historic district
on the National Register of Historic Places.
Finally, on US-97 along the southern flank of Mt. Shasta sits the town of McCloud.
With a population of less than 1,000, McCloud nevertheless sees many visitors who come here
for famed trout fishing, climbing Mt. Shasta, or Alpine and Nordic skiing in the winter.
So there are a lot of natural things to see and do, not just on Mount Shasta
but also surrounding Mount Shasta. We're here at McCloud Falls.
If you're just passing through the area along I-5,
Hedge Creek Falls is a small cascade located right off the freeway on the northern edge of Dunsmuir.
There is a small cave located behind the waterfall,
allowing visitors to walk behind the cascading water.
Its close proximity to Interstate 5 makes the waterfall a
very popular stopping point for passing motorists.
Castle Lake is a glacial lake, or tarn,
located in the Trinity Mountains just southwest of the City of Mt. Shasta.
There's a thunderstorm passing overhead,
but I may just need to return here this weekend for a pleasant paddle.
It's a beautiful Saturday morning, perfect for returning to Castle Lake
to kayak as Homie and Ann take our dogs for a hike.
So we truly hope that you've enjoyed visiting the Mount Shasta area with us!
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