Modoc Volcanic Scenic Byway — Lava Beds to Medicine Lake Highlands

Most of California never finds Modoc County, and that’s exactly the point. This route threads north from Lava Beds National Monument — where Captain Jack and the Modoc warriors held off the U.S. Army through a winter of lava tube warfare in 1872-73 — up through Glass Mountain, an obsidian flow so massive and glittering it looks extraterrestrial, and onto the Medicine Lake Highlands plateau at over 7,000 feet. The caldera lake sits inside a shield volcano, surrounded by pumice flats and lodgepole pine. Side spurs drop into Burnt Lava Flow and Schonchin Butte for views across the entire Cascade-Modoc interface.

The main route is a confident high-clearance drive on graded gravel and maintained dirt — doable in a stock 4WD or capable AWV. Side spurs into the lava flows get rockier and require skid plates. Snow closes the highlands roads from November through May; always verify with the Modoc National Forest before running Medicine Lake in shoulder seasons. No fuel between Tulelake and McCloud — a 90-mile gap. Cell service is essentially nonexistent. Dispersed camping on Modoc National Forest land is free and wide open. Bring water, layers, and a willingness to go days without seeing another rig.