Little-known compared to the more shapely and famous stratovolcanoes which dominate the Cascade Range, the broad shield of Medicine Lake Volcano is nevertheless the largest volcano in the entire range. It covers an area of over 800 square miles (2000 square km), lying east of the Cascade Crest amidst the barren high desert of northeastern California. Although it rises only 4000 feet (1200 m) above its base, its massive bulk of 150 cubic miles (600 cubic km) easily surpasses the volume of Mount Shasta (90 cubic miles / 350 cubic km) , the largest of the Cascade stratovolcanoes. It is remarkably similar in size, form, and volcanic evolution to the more well-known Newberry Volcano in Oregon, the second largest volcano in the range. Like Newberry, Medicine Lake is a shield volcano which underwent multiple caldera-forming collapses, resulting in a huge 4.5 x 7.5 mile (7 x 12 km) wide depression which houses its namesake lake. Also like Newberry, its flanks are covered with hundreds of cinder cones and accompanying lava flows, while the caldera has several large and very recently formed obsidian flows. The variety of recent volcanic features at Medicine Lake is truly astonishing, and it is a shame that only a small portion of its northern flanks enjoys nationally protected status. The cinder cones, lava flows, and especially the many lava tube caves of little-visited Lava Beds National Monument are fascinating, as are the large obsidian (black volcanic glass) flows of Glass Mountain and Little Glass Mountain.
    More info about Medicine Lake Volcano coming here soon ... including what areas might be skiable, along with how to access them. It does snow heavily in winter, although not nearly as much as places farther west such as Mount Shasta, and large snow patches typically linger into July. There are many cross-country skiing possibilities, although currently only snowmobilers are catered to by the multiple use policies of the US Forest Service.

Route	Ratings				Starting Elevation	Elevation Gain/Loss	Roundtrip Distance	Notes
	Quality	Effort	Ascent	Descent
Ski Mountaineering / Cross-Country Skiing Routes:
Mount Hoffman		6.5			5600 ft (1700 m)	2500 ft (750 m) -200 ft (-50 m)	16 miles (25 km)	Mount Hoffman is the highest point on Medicine Lake Volcano, a small cinder cone perched on the north rim of the caldera. Winter and spring approaches begin from Door Knob Snowmobile Park, about 4 miles (6 km) to the north just south of Lava Beds National Monument, and roads beyond this point are not plowed. Forest Service roads lead high on the north and south flanks, but no roads or trails pass within a mile of the summit. However, the forest cover is not very dense in this area and cross-country travel should be easy when there is even a modest snowpack.
Glass Mountain		7.0			5600 ft (1700 m)	2200 ft (650 m) -200 ft (-50 m)	17 miles (27 km)	Glass Mountain is a massive flow of rhyolite lava, erupted less than 1100 years ago on the northeastern rim of the caldera. The surface of the flow is about 90% pumice and 10% black obsidian, although as with all such flows the core is nearly pure obsidian beginning just a few meters below the surface. The nearly treeless slopes would allow a multitude of ski possibilities, if there is enough snowpack to cover the sharp blocks of obsidian and pumice.
Little Mount Hoffman		5.5			5300 ft (1600 m)	2000 ft (600 m)	14 miles (22 km)	Little Mount Hoffman is medium-size cinder cone located just west of the caldera rim, currently the site of a restored lookout cabin available for rent during the summer. A road switchbacks up the wooded north slope to the summit, while open slopes fall away to the south and west. Winter and spring access begins from Four Corners Snowmobile Park, about 5 miles (8 km) to the northwest.

| Topographic map of Medicine Lake Volcano showing possible ski routes as listed in table above <click map to enlarge, 382 kB file>

| Panoramic view of the Little Glass Mountain obsidian flow in the western part of Medicine Lake Volcano; view looking southwest from Little Mount Hoffman, with Mount Shasta in the distance (digitally composited from three photographs by Amar Andalkar) <click to enlarge>

| Panoramic view from the summit of Little Mount Hoffman, with a 200-degree field of view spanning east to west: high points on the rim of Medicine Lake caldera are at left (beyond outhouse), cinder cones of south flank of Medicine Lake Volcano at center, obsidian flow of Little Glass Mountain at right with Mount Shasta beyond in the distance, and Little Mount Hoffman lookout at right edge (digitally composited from nine photographs by Amar Andalkar) <click to enlarge, 193 kB file>

| Panoramic view of Medicine Lake from its north shore, with a 180-degree field of view spanning the lake from the east end (left) to the west end (right); the broad peak at center is Medicine Mountain, which forms the south rim of the caldera (digitally composited from eight photographs by Amar Andalkar) <click to enlarge>

| Panoramic view of Glass Mountain, a massive obsidian flow on the NE rim of the Medicine Lake caldera, taken while standing on the flow itself; gray material is mostly pumice (frothy, aerated volcanic glass), while dark black areas are nearly pure obsidian (dense volcanic glass) (140-degree field of view, digitally composited from six photographs by Amar Andalkar) <click to enlarge>

| Panoramic version of the photo at the top of this page, showing the classic shield volcano profile of the Medicine Lake Highlands; the flat marshes of Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge are in the foreground, with Mount Shasta in the distance at far right (digitally composited from five photographs by Amar Andalkar) <click to enlarge>

Useful Web Links:

List of Guidebooks:  (detailed references on the bibliography page)

List of Maps:

More photos, routes, links, references, etc. coming soon...
Please contact me with any suggestions, additions, or corrections.