0
Pull-thru
USFSModoc National Forest · California
Medicine Lake Recreation Area
Overview The popular Medicine Lake Recreation Area and adjacent Medicine Lake are located in the Medicine Lake Highlands in northeastern California.
Sites7516 reservable
Elev.6,801ft
Comf.Jun-Oct5 months
Max rig75 ft
Electricnonesites
From Sacramento6h00real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 6,801 ft, Medicine Lake Recreation Area has a 5-month comfortable window (Jun-Oct). Winter nights average around 22°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 75 sites total: 16 reservable and 59 first-come, first-served. Within about 4 miles: 2 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and cool nights. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Jul
Jun-Oct
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
90%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Jun 15
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 4.
52°F
Average July low. Bring a fleece.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Sacramento
270 mi
6h00
02
San Francisco
347 mi
7h43
03
Fresno
453 mi
10h04
04
Los Angeles
717 mi
15h56
05
San Diego
857 mi
19h03
By drive time
Picking your site
04 · 75 SITES
Color byShow only
75 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
75
Sites
★ The standout
Site 011
Medicine Campground · shaded.
To neighbor
163 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
2
Peaks
2
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.