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The Collapse of an Ancient Volcano!
 Shasta Valley, a 340-square-mile basin drained by Shasta River, is located in Siskiyou County. A flat, arid plain north of Mount Shasta, the valley is punctuated by hundreds of hills, ridges, and small closed depressions (not connected by surface streams). The Shasta River drains northward through the valley to join the Klamath River near the Oregon border. Geologists found that a gigantic sector of a volcano, Ancestral Mt. Shasta, collapsed catastrophically and avalanched into Shasta Valley about 300,000 years ago. This great avalanching landslide was 20 times more voluminous than that of Mount St. Helens!Attractions  Shasta Valley Balloons offers flights daily over the beautiful Shasta Valley north of Mount Shasta, one of the most magnificent volcanic peaks in the world!
Explore Pluto Caves Covering more than 50 square miles, the area contains underground tubes created by trapped air as the flowing lava cooled. Bring a flashlight and sturdy shoes. Visitor's Centers can supply map and locations. Lake Shastina located north of Weed on Hwy 97, take the Big Springs Road turnoff.
Swimming, Boating, jetskiing, windsurfing, fishing. Beautiful Views of Mt. Shasta. Golf Course nearby. The Shasta River winds across this young, basaltic formation The headwaters of the Shasta River are near Mount Eddy and the upper river above Dwinell Reservoir is swift and falls in elevation rapidly. Before the dam was built, these stretches of the river were prime spawning habitat for salmon and steelhead. The river below Dwinell Dam meanders along the Shasta Valley floor, which is 30 miles across at its widest. Springs in this reach add to flows and provide much needed cool water for juvenile salmon and steelhead throughout the summer. The Shasta River Basin embraces an 800 square mile area of Siskiyou County in the north central part of California. Black Butte Black Butte is located at the base of Mount Shasta in northern California about halfway between the towns of Weed and Mount Shasta City. This 6,325 foot plug dome is often confused for Mount Shasta by travelers along Interstate 5 when Shasta is covered in clouds. Black Butte formed at about the same time as Shastina, the "other" peak of Mount Shasta, about 9500 years ago and is a "cluster of dacite plug domes." The cooled lava rolled down the slopes forming the steep, rocky sides of Black Butte. Prior to the formation of Black Butte as we know it today, several domes of both Shastina and Black Butte exploded producing pyroclastic flows composed of ash, rocks, and gases. Weed and Mount Shasta City are built on these "block and ash" flows. Climbing Black Butte is a favorite pasttime for many local residents and visitors. The 2 1/2 mile trail climbs nearly 2,000 feet from the trailhead to the summit. The road to the trailhead begins a short ways up Everitt Memorial Hwy. in Mount Shasta City, located to the south of Shasta Valley on I-5. Climbing/Hiking on Mt. Shasta the second most southerly mountain in the Cascade Range and acts like a divide between northeastern and northwestern California. Located in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and situated within this magnificent area is a paradise of trees, streams, and high mountain lakes. Most of the mountain lakes can be reached by car or four-wheel drive and others are accessible for the hikers only. There are 17 established routes to the summit of this 14,162 foot volcano, The Hotlum/Bolam Ridge route is one of the most popularly climbed routes on the north side of Mt. Shasta. Access to the trailheads on the north side of the mountain are located off of Hwy 97 on the eastern side of Shasta Valley. Always carry Crampons and Ice Axe! Visit the Mt. Shasta Climber's Guide for detailed information, photo tour, store, and condition updates! There are several maintained campgrounds available for public use within the National Forest boundaries. Campground and Summer Recreation and Winter Recreation information can be obtained on Shasta Home.
ClimateThe Klamath mountains, to the west, strip most of the moisture from ocean air currents as they move eastward. The Shasta Valley itself receives only 11-17 inches of rain annually. Because so little rain falls in the Shasta Valley during the growing season, ranchers rely heavily on stream flows and ground water to irrigate crops and to water their livestock. Melting snow from Mount Shasta does not contribute significantly to surface flows in the upper Shasta River because run-off sinks into the porous volcanic slopes and reappears from springs on the Shasta Valley. | Average (mean) Temperature: | January - 33.8, July - 72.5 | | Annual Rainfall: | 12.12 inches | | Annual Snowfall: | 8.9 inches |
HistoryMontague ~ The town was built as a stop on the California-Oregon railroad, by the Prather Brothers. One account says that the town was named after a railroad engineer. According to Gudde, the town was named after a hardware merchant and prominent San Franciscan, S.S. Montague, by the railroad. The post-office was established in 1887. Stage service was provided from Montague to Yreka, which was eventually supplanted by the Yreka-Western railroad. 1995 Population: 1,399. Yreka ~ Gold was discovered here in 1851 at a spot called "Thompson's Dry Diggins". Miners poured into the town which was called Shasta Butte City. Residents found this confusing with the town of Shasta, in Shasta County, so the name was changed. There are several tales as to where the name "Yreka" came from. Some say from the word "Ieka" Indian for white mountain or cave, some say from an upside down Bakery sign hanging in town. The mining boom was over in 1885, but by then the town was well established. Joaquin Miller described Yreka during 1853-54 as a bustling place with "...a tide of people up and down and across other streets, as strong as if in New York". More stage lines used the town for a stage stop than any other community in the state. Two sizable Chinatowns existed on Miner Street and in 1889 a shortline railroad connected the city with the Southern Pacific's westcoast line. The heart of the community, then and now, was Miner Street--named appropriately enough after those hardworking individuals who built the town.
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