Mt. Shasta, California: Hiking & Exploring

Mt. Shasta, California is a beautiful place that offers plenty of outdoor activities all year round. I went for a four day trip in the Spring and my favorite part was discovering all the cool hiking spots in the area.

My first hike in the area was Ney Springs Canyon, which is a short and sweet 1.5 mile loop with beautiful views and some cool history! There once was a hotel deep in the canyon back in the late 1800's which served as a health retreat because of the natural mineral water in the area. Ruins of the hotel's stone foundation are still visible today with the words "Ney Springs 1898" carved into a cement slab. I was surprised to see that a spigot coming out of the foundation was still leaking water! The hike leads to the beautiful Ney Springs Falls, a raging waterfall in the middle of the forest.

My second hike was at McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park. Although it's located about an hour outside of Mt. Shasta, I still really wanted to check it out. After all, it was a photo of Burney Falls that I came across on Instagram that lead me to Mt. Shasta in the first place! Theodore Roosevelt called it "the eighth wonder of the world" and it was truly a beautiful sight to see. The falls rage all year round and you will probably find yourself just staring at it in awe for quite some time before continuing on the hike which continues on a loop up and around the falls.

My third hike was Spring Hill, a 2.7 mile loop located right in the city of Mt. Shasta. It's not a difficult hike, but there is a rapid and steep elevation gain at the beginning which will definitely kick your butt. On the way up, you will take in many amazing views of Mt. Shasta. On my second night in town, I drove south and checked out the neighboring city of Dunsmuir. The old rail station is worth checking out and I recommend stopping at the Railroad Car Resort for drinks and dinner. It was here that the bartender gave me the inside scoop about the local cults and legends of Mt. Shasta!

On my third day in town, I drove south and hiked Castle Crags. The trail is difficult and begins with a steep, rapid ascent through thick forest. As soon as I felt like my legs were going to fall off, the forest cleared and there were beautiful views of the "crags" up above me. I kept going until I reached the end of the hike; a dome that couldn't be safely climbed without climbing gear, so I sat and ate my lunch before heading back down.

On my last night in Mt. Shasta, I hiked Box Canyon trail which begins right by the Box Canyon Dam. The trail passes through a cool old car graveyard in the forest. Apparently back in the 1950's, locals used to push their junked cars down the cliff to dispose of them! On my very last day in Mt. Shasta, I got up super early before the sunrise and drove to Lake Siskiyou. As soon as the sun started poking over the horizon, I got some beautiful photos of Mt. Shasta reflecting off of the peaceful lake.

If you've never been to Mt. Shasta before, I definitely recommend checking it out. Especially if you are a hiking enthusiast!

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