Looking for more to do around Medicine Lake?
Check out my reviews of A.H. Hogue Campground and Medicine Lake’s Beach.
LOCATION
- Glass Mountain is located in Northern California’s Modoc National Forest, roughly a ten mile drive from Medicine Lake.
LENGTH
- Variable — You can walk for miles through piles of volcanic glass, but be mindful that there isn’t always a clear route to follow and you may find yourself drawn to explore off trail. Be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to your route so you can easily find your way back.
DIFFICULTY
- Variable — These rocks truly are glass, so wear closed shoes with good tread and proceed carefully, or you could be badly cut. A wide path winds through the rocks, and is the easiest option. Off this path, you’ll climb over and around very sharp, loose stones, so know your limits and use good judgement.
WE HIKED IT
August 2020, about an hour of exploring
CURRENT INFO
It’s surprisingly difficult to find much about Glass Mountain online, particularly the spot we visited. Perhaps this is to discourage those who might come to steal obsidian, which is illegal. The USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) website has some information. There’s also a challenging hike you can access from the opposite side of the mountain, many miles by car from where we accessed it near Medicine Lake.
GOOD TO KNOW
- There is no fee to visit Glass Mountain.
- Access to the mountain is down a rough dirt road. A high clearance vehicle is recommended, although most cars could make it.
- This is a remote spot, with no restrooms or drinking water available. Medicine Lake offers the closest vault toilets and drinking water, but no gas stations, stores, or other such facilities.
- Collecting rocks at Glass Mountain is illegal. Please leave the obsidian here for others to admire.
HIGHLIGHTS
Glass Mountain is a place unlike any other we’ve visited. When you realize the pile of rocks before you really is volcanic glass, then walk further up into the rocks and realize the vastness of this alien landscape… it boggles the mind. Giant boulders of obsidian are especially impressive. The fact that you might have the place all to yourself only heightens the feeling of being in another world.
THE KIDS’ TAKE
When the kids saw the obsidian up close, they were fascinated, then awed by the sheer magnitude of this place. My older son, J, and I agreed that it felt like being on a strange planet out of the Star Wars universe. Be very sure kids understand that no running is allowed – falling here could take your skin right off.
WHILE YOU’RE HERE
The area of Glass Mountain that we explored is a short drive from Medicine Lake, making this a great place to visit if you’re camping there. Medicine Lake also offers a beautiful beach and day use area. There are no facilities nearby other than the vault toilets and drinking water found at Medicine Lake, so bring everything you need with you, and fill up with gas in town before driving into the Modoc National Forest.
Our Experience
While planning our time in Medicine Lake, I came across the name “Glass Mountain” on the map. Glass Mountain? I was intrigued. Trying to find out more, I did some searching online, but found very little about the logistics of visiting this mysterious place, which was apparently a massive obsidian flow created by a volcanic eruption almost one thousand years ago.
With so little information, I wasn’t sure if we would make the effort to visit Glass Mountain, but it stayed in the back of my mind. We spent two nights camping at nearby Medicine Lake, enjoying a relaxing day with no big plans. We didn’t stray far from the campground that morning, but by mid-afternoon, Michael and I felt a pull to explore more of what the area had to offer, and set out on a drive with no real agenda.
Luckily for us, the name Glass Mountain started appearing on signs as we left the campground. Since it was only about ten miles away, we decided to check it out. We followed the signs as best we could, and were soon bumping down a rocky, rutted dirt road. Eventually, we saw strange rock formations appear through the trees to our left. I kept an eye on the odometer, as a previous sign indicated we were about four miles from Glass Mountain when we left the pavement behind. Right around the four mile mark, the road widened, and we found a spot to pull over next to a gigantic rock pile.
The kids weren’t exactly enthused at first, but I got them out of the car and made them trade their sandals for socks and hiking boots. Picking up a few specimens for a closer examination, I showed them pieces of sharp black obsidian. “It’s glass,” I told them. “Created from a volcanic eruption. We’re going to be walking on glass, and it’s extremely sharp.” The boys’ interests immediately picked up. Even rocks that from a distance appeared to be plain grey stones revealed delicate patterns and layers on closer inspection.
Not far from our parking spot, we followed an unmarked path up into a vast wilderness of jumbled rocks. As we walked, we heard the sound of glass being crushed underfoot. Cresting a ridge, our surroundings opened up, giving us a clear view of Glass Mountain in the distance. Its dusty, reddish flanks looked dull at first, but if you looked closely, you could see an occasional sparkle as the sunlight caught bits of far-off obsidian.
Here, close at hand, we found piles of broken obsidian creating lumpy towers across the landscape. The boys went into explorer mode, climbing through the rubble to get a closer view. I admit I was a little nervous, especially with four-year-old T.
“Don’t run!” I called. “Be careful!” Like any mother, I could imagine one of them tripping, followed by painful cries as I worked to pull shards of volcanic glass from their bloody knees.
Fortunately, that vision did not come to pass. The kids were just fine, and had a great time exploring. Michael and I were also fascinated by the strange formations, both large and small, that surrounded us.
We were also mystified by how alone we were. We encountered no other cars on the drive out and back, and no other people among the rocks. It seemed to be a place wholly off the radar, so unusual in these days of Instagram.
After we had our fill, we headed to the car, driving back down the bumpy road toward Medicine Lake. I didn’t mind the rough drive, knowing that our experience had been well worth the bumps it took to get there. Sometimes, taking the road less traveled brings its own unique rewards, and this was definitely one of those times.
