Mountain · 1 route

Harris Knoll

4,371 ft · California

Summit
4,371 ft
Routes
1 way up

Route up Harris Knoll

  1. Thomas-Wright Battlefield TrailEasyabout 207 ft of climbing2.3 mi round tripSee the route
Map of the route up Harris Knoll, with each route's start numbered and the summit marked
Thomas-Wright Battlefield TrailMap © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap contributors

About Harris Knoll

Harris Knoll is a summit of 4,371 feet in northern California, where the Doublehead Ranger District of Modoc National Forest meets Lava Beds National Monument. The nearest town is Newell, about 12 miles away. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July and August highs around 86°F with lows near 50°F and only two or three wet days a month. Winter brings highs in the low 40s and regular snow days. The Thomas-Wright Battlefield Trail starts just 0.1 mile away, and the Gold Digger Pass Trail and Schonchin Lookout Trail are both within about 2 miles. Tulelake is the closest town for supplies.

Forecast on Harris Knoll

Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.

Questions about Harris Knoll

How tall is Harris Knoll?

4,371 ft (1,332 m).

How many routes go to the summit of Harris Knoll?

One: Thomas-Wright Battlefield Trail.

Mountains nearby

More mountains in California

Facts about this place

When to go

Best time to go: May–Jun. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 66–76°F and lows of 38–44°F.

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Lava Beds Nat Mon, CA weather station, 5.1 mi away. High / low in °F, and days with snow.

  1. Jan43° high23° low6 days with snow
  2. Feb46° high25° low5 days with snow
  3. Mar52° high28° low6 days with snow
  4. Apr57° high31° low4 days with snow
  5. May66° high38° low1 days with snow
  6. Jun76° high44° low
  7. Jul86° high52° low
  8. Aug86° high51° low
  9. Sep78° high45° low
  10. Oct66° high36° low1 days with snow
  11. Nov50° high27° low3 days with snow
  12. Dec41° high22° low5 days with snow

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Nearest town
Newell, California · 12 mi

Source: USFS EDW boundaries; NPS Land Resources boundaries; USGS GNIS populated places

Conditions

Active alerts for Lava Beds National Monument as of Oct 9, 2026:

Source: NPS Alerts API

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)

Is Harris Knoll open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists an alert for Modoc National Forest.

  • Forest Fire Restrictions 2026 have been lifted as of 09/27/2026

    Agency alert covering Modoc National Forest · Order 09-26-01 · USFS · Modoc National Forest

As of · Source: USFS · Modoc National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Harris Knoll

Best months: May–June and September–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    43° / 23°

    10 wet · 6 snow

  2. Feb

    46° / 25°

    9 wet · 5 snow

  3. Mar

    52° / 28°

    11 wet · 6 snow

  4. Apr

    57° / 31°

    10 wet · 4 snow

  5. May

    66° / 38°

    8 wet · 1 snow

  6. Jun

    76° / 44°

    6 wet

  7. Jul

    86° / 52°

    3 wet

  8. Aug

    86° / 51°

    2 wet

  9. Sep

    78° / 45°

    3 wet

  10. Oct

    66° / 36°

    5 wet · 1 snow

  11. Nov

    50° / 27°

    9 wet · 3 snow

  12. Dec

    41° / 22°

    9 wet · 5 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lava Beds Nat Mon, CA, 5.1 mi away at 4,770 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.