After a quick stay in Bend we are heading south for the winter again. Always up for adventure, we’re checking out Lava Beds National Monument on our way. We found a nice spot boondocking in the forest just outside the monument. There is a campground in Lava Beds, but we always prefer the privacy and quiet of boondocking.
With an eye on the upcoming weather, we decided to spend our first couple days doing rides in the area while it is sunny and warm. We’ll leave the cave exploring to cool and possibly rainy days forecasted for this weekend. Our first ride was outstanding. It really packed a lot into one day! Our ride was 28 miles with 2184′ of climbing up to a high-point of 7136′.
Glass Mountain
We started our ride at on overlook by Glass Mountain on Forest Service Road 97. This road, by the way, would make a beautiful road ride. Almost immediately we turned left and started the climb up gravel road 43N99 to Lyon Peak and Glass Mountain. Glass Mountain is a giant deposit of obsidian. Volcanic rocks cool quickly after lava erupts from vents, leaving very little time for crystal formation; as a result, the rocks at this lava flow are obsidian with a glassy appearance. Obsidian within the Medicine Lake Highlands has been used for thousands of years by numerous American Indian tribes. With a cutting edge sharper than a surgical scalpel, obsidian was formed into a variety of everyday tools. Obsidian from the Medicine Lake Highlands was a principal trade item and has been found as far away as California’s northwestern coast and central valley.
After Glass Mountain we rode down the back side along the flow through more forest, got a glimpse of Mount Shasta, and turned back onto FS44N15. We hit a bit of pavement a few miles later for the climb up past the Medicine Lake Glass Flow. We took a sharp left onto more gravel at FS44N50 and enjoyed quiet forest roads some more. Our next highlight was Medicine Lake but we had to wind through some small dirt roads to get through a big logging area first. But the lake!
Medicine Lake
Medicine Lake is the center of a shield volcano that has been active for 500,000 years. Its eruptions, from nearly 520 surface vents, have been gentle rather than explosive, resulting in a low gently sloping shield-like profile. The lake sits at 6700′ and is surrounded by some campgrounds. We stopped at Little Medicine Lake which is more like a pond, and then the big lake. The lake looked pretty low to me but it still draws crowds in the summer. We saw three people when we were there, but it is fall and not prime time.The rest of the ride took us by some dried up lakes and around the back side of Lyon Peak back to our starting point.
This ride has a lot of bang for its buck. I’d highly recommend it in fall when the summer crowds are gone. All day we saw three cars and 6 people. In the summer you would definitely have company as people flee Redding for the color climate of the mountains.
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