Medicine Lake Recreation Area

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Site-level detail from Recreation.gov, checked 2026-08-05. Where a field says “not published”, the agency has not published it — it does not mean zero. See it on Recreation.gov

Medicine Lake Recreation Area

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 vicinity 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 check 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 Medicine Lake Campground Maps Maps below give reference to campsite locations and numbers in each campground. Medicine Campground Sites AH Hogue Campground Sites Hemlock Campground Sites

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