The staggering maw of Mount Shasta’s Mud Creek Canyon.
It is hard for me to believe that I have been writing on Hike Mt Shasta for slightly over 10 years now. I started the site as a repository for all the trail descriptions I had written were to be located. That was accomplished within the first few months the site was online. I soon learned I had more to talk about than just the trails themselves and began focusing on blog posts about subjects related to Mount Shasta. These focused on weather, watersheds, history, connections to other places geography or geology. This last subject has always been among my favorites, though I have never written them with the frequency I would like.
The other day I was sifting through old articles I have wrote years ago, looking for ones I wrote on the changing conditions at the Sacramento River when I came across a few that I thought were particularly good or interesting. Since these are buried on in the dark recesses of Hike Mt Shasta, I reckon it’s time to give them a little light once again. It’s kind of a cheap post, since most of the leg work is done, but I think these deserve to remain out there in some sort of circulation!
The Four Eruption Cones Of Mount Shasta
There is truth to the observation that Mount Shasta is a single solitary cone. The naked eye certainly observes this, though the bulk of Shastina does give some indication that the geology is more complex than one might first think. The truth of the matter is that Mount Shasta is made up of 4 separate cones, all from distinct eruptive eras. Shastina is one of these but the main bulk of the mountain is composed of three more volcanic cones. Which ones are evident depends entirely on where one stands. From the south, all four cones can be observed clearly. From the east, however, only the largest and newest, Hotlum Cone, can be seen, giving Mount Shasta a very different appearance. This article has numerous annotated illustrations identifying the four cones and discussing their geology.
The Great Canyons Of Mount Shasta
New Coquette Falls pours into remote Bolam Creek Canyon.
In many ways, Mount Shasta is a mountain range unto itself. Compared to other nearby ranges, the solitary mountain has the size and bulk to rival, or even surpass some mountain groups. This comparison certainly holds true when considering the canyons that have been carved on Mount Shasta. There are 5 primary canyons: Diller Canyon, Whitney Creek, Bolam Creek, Ash Creek and Mud Creek. All are large and all have some similarities but each has their own distinct personalities. Whitney Creek Canyon is the most accessible, being the only one with a trail to the rim. However the 2021 Lava Fire burned part of it. The other 4 canyons are remote and require some off trail navigation to reach. All are spectacular destinations, the bonus being that within them there be waterfalls!
Mount Shasta, Timberline, And The Relative Size Of Cascade Volcanos
Oregon’s Mount Hood towers above the Muddy Fork of the Sandy River.
Something that has fascinated me for a long time is how the tree line changes from place to place. In the Colorado Rockies, tree line can be between 11,000-12,000 feet. In the Sierra Nevada is is around 9,500 feet. On Mount Shasta the tree line is roughly 1,000 feet lower still. Though not the determining factor, latitude plays a significant role in creating the circumstances that dictate the tree line’s elevation. Consequently, a mountain range that runs along a north-south axis over a significant distance will see widely varying elevations for tree line. Add to this set of circumstances the periodic punctuation of major peaks that tower over all their surrounding neighbors and an interesting question arises. What is the difference between the tree line elevation, and the volume of area above the tree line, of the major Cascade volcanos. In this article I tried to make some observations that might help lead to some kind of conclusion.
Conclusion
These are by no means the only articles I am pleased with, but they tend to hit sweet spots for me in my area of interest. At least in terms of geology. Perhaps I will next collect some articles on watersheds…
Hike Mt. Shasta 
A decade is a long time. Congrats on continuing. I think I’ve been following you for at least seven years. There’s so much to learn and pass on to others. I know if I ever take a trip up to Mt. Shasta, I’ll start here first for information.
It has been a long time. Sometimes I consider hanging it up but there are some subjects I have wanted to write about for YEARS and haven’t gotten to yet. That has kept me at it. One of these days (possibly soon!) I will force myself to sit and tackle some of these. I do hope you are able to make it up here at some point. It’s not Yosemite but it is pretty cool in its own way!