Modoc County ( ) is a county located in the far northeast corner of the U.S. state of California. Its population is 8,700 as of the 2020 census, down from 9,686 from the 2010 census. This makes it California's third-least-populous county. The county seat and only incorporated city is Alturas. Previous County seats include Lake City and Centerville. The county borders Nevada and Oregon. Much of Modoc County is federal land. Several federal agencies, including the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, have employees assigned to the area, and their operations are a significant part of its economy and services. The county's official slogans include "The last best place" and "Where the West still lives".
Adin (formerly, Adinville and Aidenville) is a census-designated place in Modoc County, California. It is located 29 miles (47 km) southwest of Alturas, at an elevation of 4,203 feet (1,281 m). Its population is 205 as of the 2020 census, down from 272 from the 2010 census.
Alturas (Spanish for "Heights"; Achumawi: Kasalektawi) is the only incorporated city in Modoc County, California of which it is also the county seat. Located in the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California, the city had a population of 2,715 at the 2020 census. Alturas is located at the confluence of the south and north forks of the Pit River, east of the center of Modoc County, at an elevation of 4,370 feet (1,330 m). Alturas is one of the largest cities in the region and a local economic hub.
Goose Lake is a large alkaline lake in the Goose Lake Valley on the Oregon–California border in the United States. Like many other lakes in the Great Basin, it is a pluvial lake that formed from precipitation and melting glaciers during the Pleistocene epoch. The north portion of the lake is in Lake County, Oregon, and the south portion is in Modoc County, California. The mountains at the north end of the lake are part of the Fremont National Forest, and the south end of the lake is adjacent to Modoc National Forest lands. Most of the valley property around the lake is privately owned agricultural land, though Goose Lake State Recreation Area is on the Oregon side of the lake.
The Pit River is a major river draining from northeastern California into the state's Central Valley. The Pit, the Klamath and the Columbia are the only three rivers in the U.S. that cross the Cascade Range.
Cedarville Airport (FAA LID: O59) is a public airport located two miles (3.2 km) north of Cedarville, serving Modoc County, California, United States. It is mostly used for general aviation.
Alturas Municipal Airport (ICAO: KAAT, FAA LID: AAT formerly O00), is a city-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) west of the central business district of Alturas, a city in Modoc County, California, United States. This airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013, which categorizes it as a general aviation facility.
Adin Airport (FAA LID: A26) is a county-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) southwest of the central business district of Adin, an unincorporated community in Modoc County, California, United States.
The Alturas Indian Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe of Achomawi Indians in California. The tribe controls a 20-acre (81,000 m2) reservation near Alturas, California, in Modoc County. Tribal enrollment is estimated at 15. The tribe operates the Desert Rose Casino and the Rose Cafe in Alturas. The reservation lies about one mile southeast of downtown Alturas.
The Battle of Dry Lake, also known as Sorass Lake, was the first decisive victory of the United States over the Modoc Indians in northern California in 1873. The battle led to the splintering of the Modoc bands, and was the last major battle of the Modoc War.
Big Sage Reservoir is an artificial lake in Modoc County, California and Modoc National Forest. Its waters are impounded by Big Sage Dam, which was completed in 1921 (1921).
California Pines Airport (FAA LID: A24) is a small airport in Alturas, California. The airport is served by a single asphalt runway.
Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States in northeastern California. It includes about 20,000 acres (81 km2) of open water surrounded by over 26,000 acres (110 km2) of upland bunchgrass, low sagebrush, and juniper habitat. small, rocky islands in the wetlands provide breeding sites for American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, and other colony-nesting birds.
Clear Lake Reservoir is a reservoir in the Klamath Basin and the Modoc National Forest, in northwestern Modoc County, California.
Day is an unincorporated community in Modoc County, California. It is located 22 miles (35 km) west of Adin, at an elevation of 3645 feet (1111 m).
Eagle Peak is located in the Warner Mountains in Modoc County, California, United States. The area is protected in the South Warner Wilderness on the Modoc National Forest. The summit is the highest point in the Warner Mountains and Modoc County. Much of the precipitation that falls on Eagle Peak is snow due to the high elevation of the mountain.
The Fandango Pass (previously Lassen Pass; variants Lassen Cut-off, Lassen Horn) is a gap in the Warner Mountains of Modoc County, California, USA. Located in the Modoc National Forest, its elevation is 6,135 feet (1,870 m) above sea level. It is approximately 5 mi (8.0 km) southwest of Fort Bidwell.
Hackamore (formerly Jaquina) is an unincorporated community in Modoc County, California. It is located on the Southern Pacific Railroad 30 miles (48 km) west of Alturas, at an elevation of 4705 feet (1434 m).
The Tule Lake War Relocation Center, also known as the Tule Lake Segregation Center, was an American concentration camp located in Modoc and Siskiyou counties in California and constructed in 1942 by the United States government to incarcerate Japanese Americans, forcibly removing from their homes on the West Coast. They totaled nearly 120,000 people, more than two-thirds of whom were United States citizens. Among the inmates, the notation "Tsurureiko (鶴嶺湖)" was sometimes applied.
Menlo Baths is a former settlement in Modoc County, California. It was located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southeast of Eagleville, at an elevation of 4587 feet (1398 m).
Modoc High School (MHS) is a small high school located in Alturas, California. It is one of two high schools located in Modoc County, California.
Modoc National Forest is a 1,654,392-acre (6,695 km2) U.S. national forest in Northeastern California.
The Petroglyph Point is an archaeological site within the Lava Beds National Monument, located southeast of Tulelake, California. Petroglyph Point contains one of the largest panels of Native American rock art in the United States. The petroglyphs are carved along the face of a former island of ancient Tule Lake, in a region historically of the Modoc people territory. The Petroglyph Point Archeological Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, while the Lava Beds National Monument Archeological District was listed in March 1991.
The Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Alturas, California is a historic church at 507 E. 4th Street. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The South Warner Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area 12 miles (19 km) east of Alturas, California, United States. It encompasses more than 70,000 acres (283 km2) of the Warner Mountains. It is within the Modoc National Forest and managed by the US Forest Service. Elevations range from 5,000 feet (1,500 m) to 9,895 feet at Eagle Peak.
Tionesta is an unincorporated community in Modoc County, California. It is located on the former Great Northern Railway Bieber Line, 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Timber Mountain, at an elevation of 4278 feet (1304 m).
Tulelake Municipal Airport (FAA LID: O81) is a public airport adjacent to the community of Newell, California. Located in Modoc County seven miles (11 km) southeast of the city of Tulelake, it serves the Modoc and Siskiyou County area. This general aviation airport covers 358 acres (145 ha) and has one paved runway. Primary users are crop dusting and general aviation pilots. There is no scheduled service to Tulelake Muni, and the airport is unattended, with no control tower.
White Horse (also, Whitehorse and Kinyon) is an unincorporated community in Modoc County, California. It is located on the former Great Northern Railway Hambone Line, off the Bieber Line, that connected with the McCloud River Railroad. 25 miles (40 km) west-northwest of Adin, 0.7 miles (1.1 km) east of Whitehorse Flat Reservoir and 47 miles (76 km) west-southwest of Alturas, at an elevation of 4423 feet (1348 m).
Davis Creek is an unincorporated community in Modoc County, California. It is located 19 miles (31 km) north-northeast of Alturas, at an elevation of 4846 feet (1477 m). There is a post office, service station, and mini-mart housed in a single structure. The ZIP Code is 96108. The community is inside area code 530.
Modoc National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in northeastern California. It is next to the South Fork of the Pit River in Modoc County, southeast of Alturas.
Fox Mountain is a mountain located in the Modoc-Lassen Plateau of southwest Modoc County, California, which stands at 1,944 m (6,378 ft). It is around 11.1 km (6.9 mi) northwest of Adin, California.
Warren Peak is a 9,710-foot-elevation (2,960-meter) mountain summit located in Modoc County, California, United States.
Ash Creek Wildlife Area is a protected area managed by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It is located in Lassen and Modoc Counties of northeastern California, about 5 miles (9 kilometers) northeast of Bieber. It was created in 1986 to provide habitats for local species.