Black Butte cindercone - little sister to Mt Shasta

Black Butte has had many names through the years. This one seems to have stuck for now. If have ever driven through the Siskyou valley past Mt. Shasta City you almost drove right into Black Butte. It is a symetrical cindercone just east of the freeway near Mt Shasta proper.

To hike this you should stop in downtown Mt Shasta and visit the tourism information center. It is a little building in the middle of town. They can give you a map to drive to the trailhead on the northeast side of the mountain. You have to head up Everett Memorial Highway past the high school (on the way to Bunny Flat) and turn left in just the right place to find this.

There is NO water on the mountain so bring plenty. It is about a 2500 foot climb in 2.5 miles or so and usually takes 2 hours up if you are a goat-type hiker. It is a fun workout and good training for the quadripeds. Some areas of the cindercone resemble the Land of Mordor strongly, but the views of the valley and Mt Shasta area spectacular! Do this on a morning so as to have as clear a day as possible, and to cut down on the afternoon heat exposure.

Be careful with some regions of the trail as the side of the mountain drops off steeply at times. This could also be a dangerous area for rockslides, so be ultra-careful not to start one on the folks below you. The northside of the mountain stays covered with snow well through May at times, and should be clear before you hike it, unless you are prepared to cross a snowfield.

You may have plenty of company here; lots of folks like to hike it. There is the cement foundation of an old Forest Service fire look-out on the top. You can jump over a small chasm and relax in there if the flies aren't too bad! The iron anchors for the building (in the cement) show signs of lightning strikes. Fun day hike; take lots of water!

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