By Chester Beard — 11 Dec 2025

Hiking Mount Shasta's Glaciers & Hot Springs

Mount Shasta's glaciers are disappearing—which makes seeing them now more urgent than ever. But the mountain offers more than just a climate change lesson: it's a playground where you can stand on ancient ice in the morning and soak in geothermal pools by afternoon. This guide covers how to access those shrinking glaciers, what to expect at different skill levels, and how to combine the experience with some of Northern California's best hot springs.

The Glacier Routes: What Fits Your Skills

If you've been following news about Mount Shasta's rapid glacier retreat, you might wonder: where can I actually see them? The answer depends on your mountaineering experience and how much time you have.

Technical Glacier Climbing: The Hotlum-Bolam & Hotlum-Wintun Routes

For climbers comfortable with ropes, crampons, and crevasse hazards, the north-side routes offer the most direct glacier experience. These are the standard mountaineering climbs on Mount Shasta—they'll take you across active ice and up to the summit plateau.

The trailhead is at Northgate, about 11 miles east of Interstate 5 on a good gravel road. The elevation here is 8,000 feet, which means you're starting below the treeline. Your first 3 to 4 hours will be a steady hike through white-bark pine forests and over rough lava flows, ascending to base-camp moraines at around 9,500 feet. Once you're established at camp, you'll rope up and cross the lower Hotlum Glacier before tackling 35 to 40-degree snow and ice slopes.

The best season for this climb is late June through September, when winter snow bridges the crevasses and bergschrunds are still passable. By October, the seasonal snowpack thins and hazards multiply. Most people do this as a 2 to 5-day trip; guided climbing companies offer instruction if you want to learn on the mountain, and experienced parties can move faster.

What makes this route special right now is that you're climbing on glaciers that have lost roughly 25 percent of their area in just the past four years. If you're the type to notice such things, the fragmenting ice, exposed bedrock, and thinning accumulation zones tell a story that's hard to miss.

The Long Day Hike: Avalanche Gulch

If climbing roped pitches isn't your style but you want to see the glaciers, Avalanche Gulch on the south side is the classic alternative. This isn't technically a glacier climb—the main route stays on permanent snowfields and rock—but once you crest Red Banks near 12,000 feet, you have unobstructed views down onto the Konwakiton and Whitney Glaciers.

The trailhead is at Bunny Flat, and the round trip is a 7,000-foot elevation gain over roughly 12 hours. This is a serious day hike—better suited to someone with strong legs and good acclimatization than to casual afternoon hikers. You'll be on your feet most of the day, dealing with loose volcanic rock, snow patches (season-dependent), and the altitude itself. But if you're looking for proof of what the research shows—that Whitney Glacier has retreated 800 meters in 16 years and thinned dramatically—this vantage point delivers it.

Easy Glacier Views: Brewer Creek & Future Overlooks

Not everyone needs a technical climb or a 12-hour slog. If you want to see the glaciers with minimal risk and reasonable time investment, the Brewer Creek Trail on the north-east flank offers sweeping views of the Hotlum icefall and the surrounding peaks. It's a moderate day hike with much gentler elevation gain than Avalanche Gulch, and the payoff is real—you get the ice without the commitment.

There's also a proposed Moraine Vista Trail on the east side near the Whaleback that would end at a ridge overlook of Hotlum Glacier's medial moraine. This isn't built yet, but when it is, it'll offer photography-quality glacier views with zero ice travel. It's the kind of thing that might appeal if you want the image without the crevasse hazard.

The beauty of Mount Shasta is that it sits at the intersection of geology and geothermal activity. Mineral-rich water bubbles up on every side of the volcano, and your choices range from a deluxe spa experience to a wilderness soak in a canyon.

The Developed Options: Spa Comfort

Mount Shasta Resort is five minutes south of town and about as convenient as it gets. The water temperature hovers around 102°F, and you're paying for amenities: pools, indoor mineral tubs, spa services, a restaurant. It's family-friendly and swimsuit-required, which means it won't scratch the wilderness itch, but if you're hiking Brewer Creek in the morning and want to rinse off the dust without driving an hour, this is your answer.

Stewart Mineral Springs sits about 10 minutes west of Mount Shasta City and is the sweet spot between accessibility and character. The spring water reaches 120°F, which is hot enough that a long soak takes real attention. You get private cedar tubs, a sauna, access to a cold creek plunge, and even sweat-lodge ceremonies if you want the full treatment. It's open year-round, and the clothing-optional option in private rooms means you can soak without the swimsuit self-consciousness. There's a day-use fee, but it's worth it if you have a couple of hours.

Wilderness Soaks: The Backcountry Experience

If you want geothermal water but prefer fewer people and more self-reliance, the backcountry springs reward the extra effort.

Shasta Mud Creek Hot Springs is 30 minutes south of Mount Shasta City plus a 3-mile hike. The water temperature runs between 90 and 115°F depending on which pool you're in, and you're sitting in natural rock formations right beside Mud Creek canyon. The access is informal—there's no official trail, but the path is obvious once you find the parking area on the McCloud River loop road. You'll want to carry water (the creek itself is cold meltwater) and time your visit for May through October when the spring flow is strong. This is the pick for anyone who wants the hot-spring experience with real solitude.

Hunt Hot Springs (also called Riverside Hot Springs) sits about an hour north of Mount Shasta near the Klamath River. The temperature varies depending on which pools you use, but you're looking at roughly 100 to 115°F. The springs are primitive—think natural river-edge pools rather than constructed tubs—and clothing-optional. The main trade-off is that the road to get there is rough and the weekend crowd can be rowdy, so go mid-week if solitude matters to you.

Big Bend Hot Springs is 40 minutes east on the McCloud River. These are semi-developed—there are cement tubs on the riverbank—and the vibe is small-scale and low-key. You'll pay a small donation, and you can easily combine a soak here with a hike up to nearby McCloud River Falls if you want to layer activities.

The Mount Shasta Mountain & Hot Springs Combo: One Perfect Day

Here's a route that works if you have 8 to 9 hours and want to experience both the glaciers and the geothermal without overcommitting to a technical climb.

Start your morning at the Brewer Creek trailhead on the north-east flank. This is a moderate day hike with good elevation gain but nothing technical—you're looking at 2 to 3 hours round trip, and by late morning you'll have clear views of the Hotlum icefall. You can spend time photographing or just sitting with the ice if you want. The visual story of retreat is real enough that even a casual observer will notice the fragmentation and exposed bedrock.

Pack a light lunch and drive 30 minutes south to Stewart Mineral Springs. Spend 2 hours soaking in private cedar tubs, hitting the sauna, and finishing with a cold-creek plunge. Your muscles will thank you, and the contrast between morning alpinism and afternoon mineral immersion is genuinely restorative.

Finish the day with dinner in Mount Shasta City. You'll have accomplished something—you've seen the glaciers, done real hiking, and recovered in geothermal water—without the logistics of a multi-day expedition. It's the kind of itinerary that appeals to photographers, wellness seekers, and anyone curious about how the mountain's geology shapes both its hazards and its gifts.

Practical Details: Seasons, Gear, and Permits

The best season for glacier access is late June through September. Before late June, winter snow may block the approach routes. After October, seasonal snowpack thins, crevasses aren't reliably bridged, and bergschrunds become serious hazards. If you're climbing roped, you need experience with self-rescue and crevasse protocols, or you should hire a guide.

For the non-technical day hikes (Brewer Creek, Avalanche Gulch), you'll want solid hiking boots, plenty of water, navigation (map and compass or GPS), and a first-aid kit. The volcanic terrain is unforgiving on ankles, and the altitude (you're starting above 7,000 feet) means dehydration creeps up fast.

For the glacier climbs, bring ice axe, crampons, rope, harness, and all the standard mountaineering gear. If you're not confident in crevasse rescue, go with a guide. Several outfitters run courses and guided climbs in the June-September window.

Hot springs access is year-round, though the wilderness springs flow best May through October. Bring a towel, a change of clothes, and respect for the area. Some of the backcountry springs are clothing-optional; others are mixed. Check before you show up and follow the norms of the place you visit.

Parking is generally free at the trailheads, though some developed springs charge a day-use or soak fee.

Why Visit Now

Mount Shasta's glaciers have entered what glaciologists call "disequilibrium with the current climate." Extinction is no longer a theoretical possibility—it's a timeline question. Whitney Glacier, California's longest, has lost a quarter of its area in four years. The others are following.

Even if you're not a mountaineer or a climate scientist, there's something clarifying about standing on ice that may not exist in a decade. It focuses your attention. It makes the abstract tangible.

The good news is that the region's geothermal activity is stable. The hot springs will keep flowing, the water will stay warm, and the landscape will endure, even as its glaciers fade. That contrast—impermanence and permanence, ice and heat, the mountain's past and its future—is what makes Mount Shasta right now such a compelling destination.