Mount Shasta topped by a UFO-like Lenticular cloud .
Fall colors near Mount Shasta .
MOUNT SHASTA , CA
As the fifth-highest mountain peak in the state of California , Mount Shasta is a haven for outdoor adventurers . From hiking and boating in the summer to skiing and snowboarding in the winter , the impressive formation and the city that shares its name is an ideal getaway year-round . Come fall , Mount Shasta is painted in vibrant pops of color as the region ’ s oak , aspen , dogwood and bigleaf maple trees begin to shift , complementing the mountain ’ s snowcapped summit in shades of burgundy , yellow and orange . Trails like Castle Lake Shore , McCloud River Falls and Box Canyon are cited as some of the best for leaf-peeping .
But changing leaves aren ’ t the only things travelers will want to keep on their radar ; Mount Shasta is a hotbed of otherworldly occurrences of all sorts . Bigfoot , UFOs , lizard people and more , reports of the strange and unusual are commonplace at this behemoth geologic feature . Interestingly , the lore surrounding this mysterious mountain is nothing new . Local indigenous tribes believed Mount Shasta to be a sacred place , and the Modoc tribe even had a name for a bigfootlike creature of its own , matah kagmi , which translates to “ keepers of the woods .”
TOP : MICHAEL FITZSIMMONS / SHUTTERSTOCK . COM ; LEFT : IAKOV LATYPOV / SHUTTERSTOCK . COM
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