Glass Mountain - NorCal's 7822 ft. mountain of obsidian

[GS-RON]

Well after reading about Glass Mountain on the other half of this wonderfull site I had to go see for myself. This AM I woke up at 4:20 and said to my self "self you're up now you might as well leave". I had already done a preflight on the Taco last night so off I went.

I slabbed it up to McCloud and fueled the truck. 22mpg vs 40mpg kinda stings. Once I left Hwy 89 and headed north I was glad I took the truck and not the bike. It had rained up there last night and everything was wet and very slippery, not to mention the 40ish degree temps. With the help of Tim's pictures and maps I found the turn off and played ralley driver up to the mountain . My goal was to bring a few chunks of Obsidian home for my Mom. But it was not to be, between the signs warning against rock collecting and the presence of the local Trout Scout (fish and game law enforcement) I was denied.

I thought that Tims glowing report of this area was a slight exageration. NOT, this area is magical. There are collapsed lava tubes, cinder cones, an ice cave right beside the road and scenic vistas where you can see the back of your head if you look close. This is a must see for all. You can ride from McCloud to Glass Mountain and back on a tank of fuel easy, I'd say 150 miles round trip max. Besides with all the things to look at the pace will be slow and the milage high. If you continue on past the mountain to Tionesta and Hwy 139 fuel stops get iffy. From McCloud to Tionesta via the mountain and then down Hwy 139 to Hwy 299 east to Alturas is roughly 140 miles. Alturas is the only reliable fuel I know of. The Taco has a comfy 300+ mile range so I came home on the McCloud tank of fuel. All I can say is I'm going back and spending some more time up there.......RON

PS sorry for no pics, I only have a 35mm PHD camera and no means to scan and post them...

[Bandit12]

OK Ron, now we gotta plan a trip up there! Lassen was alright but Glass Mountain sounds way more interesting. Might have to pack a fuel bottle or two though. The Bandit has about a 250 mile range, with the reserve, but that last 10-15 miles I start sweating it. And besides, if I take care of the photography duties, you take care of the write up. Since this year is getting full of trips and plans before really cold weather sets in, I'm thinking next spring, maybe?

Ray


Ray

[Mike Benzon]

Ron and Ray
You don't have to go all the way to Alturas for gas. 139 joins 299 at Canby and there is gas there. Even closer you can take the cutoff road from 139 to 299 at Bieber and there is gas there. I often ride the loop from Burney to Bieber, then up to Tionesta, then to Medicine Lake, down to Hwy 89 and back to Burney.
It should be very doable to fill up in McCloud and make it all the way to Bieber, then you should be good for Chester and then to home for either one of you.

[pashnit]

Ron - that's awesome, another of NorCal's hidden treasures. I remember the only reason I even found that place came about as I was pouring over a road atlas of North America actually, and came to a tiny little marking on the map that said 'mountain of obsidian'. That's it. Nothing else. Pre-internet days, that was all the more reason I needed for a two day ride to get there and back to check it out. Nothing quite like it.

Took the self portrait- the view was amazing. Better do this soon before the snow flies!

[Loki]

Sounds like a definite must see place. I will plan to do it sometime next week. I think I will cage it like you did. Good report.

[pashnit]

Throw in a couple of these for good measure.



Lava Flows as seen from space





Little more easier to read map.

[GS-RON]

The first picture/map is the one I used to ID the turn off on my GPS. I just waited for a side road in the middle of a hairpin corner and put the Taco in ralley mode . Tim, Thanx for all the info which resulted in one of the best road trips I can remember ...

[HUGH]

How long has it been a "no collecting zone." I remember being up there 20 years ago doing some flint knapping. What are they afraid of? Think I might chip the whole thing in to arrow heads and spear points?

[GS-RON]

Hugh, I don't know but it looks like they took a tractor in there at some time and hauled a lot of it off. There were large areas that looked like broken glass where I assume they scooped the obsidian up and hauled it away. Over on FR-15 at Little Glass Mountain there were no signs warning against rock collecting. The road is a few dozen feet from the mountain though and the only access I saw was walking trails.....RON