Photo Gallery:
Lake Shasta Caverns

How We Discovered Lake Shasta Caverns

During the month of May in 2009, Wolf and I decided to do a little road trip. This time we thought we'd head north of Chico, so we found ourselves in the Lake Shasta area.

As we drove around, we were surprised to see signs for Lake Shasta Caverns - we'd never heard of them before. Of course, we just had to check it out. Here's what we found.

The caverns were well-known to local Native Americans, and were "discovered" by J. A. Richardson in 1878,

Yet, they weren't opened to the public as a natural attraction until 1964.

It's quite the adventure just getting there.

First you must take a boat ride across part of the lake, then take a bus up a hill to the cavern entrance.

But why tell you what we can show you. This is a Photo Gallery, after all - let's get to the photographs!

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Photo Gallery: Lake Shasta Caverns, May 2009

The cavern headquarters is located at 20359 Shasta Caverns Road, Lakehead, California.

When you first arrive, you'll see the play area, which contains fun play structures...

A water tower and flue to help support the gold panning...

And the Lost Cabin Mine, where you'll find the gold panning equipment.

When you're ready to move on to the caverns, stroll down this lovely shaded walkway where you'll be collected by a catamaran ferryboat.

Your ferry captain will tell you a bit about the lake and the geography of the area on the way over.

A kindly stranger snapped this photo of Wolf and I as we enjoyed the ferry ride to the other side of the lake...

Approaching the opposite shore...

Your bus awaits to transport you up the winding road in customized comfort...

Views of the lake during the bus ride...

This section of Lake Shasta is known as the McCloud Arm.

At the entrance to the limestone caverns, your guide will explain some of the history and geology of the caverns...

It's time to enter the caverns to see for yourself what 250 million years can accomplish...

These and other limestone formations are created when water seeps through the cave from above, dissolving the limestone and redepositing it elsewhere.

Thank goodness we don't have to use THIS entrance anymore!

When your tour is over, you'll return to cavern headquarters the same way you arrived, enjoying the gorgeous views along the way.

For more about this great Shasta County attraction: Lake Shasta Caverns.

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If you've enjoyed these photos, keep checking back as we'll be adding more galleries from the trips we've taken and the times we've had exploring and discovering Northern California! In the meantime...

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