Magnificent Mount Shasta

Mount Shasta is a natural beauty. Hot springs shoot out of the ground in-between seven glaciers surrounded by loose rocks and snowfields.

This dormant volcano on the edge of the Cascade Range in California is a great place to go hiking, skiing or to climb 3,000 metres to the top. Just don’t expect to see lava pouring down the side of the mountain. The volcano had its last major eruption 200 years ago and scientists say it probably won’t erupt again for another few hundred years.

For some people, Mount Shasta is also a supernatural wonder, the home of aliens or some other mysterious beings. In 1894 a teenager called Frederick Spencer Oliver from the nearby area of Yreka wrote a book called A Dweller on Two Planets, claiming that advanced beings lived in a crystal city below the mountain. Many people in the area say they have seen strange things and the volcano is the subject of a new book about aliens and the legendary creature Big Foot.

You can visit one of the many spiritual centres in the area or even join a soul-cleansing trek up the side of the mountain. It costs $20 for a 2-day pass and $30 for an annual pass to climb to the top.