Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Get There?

Please see our directions page.

How Do I Take a Tour?

Ranger tours are offered between Memorial Day and Labor Day on Thursdays through Sundays. There is a limit to the number of people per tour, so please call 530-260-0537 to reserve your spot on a tour.

Tours may be available when the monument is closed for the winter season. Please call 530-667-8119 two weeks in advance to request an off-season tour.

Large groups and groups who want a tour outside normal hours must submit their request at least two weeks in advance.

School groups and similar organizations can call ahead to request a special tour. These tours are designed around the curriculum needs and interests of the group. Please call Ranger Angela Sutton at least four weeks in advance to request a tour, at 530-667-8119.

What is There to See?

We recommend you begin your visit at Tule Lake Visitor Center. The monument includes several sites around the Tule Lake area. Most can be seen from the road, but can only be entered on a ranger-guided tour.

Expand your visit with other (non-NPS) sites in the area that commemorate WWII and local history, including the Tulelake-Butte Valley Fairgrounds Museum and California Historical Landmark Plaque. 

Tule Lake Visitor Center

In summer, stop by the Tule Lake Visitor Center to learn about the Segregation Center, watch park videos, and browse the park store. Tours meet here; please call in advance to make reservations as space is limited.

Tule Lake Segregation Center Jail

The Tule Lake Segregation Center was the only one of the ten War Relocation Centers to be converted into a maximum security segregation center and add a stockade and jail to the grounds.

Visitors may only enter the jail and stockade area on a ranger guided tour, but you are welcome to take photos of the jail and stockade area from outside the fence.

Camp Tulelake

Currently closed for historic restoration work. Visitors are welcome to take pictures of the buildings and view the road side exhibits from outside the fence.

At Camp Tulelake you can view four of the original twenty-three buildings that were built in 1935 by Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees. There is also a wayside panel at the entrance of the camp that explains the site's history from 1935 through 1946.

Castle Rock

Near Tule Lake Segregation Center is an 800-foot bluff called Castle Rock. Atop Castle Rock is a replica of the cross that was placed there by Nikkei incarcerated at Tule Lake before it became a segregation center. The Peninsula is managed primarily for raptor and wildlife habitat and is closed to the public.

Where Can I Eat and Stay?

The closest restaurants and motel accommodations are available in the city of Tulelake and neighboring towns approximately 30 minutes from the Visitor Center.

What Happened to all the Buildings from the Segregation Center?

After the war most of the residential barracks were distributed to local farms that were part of the 1946 homestead lottery. Barracks could be purchased for $1, plus the transportation cost of $50.

Some WWII era buildings can still be seen around the area. To see an example of a Tule Lake Segregation Center barracks and guard tower, please visit Tulelake-Butte Valley Fairgrounds Museum.

The buildings that now stand on the historic footprint of the segregation center are part of the town of Newell and were built after WWII. Some areas of the former camp are now private property; please be considerate while exploring the area.

Do Survivors Come Back to Visit?

Survivors and their families come back to Tule Lake. The Tule Lake Committee, a nonprofit educational organization, sponsors a pilgrimage to Tule Lake over the July 4th weekend on a bi-annual basis. Many former detainees, and a growing number of young people, participate in this event. Others return on their own travels or for educational projects.