Butte Valley Visitors Information

Sunshine reigns in Butte Valley on an average of 275 days a year. The high, dry climate provides warm summers and mild winters. When snow falls, it rarely stays on the ground more than 2-3 days. The average mean temperature is 48.4 with an annual precipitation of 13.06". The average high temperature in July is 79.6 degrees with an average low in January of 22.5 degrees. Although the weather is mild, WATER is plentiful with deep wells that are cold and pure.

Located within Butte Valley is the town of Macdoel, founded in 1906 it is an unincorporated town 15 miles south of the Oregon Border. Macdoel offers two service stations, mini-marts, a restaurant and a truck scale. It also has two major potato packers and shippers. Macdoel has an excellent attorney available to handle your legal needs and one of the best Real Estate companies in the county.

Macdoel is the home of ‘Macdoel Downs’ the site of one of the most fascinating sporting events in the country. The Cal-Ore Chariot Club holds chariot races every Sunday at 1:00 from the first weekend of December to the first weekend of March. Once a year they have the Tri-State Invitational which involves at least three clubs, Richfield, Idaho; Ashland, Oregon; Wells, Nevada and the Cal-Ore Chariot Club from Macdoel. It is truly worth the trip to watch these races!

Also in Butte Valley is the City of Dorris. Incorporated in 1908, Dorris was founded in 1907 when the Railroad came through Butte Valley. Several buildings were moved from the former town of Picard, four miles west, to the present town of Dorris. The move was made by placing round logs under the buildings and pulling them forward with horses or mules.

Dorris has two motels, a quaint old style hotel, a bed and breakfast and an RV park for your lodging needs. You can shop for groceries at our fully stocked market, which has its own butcher shop.

You can pick up your hardware supplies at our local hardware store and enjoy a delicious meal at one of our fine restaurants. We have a Pizza Parlor that has a vide variety of food to choose from. Like Mexican food? We have two of the best in the county. You can stop at our local drive-inn for quick meals and your favorite fountain treats or try our other full service restaurant with a bar for your liquid refreshments. We have two service stations, AAA road service and towing service. Dorris also has a mini-mall, a Laundromat, two beauty shops, a weekly newspaper and four churches. We also have nationally known Morgan, Arabian, Quarter, Paint and Missouri Foxtrotter horse breeders.

Butte Valley is also famous for it's farming and cattle industries. Hay, potatoes and strawberry plants are major crops in the area. Hay is shipped from Butte Valley through out the west coast and overseas. Our potatoes are also shipped nation wide and to overseas markets. Strawberry plants are grown in Butte Valley for sale to nurseries and strawberry growers. Cattle has always been a mainstay in the Butte Valley economy. If you visit Dorris at the right times of the year you might see one of our annual cattle drives through town.

Dorris has an excellent Volunteer Fire Dept. We have two ambulances and an expertly staffed medical clinic. You will also find a wonderful High School and Elementary school staffed by dedicated teachers and support personnel. Dorris is the home of internationally recognized saddle maker, Conrad Koppenhafer. Among Koppenhafers most famous patrons is former President Ronald Reagan. We also have two lumber mills one manufactures molding , the other makes boards to be made into pallets.

Dorris has the tallest flagpole west of the Mississippi. The Dorris Lions Club organized a huge volunteer effort to finance and build this tremendous monument. The flagpole is 200 feet high and buried in 22 feet of concrete to be able to withstand winds up to 100 miles per hour.

The Butte Valley Museum and Historical Society is very busy setting up a museum to preserve the unique history of Butte Valley. Their first major acquisition was the 1875 log cabin that sits on the west side of Hwy.97 at the south end of town. The cabin was built by the Dysert family and donated by Don Dysert. Click Here to see Photos of the Cabin.

Butte Valley Wildlife Area and Meiss Lake offer many different habitats including forest, grassland, wetland, lake and cropland which results in a wide diversity of plant and animal life. Over 200 bird species and 50 mammal species have been identified. Visitors wishing to drive a loop through Butte Valley, including Butte Valley Wildlife Area should take Meiss Lake Rd. from Macdoel to the Butte Valley Wildlife Area tour route. Continue on Sam’s Neck, which leads back to Hwy. 97 on the north side of the wildlife area. Watch for the large population of bald eagles in the area.

Lower Klamath and Tulelake National Wildlife Refuges, have over 263 species of birds. Visitors can expect a show at almost anytime of the year. Fall is dynamic, with three-quarters of the waterfowl migrating along the Pacific Flyway visiting the refuges. By late December the remaining waterfowl attract thousands of raptors, including the largest concentration of wintering bald eagles in the lower 48 states. Be sure to stop by the Tulelake Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center on Hill Rd. to pick up a driving tour map and bird list. View Our Butte Valley Wildlife Photo Gallery!

Butte Valley and the Klamath National Forest provides excellent hunting opportunities for big game; antelope, deer, bear and wild boar. For small game you have quail, band-tail pigeons, ducks and geese. The many streams and lakes in the area provide excellent angling opportunities. Some waters are regularly stocked, while others offer natural populations of gamefish. Check with the ranger districts for stocking schedules.
Information written by Skip Taylor

Klamath Basin Birding Trail - The Klamath Basin is renowned for it's wide diversity and abundance of bird life due to its diverse habitats including marshes, open water, coniferous forest, Juniper woodlands, oak-chaparral, sagebrush-grasslands, grassy meadow and rocky cliffs.

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Camping and Recreation Access

Butte Valley is central to several beautiful campgrounds. Juanita Lake has BARRIER FREE access, 23 campsites and recreational activities that include fishing, swimming and hiking. A paved path extends all around the lake, providing Handicap Access. The 55-acre lake is regularly stocked with rainbow and brown trout and has a bass and catfish population. No motors are allowed on the lake, however it’s size makes it ideal for rowboats, rafts or canoes.

Juanita Lake: Nine Miles west of Macdoel, on Meiss Lake Road. the 24 units have tables and stoves, trailer space, picnic area, boat ramp, pit toilets, piped water, and a hiking trail around the lake. There are approximately 260 miles of signed trails in a Tri-Forest area. This area is suitable for snowmobiling, snowshoers, skiers and dogsledders. There are four different snowmobile parks linked to each other. All parks are within a day’s travel of each other.

Martin's Dairy: Located on the south slope of Ball Mountain at the head waters of the Little Shasta River. Martin’s Dairy Campground was a dairy and a creamery located on the Martin Ranch before 1900. This camping area offers 8 campsites with piped water and sanitary facilities. Martin’s Dairy Horse Camp is about � mile from Martin’s Dairy and has 4 campsites and a 4-stall corral and limited horse trailer space. Recreational activities include fishing in the Little Shasta River, which is regularly stocked with trout and hiking in this quiet and scenic area.

Shafter: On gravel road six miles south of the town of Mount Hebron with tables, benches, stoves, piped water, sanitary facilities and trailer spaces. Shafter Campground has 10 campsites. It is a tranquil campground next to lush meadows with wildflowers early in the season. Recreational activities include fishing in Butte Creek, which is regularly stocked with rainbow and brown trout. This campground is also popular during fall hunting season.

Medicine Lake: Medicine Lake, east of Macdoel in the Modoc National Forest, has 72 campsites and covers 600 acres. It is a popular and beautiful spot for boating, swimming, fishing, and camping lake near Glass Mountain. The Forest Service campgrounds on the north and south shores are reached by following roads from Dorris, Mt. Hebron, and Tennant.

Orr Lake: Now a Forest Service campground, this lake is between Highway 97 and Tennant. Boating (no motors over 12 hp), swimming, picnicking, camping, and fishing are allowed. Check with Goosenest Ranger Station for facilities status at: 530-398-4391.

Information written by Skip Taylor

Winter Recreation Access:

Juanita Lake Cross-Country Ski Area has twelve miles of trails that are designated for cross country skiing and range from easy to more difficult. Access to the cross country ski trail begins at the intersection of Meiss Lake Road (8Q02) and Mistletoe Road (46N02). Parking is available at the Butte Valley Wildlife Area parking lot. Park and walk across Meiss Lake Road to the trialhead. Or you can begin your ski trip at North Juanita Lake Road (46N04) where it intersects with Meiss Lake Road.

The ski route begins on Mistletoe Road and gradually climbs until it junctions with Juanita Lake Road (46N04). The trail then crosses the road and continues toward the south dam of Juanita Lake. Before reaching this junction, another route rated "most difficult" branches off the Mistletoe Road to the northwest and continues to the east shore of Juanita Lake. An easy loop trail is designated around the lake. You will find additional routes that go to Musgrave Creek located on Road (46N92) or that lead you back to Meiss Lake Road via North Juanita Lake Road. The trail system is marked with blue diamonds on trees, and the trail is marked at each intersection designating difficulty level. The system is groomed and tracks set depending on snow conditions. Excellent views of Butte Valley, Mt. Shasta, Mt. McLoughlin and Juanita Lake are offered. Restrooms and picnic tables are provided at Juanita Lake Campground.

Maps showing trails are available at the Goosenest Ranger District office on Hwy. 97 south of Macdoel. Phone: (530) 398-4391.

Information supplied by Goosenest Ranger District, Klamath National Forest

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Medicine Lake Highlands Volcano

Mt. Shasta to the south ejects lava as solid blocks or as a plastic material that accumulates at its summit which gives the mountain its great height. Medicine Lake Highlands is a SHIELD VOLCANO so vast that it was not recognized as a volcano by the early Europeans who named it. Lava flows from it in a very liquid state giving it a low profile similar to Hawaiian type volcanoes. A trip into this largely uninhabited forested land will reveal recent lava flows and wondrous rock formations.

Medicine Lake Volcano is located in the Medicine Lake Highlands Caldera. A caldera is a crater more than a mile across. This calderas is 4 1/2 miles wide and 6 1/2 miles long. The lake at an elevation of 6,700 feet is over 120 feet deep in the area of the collapsed done. The lake offers camping, swimming, picnicking, and fishing. Drinking water and pit toilets are available. During the summer months a USFS ranger station is open at the west end of the lake.

The medicine Lake Highlands if reached by Red Rock Road from Macdoel which is located on U.S. Highway 97. There are NO SERVICES after leaving Macdoel, so plan on being self sufficient until you return to a town.

Little Glass Mountain is a rhyolite, pumice and obsidian lava flow about 11,000 years old. The obsidian found here is not suitable for projectile points because of extensive crystaubolite content that causes it to flake erratically.

Obsidian removal is controlled by the U.S. Forest Service. Check with the Goosenest Ranger Station on Highway 97 just south of Macdoel for details. It is suggested that you also pick up Forest Service maps of the area from this location.

Little Mount Hoffman is a cinder cone. A steep, narrow road best suited for four wheel drive vehicles leads to the summit. Passenger cars are not recommended. At the deep pot holes near the summit, take the left road and loop clockwise. There is a spectacular view of nearby volcanic areas and nearby mountains. To the east is the Medicine Lake caldera. To the west is the Little Glass Mountain and Pumice Stone Mountain. Three major volcanoes of the Cascade range can be seen. To the east is Mount Lassen at elevation 10,457 feet; to the west is Mount Shasta at elevation 14,161 feet; and to the northwest is Mount McLoughlin at elevation 9,494 feet.

This area is so extensive that only a few of the interesting sites are listed. There is the Lava Beds National Monument to the north and many more sites to the south. Plan to spend at least a full day in the area just to get a feel for this amazing area! All listed sites can be seen from the road or by taking a short hike. It is suggested that you do not venture far from the road unless you have experienced hiking in trackless areas.

A note of CAUTION: Winter driving conditions may exist from October to June with snow possible any month of the year.

Information prepared by The Butte Valley Chamber of Commerce and supplied by Goosenest Ranger District, Klamath National Forest

You are invited to come to Butte Valley and take advantage of our friendly services, enjoy our historic sites and take advantage of our many recreational activities!