The northern part of the great state of California is where you’ll find all sorts of stunning natural landscapes, from lush valleys to the craggy mountains of the Sierra Nevadas, but beautiful places have their legends, too. Mount Shasta in Northern California Northern Californians towers above the surrounding hills and valleys, can be seen from miles away and is just downright gorgeous. Many locals in Northern California don’t know, however, just how many crazy stories and mysterious legends surround this iconic peak.

The scary stories of Northern California are a true trip, friends, and OH do we have one for you…have you heard the stories around Mount Shasta?

Mount Shasta is located in Siskiyou Count and is part of the Cascade Mountain Range.
Flickr/ Daniel Means
It is 14,179 feet above sea level and it is an active volcano. It's pretty crazy to think that there is so much going on below the snowy surface, but this is one Northern California mountain that may just trick you into thinking it's harmless.
Mount Shasta in Northern California is also the site of several mysterious and pretty creepy legends, including Native American legends from the first people who settled in this area.
Flickr/ Derin
They were recorded by writer Joaquin Miller in the 1870s.
The Native American legend goes something a little like this:
Flickr/ Sheila Sund
Mount Shasta is inhabited by the spirit of Chief Skell, who descended from heaven to the mountain's summit. Skell fought with Spirit of the Below-World, Llao, who resided at Mount Mazama by throwing hot rocks and lava, probably representing the volcanic eruptions at both mountains.
The founder of a small 1930s religious movement apparently met a saint on the slopes of Mt. Shasta. He went on to form the a popular religion that still exists today, albeit on a smaller scale.
Flickr/ Rene Rivers
According to Guy Ballard, while hiking on Mount Shasta, he encountered a man who introduced himself as Comte de Saint-Germain. Saint Germain is said to have started Ballard on the path to discovering the teachings that would become the "I AM" Activity religious movement.

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While both of these tales might seem a little kooky to those of us just hearing them for the first time, they pale in comparison to the story of the city beneath the mountain.
Flickr/ Pradeep Sawlani
The tamer version of the tale involves a wayward prospector of the early 1900s.
Flickr/ m01229
According to a legend, a British prospector named JC Brown discovered a lost underground city beneath Mt. Shasta in 1904. He had been hired by The Lord Cowdray Mining Company of England to prospect for gold, and discovered a cave which sloped downward for 11 miles. There, he found an underground village filled with gold, shields, and mummies. He also reported seeing a mysterious, 10-foot-tall being. Thirty years later, he told his story to John C. Root who proceeded to gather an exploration team in Stockton, California. Eighty people joined the team, but on the day the team was to set out, Brown did not show up. He was never heard from again.
Coincidentally, this was not the only legend of an underground city below Mount Shasta... nor is even the creepiest.
Flickr/ Rafael Edwards
A writer named Frederick Spencer Oliver published A Dweller on Two Planets in 1899. The book claimed that survivors from a sunken continent called Lemuria were living in or on Mount Shasta. These people, called Lemurians, lived in a complicated network of tunnels beneath the mountain and occasionally were seen walking the surface dressed in white robes.
These seemingly far-fetched tales that may or may not be true, but that doesn't change the fact that people have been enamored with Mount Shasta as long as they have known of its existence.
Flickr/ Jeff Hollett
Who would've thought that one of the most creepy places in Northern California is also one of the most naturally stunning! Did you know all of these legends about Northern California?

How many of these stories have you heard before? We’re willing to bet some of them are new, but drop us a note on Facebook and let us know which ones you think are the most interesting!

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Mount Shasta in Northern California

Meghan Kraft | March 08, 2021

What are the scariest haunted attractions in Northern California?

Haunted attractions can be found in spades here in Northern California, whether you’re seeking a ghost ship or a trip to an eerie cavern. Preston Castle in Ione is open for tours and was once a reform school where a housekeeper was murdered and corporal punishment was common. Be prepared for a weeping cave if you ever head to the Moaning Cavern in Vallecito, where the state’s most ancient bones have been buried.

What haunted hiking trails can I take in Northern California?

There are a few haunted trails in Northern California that just might shock you with their dark histories and old tales. The Moro Rock Trail in Tulare takes hikers up a stark granite rock formation that promises incredible views and…potentially bizarre, ghostly figures that show up in photographs? If you take the Alum Rock Trail in San Jose, keep in mind that you may feel the presence of a dark spirit following you.

Are there any haunted hotels in Northern California?

There are plenty of haunted hotels in Northern California including the Queen Anne Hotel in San Francisco and Historic Cary House Hotel in Placerville. The La Playa Hotel in Carmel hosts the ghost of a young woman, once the heir to the Ghirardelli fortune and the Glass Beach Inn located in Fort Bragg has a singular chair that is said to bring about an untimely death to those who sit in it. Yikes!

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Mount Shasta, Mt Shasta, CA 96067, USA