Modoc National Forest

April 15, 2026 Raven About The Parks 6 Comments

Modoc National Forest

California

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region

1,979,327 acres (1,663,401 federal/ 315,926 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/modoc

Overview

In the northeast corner of California, Modoc National Forest contains the largest shield volcano in North America: 7,921-foot Medicine Lake Volcano. This region has a long history of volcanism, as seen at Pumice Stone Mountain, Burnt Lava Flow, High Hole Crater, Hot Spot, and Glass Mountain (composed of rhyolite obsidian and glossy dacite). The basalt-topped plateau of Devil’s Garden is home to an 800-acre stand of western juniper. East of Goose Lake, the Warner Mountains rise from 4,300 feet to 9,892-foot Eagle Peak, and are covered by a mixed conifer forest of lodgepole pine, whitebark pine, ponderosa pine, incense-cedar, and red fir.

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Highlights

Sáttítla Highlands National Monument, Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, Medicine Lake Recreation Area, Glass Mountain, Devil’s Garden Natural Area, Mill Creek Falls, Highgrade National Recreation Trail, Pine Creek Trail

Must-Do Activity

Medicine Lake offers boat ramps, trails, and campgrounds and nearby is Giant Crater, which has the longest known lava tube system in the world at 18 miles (although it is partially collapsed). Located up a dirt road often blocked by snowdrifts late into the summer, Glass Mountain has a crater full of sharp pieces of rhyolite obsidian and glossy dacite. This remote corner of California has some of the darkest skies in the continental U.S., so it is great for stargazing on moonless nights. In the winter, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing are popular activities on groomed trails. The South Warner Mountain Wilderness is traversed by the 21-mile Summit Trail that passes Eagle Peak, the Devil’s Knob, and The Slide. Mill Creek Falls is also in the Warner Mountains, accessed by a 3.4-mile out-and-back trail.

Best Trail

In the Warner Mountains near the border with Oregon’s Fremont National Forest, the 5.5-mile one-way Highgrade National Recreation Trail provides excellent views of Goose Lake. The trailhead is reached by taking paved County Road 9 five miles east from Highway 395 then turning north on the steep and unpaved Del Pratt Spring Road (Forest Road 47N72) for 6.3 miles. The trail quickly leaves the shade of the forest as it steadily climbs 800 feet through a slope covered in woolly mule’s ears flowers to a saddle west of 8,224-foot Mt. Vida. It is possible to summit Mt. Vida from this point, but the trail heads away toward Yellow Mountain following Forest Road 48N10.

Watchable Wildlife

Modoc National Forest borders Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, in addition to Tule Lake, Clear Lake, and Modoc National Wildlife Refuges. These wetlands provide habitat crucial for bird nesting and migration on the Pacific Flyway. The many lava tubes provide habitat for numerous species of bats, in addition to violet-green swallows and bushy-tailed woodrats. Larger mammals include mule deer, pronghorn, badger, skunk, raccoon, pika, jackrabbit, yellow-bellied marmot, coyote, bobcat, and mountain lion. Large birds found here are great horned owl, short-eared owl, and bald eagle (winter resident). Reptiles are abundant, including the western fence lizard, northern sagebrush lizard, western skink, Rocky Mountain rubber boa, gopher snake, desert night, and western rattlesnake.

Photographic Opportunity

Not far up the steep Highgrade National Recreation Trail there are excellent views of Goose Lake to the west.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

$5 per vehicle (or the America the Beautiful Pass) at Medicine Lake

Road Conditions

This area receives abundant winter snowfall, and roads can be blocked by snow into July, which we experienced trying to get to Glass Mountain. The road to Medicine Lake is paved, but almost every other road through the National Monument is unpaved, some requiring a high-clearance vehicle. Giant Crater is a Geologic Special Interest Area that can be accessed two miles off Medicine Lake Road on Forest Road 43N11.

Camping

There are multiple Forest Service campgrounds on Medicine Lake, plus two nearby at Blanche Lake and Bullseye Lake. Dirt roads in Modoc National Forest provide ample dispersed campsites.

Wilderness Areas

South Warner Wilderness

Related Sites

Lava Beds National Monument (California)

Tule Lake National Monument (California)

Sáttítla Highlands National Monument (California)

Butte Valley National Grassland (California)

Nearest National Park

Lassen Volcanic

Conifer Tree Species

ponderosa pine, whitebark pine, red fir, incense-cedar, white fir, lodgepole pine, western white pine, Jeffrey pine, incense-cedar, western juniper

Flowering Tree Species

quaking aspen, curlleaf mountain mahogany, elderberry, sagebrush

Explore More – The Modoc Tribe traditionally lived in this area and the Klamath called them “Moadok Maklaks” that translates as what?

Learn more about this and the 154 other National Forests in our new guidebook Out in the Woods

Arizona, Update

Arizona Trail Days 24 to 34

April 9, 2026 Raven About The Parks 7 Comments

After two “zero days” I returned to the Gila River at the lowest point on the Arizona Trail (AZT) where temperatures had cooled considerably from two weeks before. In 36 days (including six zeroes), I have now completed the southernmost 713 miles on the 800-mile AZT since starting on March 4, 2026. Good news is the National Park Service is planning to reopen the North Kaibab Trail on May 15, so I plan to wait to do the final 100 miles through the Grand Canyon and up to the Utah border.

This journey has exceeded my expectations as my first “long trail.” I have seen amazing wildlife and scenery. I met some interesting people. I had days where I did not see another person. It has been introspective and healing. I have walked further and faster than I imagined possible. I’m thankful that past thru-hikers have made this a socially acceptable (even laudable) activity. Mostly, it’s just really fun and feels like an accomplishment to walk between two arbitrary borderlines. I could not have done it without my parents and friends driving all across the state to resupply me. I cannot say thank you enough!

Arizona Trail Day 26, Mile 265 to 291 plus 2 when I took a wrong turn from the Gila River where I took an afternoon dip. So many grasshoppers! Tried out a sun umbrella then didn’t need it when clouds rolled in for an awesome sunset hour. This was my restart point after avoiding desert heat for two weeks.

Arizona Trail Day 27, Mile 291 to 321 across Highway 60 climbing steeply into the Superstition Wilderness. Started at 5 a.m. when it was sprinkling and my sun umbrella worked well for rain. Saw my first ever Gila monster, which was amazing.

Arizona Trail Day 28, Mile 321 to 347 down from Reavis Ranch in Tonto National Forest to Roosevelt Lake. It was nice to hike a while with Michelle and Adam from Seattle. I saw my second ever Gila monster, which was also amazing! Big thanks to my parents who drove down from Pine to resupply me before sunset.

Arizona Trail Day 29, Mile 347 to 366 across Roosevelt Lake Bridge up into the Four Peaks Wilderness. Shake Spring was flowing nicely this afternoon so I decided to camp nearby and cut my day short to enjoy the shade.

Arizona Trail Day 30, Mile 366 to 387 down the mountain from Four Peaks Wilderness to the Beeline Highway 87. At some point Saturday I surpassed 600 miles on the 800-mile Arizona National Scenic Trail! My parents brought me a milkshake down from Payson, which tasted amazing.

Arizona Trail Day 32, Mile 387 to 417 into the Mazatzal Wilderness after a zero day to spend Easter with family in Chandler. Cloudy and drizzly weather helped me stay cool and I didn’t have to drink much. Cumulative 6,500-foot ascent and 4,000-foot descent over the 30 miles! Great sunset over Horseshoe Lake.

Arizona Trail Day 33, Mile 417 to 442 out of the Mazatzal Mountains down to the East Verde River where I took an afternoon swim. I met a lot of friendly people backpacking today, including one volunteer doing trail maintenance who provided trail magic in the form of a delicious cheese stick.

Arizona Trail Day 34, Mile 442 to 459 back home to Pine. I have now completed the southernmost 713 miles of the AZT since March 4. I plan to finish the final 100 miles when North Kaibab Trail through Grand Canyon National Park opens after May 15. I could not have done this without the help of my parents and friends along the way. Thank you so much!

I have also been updating my Instagram account daily with photos: https://www.instagram.com/ravenabouttheparks/

List

Top 10 Backpacking Songs

April 6, 2026 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

This is my first Top 10 list involving music after decades of making mixtapes and playlists. This month I have been backpacking the Arizona National Scenic Trail, but these songs would be great on any walk. I have only listened to music on less than 10% of my miles so far, but this was a fun project think about (especially while walking dirt roads which can be tedious and requires less concentration). I included my favorite lyrics from each song and a couple about Alaska in the Honorable Mentions since living there last summer is when I first conceived of attempting this 800-mile trek. Click here for all my Top 10 lists. This link should work to see the playlist on Amazon Music.

10. Beauty In Walking Away by Marié Digby

It’s never quite simple, it’s never that safe

It never seems perfect until it’s too late

It’s never the right time to find a new way

9. Avalanches (Culla’s Song) by A Fine Frenzy

We found ourselves atop of a mountain peak

The air was thin as a beggar’s sleeve

The city lights were miles away

The hush was as thick as your winter coat

8. Above The Timberline by Five For Fighting

Things get slower when it’s harder to breath

I can almost touch the stars that are hanging over me

7. The Climb by Miley Cyrus

Always gonna be an uphill battle

Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose

Ain’t about how fast I get there

Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side

It’s the climb

6. Walking Slow by Jackson Browne

Don’t know why I’m happy

I’ve got no reason to feel this good

Maybe it’s because I’m all alone and I’ve got no place to go

5. Have You Ever by Brandi Carlile

Have you ever wandered lonely through the woods?

And everything there feels just as it should

You’re part of the life there

You’re part of something good

4. Walk Hard by John C. Reilly

Seen my share of the worse that this world can give

But I still got a dream and a burning rage to live

Walk hard

3. Ends Of The Earth by Lord Huron

No time for ponderin’ why I’m-a wanderin’

Not while we’re both still alive

To the ends of the earth, would you follow me?

There’s a world that was meant for our eyes to see

2. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams by Green Day

I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known

Don’t know where it goes but it’s home to me and I walk alone

…and finally my #1 backpacking song:

1. Keep On Walking by Jem

If it’s true that love makes the world go round, please give some love to me

‘Cause I’m feeling so alone right now, it’s suffocating me

God give me strength to keep on walking

Honorable Mentions

Arizona Night by Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers

When the mad sun′s, mad day’s tirade is through

Evening comes to seduce you in diamonds on her dress of velvet blue

Something in the Arizona night

Makes us crazy from the heat and dizzy from the height

More Than This by Roxy Music (especially the cover by Missy Higgins)

As free as the wind

Hopefully learning

Why the sea on the tide

Has no way of turning

More than this

Alaska by Maggie Rogers

I was walking through icy streams

That took my breath away

Moving slowly through westward water

Over glacial plains

And I walked off you and I walked off an old me

Winter’s Lament by Jamestown Revival

Pinyon pines, horizon lines, the fading of the snow

Darling it’s a pity all this idle time

Let’s set out for the countryside and see what we can find

Walk the Way the Wind Blows by Kathy Mattea

I think I’ll just go out alone and walk my blues away

I’ve gotta do some thinkin’ of where to go from here

Walk the way the wind blows

Where Did You Sleep Last Night by Lead Belly (cover by Nirvana)

In the pines, in the pines

Where the sun don’t ever shine

I would shiver the whole night through

To The Wild Country by John Denver

Then my heart turns to Alaska

And freedom on the run

I can hear her spirit calling me

To the mountains, I can rest there

To the rivers, I will be strong

To the forests, I’ll find peace there

To the wild country, where I belong

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Arizona, Update

Arizona Trail Days 14 to 23

March 30, 2026 Raven About The Parks 5 Comments

With temperatures 28 degrees above average in the Sonoran Desert, I jumped ahead 200 miles on the Arizona Trail to my home in Pine at Mile 459. After two “zero days” I was able to quickly cover the higher elevation miles and made it back to where I started on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon at Mile 700. The final six days I backpacked 187 miles, which I did not think I was capable of before I started on the AZT. This was all at elevations above 6,000 feet with the last 100 miles including water carries of 22, 17, 18, and 21 miles between refills. It was great to see friends and family in Pine and Flagstaff. I have surpassed 500 miles on the 800-mile AZT and will now return to the section I skipped north of the Gila River. Good news is the National Park Service is planning to reopen the North Kaibab Trail on May 15, so if I wait I may be able to do the final 100 miles through the Grand Canyon and up to the Utah border.

Arizona Trail Day 16, Mile 459 to 483 after jumping ahead 200 miles to my home in Pine I picked up the Highline Trail to the top of the Mogollon Rim. Enjoyed the cooler temperatures and the first Arizona cypress trees along the route, plus I saw a Madrean alligator lizard.

Arizona Trail Day 17, Mile 483 to 498 atop the Mogollon Rim across Clear Creek. Finished before noon for a trailhead pickup by my parents and one more night at home in Pine. Enjoying the cooler temperatures as I head towards Flagstaff through Coconino National Forest.

Arizona Trail Day 18, Mile 498 to 529 through forests towards Mormon Lake. Saw 3 herds of elk and the first Abert’s squirrel with its tassel ears. Water was mostly filtered from cattle tanks in various tints of yellow, but it tasted okay.

Arizona Trail Day 19, Mile 529 to 561 across Anderson Mesa where I saw two groups of mule deer. I got a resupply from my parents and my first views of the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff. I feel nostalgic walking towards the town where I earned my undergrad degree from Northern Arizona University.

Arizona Trail Day 20, Mile 561 to 568 plus 16 miles on the urban route shortcut then Mile 599 to 608 through my college home of Flagstaff. Thanks to my friend Robin for helping lighten my backpack load earlier, picking me up near Snowbowl, and hosting me after a long 32-mile day.

Arizona Trail Day 21, Mile 608 to 638 dropped down from Aspen Corner on Snowbowl Road onto Hart Prairie. Saw mule deer, pronghorns, and corkbark fir, one of my favorite tree species. Passed scenic Red Mountain on my way to a dry camp in the pinyon juniper woodland.

Arizona Trail Day 22, Mile 638 to 668 through Babbitt Ranch and into Kaibab National Forest and the new Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. Not many water sources out here so you take what you can get.

Arizona Trail Day 23, Mile 668 to 700 past Grandview Tower to Tusayan for fast food and then into Grand Canyon National Park where I started on March 4th. At some point today I surpassed 500 miles on the 800-mile AZT. I also had my first hotel stay of the journey. I’m taking a zero day before heading back to the Gila River at Mile 265.

You can keep track of where I am at on the Garmin website through this link: https://live.garmin.com/ScottSink

I will also be updating my Instagram account with photos when I have signal: https://www.instagram.com/ravenabouttheparks/

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Arizona, Update

Arizona Trail Days 6 to 13

March 19, 2026 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Miles 101 to 265 required big climbs in Saguaro National Park and the Santa Catalina Mountains within Coronado National Forest. Lots of cool Sonoran Desert wildflowers and wildlife along the way, plus some great sunsets on the way to the Gila River. Thursday I am taking a “zero day” off the trail with my family in Chandler and probably going to a Mark Chesnutt concert.

Arizona Trail Day 6, Mile 101 to 101 a “Zero Day” in Tucson with a huge breakfast at Rocking K, one Talenti gelato (for a backup container to cold soak meals), and night in the camper van with my trail angel Mom.

Arizona Trail Day 7, Mile 101 to 126 after my first “zero day” passed under Interstate 10 to the border with Saguaro National Park and saw the first saguaro cacti along the route. I achieved my goal of finding a rock in the shape of Arizona! Enjoyed talking and walking with Ziggy, a Navy veteran. Big thank you to my Mom for meeting up with me in Tucson.

Arizona Trail Day 8, Mile 126 to 144 from spines to pines in Saguaro National Park. Over 6,000 feet cumulative elevation gain in the Rincon Mountains. Camped with and hiked with some fellow NAU Lumberjacks and two young women from Florida.

Arizona Trail Day 9, Mile 144 to 164 out of the Rincon Mountains to the Catalina Highway. Lots of wildflowers in bloom! I met Trail Angel Gabriel who I helped to fill up a water cache with 48 gallons. Thanks to all the trail angels out there.

Arizona Trail Day 10, Mile 164 to 187 up Mt. Lemmon in Coronado National Forest. Another great memory made in the Santa Catalina Mountains and my first horned lizard of the trip was seen above 8,000 feet in elevation. Thanks to my Mom for meeting me at the top with my big backpack. I was told by one AZT finisher that this is the “classic Lemmon cheat.” I’ll take any help I can get.

Arizona Trail Day 11, Mile 187 to 215 down the west side of the Santa Catalina Mountains, a cumulative drop of around 8,000 feet. I had two wonderful trail angels meet me in Oracle for lunch. Thanks everyone for your support in this endeavor! Sunrise to sunset was 12:01 so now unofficially past the equinox. Yay!

Arizona Trail Day 12, Mile 215 to 245 past Antelope Peak in the Sonoran Desert. I saw my first wild desert tortoise in my life! I hiked a while with Martin and Mama Goose who were great to talk to. I avoided the heat of the day and went to the movie Hoppers in Oro Valley with my Mom, then did 8.5 miles after sunset.

Arizona Trail Day 13, Mile 245 to 265 down to the Kelvin Bridge across the Gila River. Starting in the dark, I was able to finish before noon for a pickup from my parents. With temperatures 28 degrees above average for the next few days, I’ve decided to head home to Pine to cover some higher elevation miles on the AZT then come back when it cools down.

You can keep track of where I am at on the Garmin website through this link: https://live.garmin.com/ScottSink

I will also be updating my Instagram account with photos when I have signal: https://www.instagram.com/ravenabouttheparks/