Captain Jack's Stronghold
Lava Beds National Monument · near Tulelake · Shasta Cascade
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- easy
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 2.3 miles
- Elevation gain
- 100 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Spring and fall · Exposed and often windy off Tule Lake; hot in summer
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- Yes
- How the permit works
- ~$25/vehicle Lava Beds NM entrance fee. Flat, easy interpretive loop on good gravel/paved surface at the far north end. Dogs prohibited.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Natural lava fortress · Modoc War (1872–73) battle site · Interpretive loop · Tule Lake basin & waterfowl views
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Read the interpretive panels in order — the loop only makes sense as a story. Fully exposed and windy off Tule Lake; bring a hat and water. Nearby Petroglyph Point makes a good cultural add-on.
The guide
A natural fortress of lava trenches and ramparts where a small band of Modoc under Kintpuash ('Captain Jack') held off a far la…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Captain Jack's Stronghold — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 41.8128, -121.5006