Discover the underground worlds in Shasta Cascade region
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Fri, 06/24/2011 - 5:25pm
By the Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association
There are caves found throughout the Shasta Cascade region that are waiting to be explored. Some of which have even helped shape the course of history such as the Modoc Indian War, where Modoc Indians took refuge from the US Army forces.
Venture through the thousands of years old lava tubes that was once cutting, slicing, and twisting through the crust of the earth.
Go deeper and deeper into the core of a mountain as you engage in millions of year old history still in the making in limestone caverns formed by years of mineral build up from the dripping water.
Each cave offers something unique for visitors to experience.
The Lake Shasta Caverns are over 250 million years old and remain a popular destination for visitors by offering them a journey underground to view the extraordinary beauty of cave coral, stalactites, and stalagmites.
Lava Beds National Monument has more than 300 lava tubes caves to explore, a few of which are ice caves, where the air temperature remains below freezing. Many of the caves were formed about 30,000 years ago and there are a variety of difficulty levels to access the caves.
Near Old Station visitors can take a self-guided tour of the easily accessible Subway Cave, which was formed less than 20,000 years ago and is a third of a mile in length. During the summer months this cave is a great sanctuary from the heat as the temperature remains a chilly 46 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. Season of use is late May through October.
Give in to your adventurous side and try spelunking to explore and discover the hidden underground worlds of the Shasta Cascade region.
