MEDICINE LAKE LOOP- WHAT TO EXPECT

Accessible from either McCloud or the Lava Beds National Monument, the popular Medicine Lake Recreation Area and adjacent Medicine Lake are located in the Medicine Lake Highlands in northeastern California and sit at an elevation of 6,770 feet.

Medicine Lake is actually the caldera of the Medicine Lake Volcano – and is actually the largest volcano by volume in the entire Cascade Range.  It has been active for 500,000 years, but because the eruptions were gentle rather than explosive, it coated the volcano’s sides with flow after flow.

The Medicine 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 spots and mountain biking are available on trails originating in the Recreation Area. The longest of these trails is the trail up Little Mt Hoffman.  It is also close to Glass Mountain, a spectacular, nearly treeless flow that’s worth a visit.

KEY POINTS

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