Meet the Climbing Rangers Who Guard Mount Shasta Year-Round

Mount Shasta looks approachable from the highway. It sits just 15 minutes off Interstate 5, and on a clear day the snowcapped peak seems almost inviting. But the mountain is a 14,179-foot active volcano, and every year people get hurt or killed trying to climb it.

Standing between those climbers and disaster is a small team of climbing rangers stationed on the mountain year-round.

The U.S. Forest Service recently profiled the program, highlighting how these rangers serve as mountaineers, educators and first responders on one of the most accessible high-altitude climbs in the country. Led by Nick Meyers, who started as a 19-year-old summer intern and has now spent more than 25 years on the mountain, the team patrols daily, checks in with climbing parties and responds when things go wrong.

And things go wrong regularly. On average, the mountain sees about 10 rescues and one fatality per year. Slips on steep, firm snow, rockfall and whiteout conditions are the most common problems. In late March 2026, an interagency team carried out a rescue of an injured climber at 12,000 feet near the Redbanks section of the Avalanche Gulch route.

Anyone planning a climb needs a wilderness permit, a $25 summit pass for travel above 10,000 feet and human waste pack-out bags, all available at ranger stations or trailheads. The Bunny Flat trailhead is currently open. Clear Creek and North Gate roads have limited access.