LAKE SHASTA CAVERNS
1-800-795-CAVE
(530) 238-2341
(530) 238-2386 FAX
20359 Shasta Caverns Road
Lakehead, CA 96051
1-
(530) 238-
(530) 238-
20359 Shasta Caverns Road
Lakehead, CA 96051
Portions of Lake Shasta Caverns are under permit from the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
Lake Shasta Caverns has a unique history. First known as CHALK Cave, later known as BAIRD CAVE, in honor of professor Spencer F. Baird, the first U.S. Fish Commissioner appointed in 1872. Finally, as LAKE SHASTA CAVERNS.
The idea of preserving this natural phenomenon first came to Grace M. Tucker, an attorney from Chehalis, Washington. In 1955 she obtained sole ownership of the caves. In 1959 Mrs. Tucker along with Roy Thompson and his two brothers formed Lake Shasta properties, Inc. The land used for access roads, parking, reception centers, and boat docks are under a U.S. Government lease through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. In 1963 Ray Winther was brought into the picture, and together the team of four proceeded to bring the project to completion.
Obviously the hardest task would be tackling the logistics, or the movement of customers to the caves. The caverns are on the east side of the McCloud arm of Shasta Lake. The main store was to be on the west side. A road acceptable to the Country and to the Forest Service had to be built; a length of 1.5 miles from Interstate-5,
Parking space and restroom facilities had to be provided; and special boat transportation had to be built to ferry people across the lake. To make the cavern navigable and more comfortable for the customers, concrete stairways
and steel hand railings had to be installed on the inside and outside of the caverns, and electric wiring had to be installed. On May 30, 1964, ready or not, the Caverns opened for the public to view in comfort and safety, what nature had started to develop some 200 million years before.
Today, 41 years later, we are proud to have had over a million people enjoy the natural beauty of the caverns. The diversity of formations is amazing. From tiny cave coral, cave drapery, flow stone, to magnificent stalagmites, stalactites, and columns; the beauty seems never ending.
(Clockwise starting from upper left) J.A. Richardson’s original inscription. Portrait of Mr. Richardson. First customers arriving back after a tour. Baird fish hatchery, the first fish hatchery on the west coast is now ironically located under a hundreds of feet of water. Roads to the cavern now carve through the landslide located in the picture.
