Mount Shasta is located in Siskiyou County in northern California and is the fifth highest mountain peak in the state.

One of the largest stratovolcanoes in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, Mount Shasta rises to 14,179 feet above sea level and has a prominence of 9,822 feet.

The United States Geological Survey considers Mount Shasta as a dormant volcano as it hasn’t erupted since 1786, but it is the second highest volcano in the U.S.

Peter Skene Ogden, a fur trader and Canadian explorer who trekked through many parts of the American West during the 1820s, was the first to view Mount Shasta in 1826.

However, Mount Shasta wasn’t summited until Elias Pearce recorded the first ascent of the mountain in 1854 after several earlier failed attempts. Nearby the mountain is U.S. Interstate 5, which used to be an ancient trade and travel route in the 1800s that also brought the California Gold Rush into the area.

For climbing, Mount Shasta has 17 established routes with a variety of them geared toward technical and non-technical climbers. The two most popular routes are the Avalanche Gulch and the Clear Creek.

The optimal climbing season is from April until October, but many attempts are made in the winter. During the winter months, the Sargents Ridge and Casaval Ridge routes are most traveled by climbers to avoid avalanche danger.

In 1976, the National Park Service deemed Mount Shasta as a National Natural Landmark.

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Sources:

"Mount Shasta". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey. http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=MX1016.http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2008/3062/

Orr, Elizabeth L.; William N. Orr (1996). Geology of the Pacific Northwest. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies. pp. 115.

"Shasta". Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution. http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1203-01-.http://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=566

Selters, Andy; Michael Zanger (2006). The Mt. Shasta Book (3rd ed.). Wilderness Press.

"Avalanche Gulch". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:256378.

"Mount Shasta". NPS: Nature & Science » National Natural Landmarks. National Park Service. http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/Registry/USA_Map/States/California/NNL/MS/index.cfm.

"Mt. Shasta Climber's Guide." Climbingmtshasta.org. http://www.climbingmtshasta.org/.