Established Camping
Medicine Lake Campground
About
National Forest
Modoc National Forest
The popular Medicine Lake Recreation Area and adjacent Medicine Lake are located in the Medicine Lake Highlands in northeastern California. The Recreation Area is located in the Modoc National Forest at an elevation of 6,770 feet. See also Little Medicine Lake Picnic Area Natural Features: Medicine Lake Recreation Area is nestled along Medicine Lake and mostly sheltered by mature lodgepole pine trees but can be windy at times. The Recreation Area lies adjacent to the Medicine Lake Lava Flow which is accessible by a short hike. The Glass Mtn. and Burnt Lava Flow Geologic Areas are located within a 15-minute drive. Recreation : The Medicine Lake Recreation Area offers camping, boating, fishing and swimming. The adjacent Day Use Areas accommodate boating with a concrete boat ramp and dock. Swimming is available in a designated swimming area next to the Picnic Area. Hiking and mountain biking are available on trails originating in the Recreation Area. The longest of these trails is the trail up Little Mt Hoffman. In summer a boat dock is available at the launch ramp. There is no fishing or swimming in the vacinity of the dock or ramp. Ample trailer parking is available. Medicine Lake has specific rules for skiing and use of power boats. Rules are subject to change depending on conditions. Please chek the rules posted on the bulletin board each time you boat on Medicine Lake. Facilities : The Medicine Lake Recreation Area is comprised of four campgrounds; Medicine, A.H. Hogue, Hemlock and Headquarters Campgrounds. Nearby the campgrounds are Picnic Area and Boat Launch sites. Campsites vary between somewhat rugged with limited parking space to larger areas suitable for recreation vehicles. Facilities include vault toilets, water hydrants and garbage dumpsters. Campsites include a picnic table, fire ring and a barbeque grill. There are a total of 75 campsites throughout the four campgrounds. Fifteen of these sites are available for advanced reservations and located within the Medicine and A.H. Hogue Campgrounds. Nearby Attractions : Nearby are a few other federal sites with interesting features. The Lava Beds National Monument is located within a half-hour drive and includes lava caves and tubes. The Tulelake National Wildlife Refuge is located within an hour's drive where many types of migratory waterfowl can be viewed
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonUnknown
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
Features
For Campers
- ADA Access
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Reservable
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
TravelerWorth the drive…
A lonely, nearly hour long drive from Highway 139 gets you to this jewel of a National Forest Campground. Many spaces are too tight, sloped and uneven for most trailers. Plan ahead and reserve your spot if your bringing bigger campers. When we went, the campgrounds were full but the lake? It seemed like we had it all to ourselves. There are some nice trails, perfect for hiking or bombing around with a mountain bike or ebike.
GuideGreat Stay
There are four campgrounds in very close proximity to each other in the Medicine Lake Recreation Area. We drive through the first two (Hemlock and A H Hogue) and didn’t see a site that suited us. The third campground is Medicine Campground and it seemed a little more spacious, so we chose a site there. A majority of the sites in the four campgrounds are first come/first served and we had plenty to choose from on a Tuesday night. The lake front sites (the lake is rather low like most in the state) were almost all occupied, but any site has easy access to the shoreline. We spent two nights in site #29. The lake is crystal clear and shallow along the shoreline making it great for kids. The camp sites have the usual amenities (fire pit and picnic tables), but the one drawback was the lack of potable water. It was being tested while we were there and was expected to be available by the weekend (end of June).
RangerRemote but beatiful
The name is Medicine Lake campground. Stayed here in June 2020, had to camp at overflow because the lake loops were all full. Nice, clean, well kept. Pit toilets were clean. Fire pits and picnic table at each site. No cell service whatsoever. Paddled Medicine Lake, beautiful but buggy. Lots of mosquitos and lake flies. Lots to do nearby, Lava Flow NM, lava tubes, giant obsidian flows, hiking trails. Remote but beautiful. Lots of dispersed camping also available in the Modoc NF.
Location
Medicine Lake Campground is located in California
Directions
GPS Info. (Latitude, Longitude): 41.58584, -121.58557 41°35'9"N, 121°35'8"W From McCloud go east on US Hwy 89 south for 16 miles to Forest Service Road 15/Harris Spring Rd. Turn left on Road 15 and go 4.4 miles to Forest Service Road 49/Medicine Lake Road. Follow the signs 27.5 miles to Medicine Lake. From Tulelake take US Hwy 139 south for 21 miles to Forest Service Road 97. Turn right on Road 97 and go 24 miles turning right on Road 49. Drive 2 more miles turning left into the entrance of Medicine Lake Recreation Area. Follow the signs to your final campground destination.
Coordinates
41.58800011 N
121.59500067 W