MODOC COUNTY NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY, LAKES, HANG GLIDING AND LAVA FLOWS
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odoc County proves living on the edge can be the most rewarding. This far northeast corner of California combines a fabulous four-season climate with abundant natural resources and a colorful “Wild West” history. With less than 10,000 residents spread over 4,200 miles, it’s a profoundly peaceful setting for a family vacation or a private retreat.
Recreation opportunities abound especially in the warm dry summers, which encourage camping, hiking, fishing, water sports, and many other activities. Truly a land of varied terrain, Modoc County includes one of California’s most beautiful mountain ranges, the Warner Mountains, with their clear alpine streams and, in contrast, portions of high desert dotted with serene lakes. You can visit turn-of-the-century towns, ranches and farmlands in Modoc, frequently compared to the beautiful expanses of Montana, and often called the “place where the west still lives.” Abundant marshes, forests, plains, and lakes provide an ideal habitat for a variety of wildlife; Modoc County and the Modoc Wildlife Refuge are home to bald eagles, peregrine falcons, goshawks, golden eagles, and many other endangered species. Rocky Mountain mule deer and elk, wild horses, burros and pronghorn antelope are just a few of Modoc County’s happy inhabitants. They may even outnumber the people! Take the Modoc Volcanic Scenic Byway to the northwest corner of the county (bordering Siskiyou County) and you’ll discover Lava Beds National Monument, perched upon Medicine Lake Volcano. Over 700 lava tube caves – remnants of the arteries that transported lava from its source – are hidden within these flows. The monument includes Crystal Ice Cave, which contains some of the most spectacular ice formations among these many caves. Due to the sensitive nature of this cave’s formations and its cold environment, Crystal Ice Cave is open to park visitors only on small ranger-guided tours during the winter months. Humans have lived in this region for about 10,500 years; evidence of the Modoc Tribe and their ancestors are in the thousands of carvings at nearby Petroglyph Point or the pictographs at Symbol Bridge and Big Painted Cave, dating between 4,000 and 6,000 years. As settlers began to colonize the area, conflicts arose, leading to the Modoc War of 1872-1873, and you can explore sites like Captain Jack’s Stronghold, where sixty Modoc
warriors held off nearly 1,000 U.S. troops for five months. Take the Emigrant Trails Scenic Byway for the best views of Goose Lake and access to the Warner Mountains, where you’ll find obsidian, petrified wood, assorted gemstones, and unique rocks. There are four areas designated to collect obsidian, requiring a permit from the ranger district. In the broad valley of the Pit River, near the center of Modoc County, you’ll find the town of Alturas, at the junction of Highways 395 and 299. This cordial city serves as the commercial center for northeastern California, with a variety of lodging including bed & breakfast inns, motels, a historic hotel, modern and historic shops, and restaurants. Sugar Hill, about 25 miles north of Alturas, is a favorite site for hang gliders and paragliders; the ideal thermals for soaring the skies attract enthusiasts from all over the world. The friendly locals and landowners who welcome the gliders, coupled with the breathtaking scenery of the Warner Mountains while silently soaring with the birds, make Modoc an amazing place to fly. Cedarville, centrally located in the cattle ranching hub of Surprise Valley, is home to an unusual exhibit of historically significant buildings: the mythical town of “Louisville”. This visit-worthy fictitious town consists of log cabins, a slaughterhouse, schoolhouse, water tower and the old Fort Bidwell and Eagleville jails from the 1800s. The Modoc National Forest and Bureau of Land Management offers some of California’s best campgrounds. For quiet secluded camping try Mill Creek Falls Campground, Reservoir F Campground, Payne Springs Campground, or Ash Creek Campground. For more action, head to the campgrounds at Medicine Lake. For further information contact ShastaCascade Wonderland Association at 800-474-2782 or www.shastacascade.com.
Modoc County Dark Sky Photo: larryturnerphotography.com MODOC COUNTY
Shasta Cascade Visitors Guide
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