Mt. Shasta, at 14,162 feet (4,317 meters), of the Cascade Range in the Shasta-Trinity-National Forest, is 77 miles (124 km) north of Redding, California. As an impressive double-peaked volcano, it dominates the landscape (a vast panorama of tumbled mountains and valleys) for a hundred miles and is a main feature of the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area. Mount Shasta has long been extinct as a volcano, but still has hot sulfurous springs near the top.

With 17 established routes, each with variations, there is climbing available for beginners as well as advanced mountaineers. The Avalanche Gulch route is one of the most popular climbing routes in the United States with an estimated 15,000 climbers that attempt the summit annually. The first ascent was made in 1854.