Where is Medicine Lake?
Medicine Lake is one of Northern California’s best-kept secrets. Located about 35 miles northeast of Mount Shasta in the Medicine Lake Highlands, this remarkable landscape sits atop Medicine Lake Volcano, the largest volcano in California by volume. Unlike the towering cone of nearby Mount Shasta, Medicine Lake is a broad shield volcano covering nearly 770 square miles, formed by hundreds of lava flows over the past half-million years.
Today, visitors come to Medicine Lake for its peaceful forests, crystal-clear waters, volcanic scenery, and miles of hiking trails. Beneath the quiet landscape, however, lies a place shaped by powerful geological forces and thousands of years of human history. Ancient lava flows created vast lava tube caves, fields of obsidian, cinder cones, and rugged volcanic terrain unlike anywhere else in the state.
For thousands of years, the Medicine Lake Highlands have also been an important cultural landscape for Native American peoples, including the Modoc, Achomawi, Atsugewi, and other neighboring tribes. The area provided obsidian for trade, seasonal hunting grounds, and places of cultural and spiritual significance that continue to be respected today.
MountShastaMyths.com explores Medicine Lake from multiple perspectives. Rather than focusing only on legends or only on science, this guide combines history, geology, archaeology, Native traditions, folklore, and modern field investigations to provide a complete picture of one of California’s most fascinating destinations.
Whether you’re planning a visit, researching the volcano, investigating local legends, or discovering the real locations that inspired The Obsidian Secret and The Lava Tubes Mystery, you’ll find detailed resources throughout this guide.
Explore Medicine Lake
Choose a topic below:
- History — The discovery, exploration, and development of Medicine Lake and the surrounding highlands.
- Legends & Mysteries — Bigfoot reports, strange lights, local folklore, and unexplained stories from Medicine Lake.
- Field Investigation — Original observations, research notes, and field investigations conducted throughout the Medicine Lake area.
- Behind the Book— Visit the real locations that inspired the Lost Trail Adventures and learn what is based on history and what was fictionalized.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | Medicine Lake Highlands, Siskiyou and Modoc Counties, California |
| Volcano Type | Shield Volcano |
| Elevation | Approximately 6,700 feet (2,040 m) |
| Volcano Name | Medicine Lake Volcano |
| Size | Approximately 770 square miles (2,000 km²) |
| Notable Features | Medicine Lake, Lava Beds, Glass Mountain, Lava Tubes, Obsidian |
| Best Time to Visit | Late June through October |
| Activities | Hiking, camping, fishing, kayaking, photography, wildlife viewing, geological exploration |
Why Medicine Lake Matters
Medicine Lake is often overshadowed by nearby Mount Shasta, yet it may be even more geologically remarkable. It is California’s largest volcano, contains some of the state’s youngest lava flows, and preserves evidence of thousands of years of Indigenous history. Its remote setting has also allowed legends and mysteries to flourish alongside scientific discovery.
Whether viewed through the lens of geology, archaeology, folklore, or adventure, Medicine Lake offers an experience unlike any other destination in Northern California.