Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I Get There?

Please see our Directions page.

2.Where can I Stay and Eat?

Restaurants and motel accommodations are available in Tulelake and neighboring towns approximately 30 minutes from the Visitor Center. Places to stay are listed on our Lodging page.

3. What is There to See at each Site from the Road?

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.

At the Tule Lake Segregation Center, along Hwy 139 there is memorial marker that provides an overview of the history of Japanese American incarceration. Behind the marker is the concrete jail that was built after Tule Lake was converted from a war relocation center into a maximum security segregation center.

4. What is There to See or Do at the Visitor Center?

Currently the visitor center is located inside the Tulelake Butte Valley Fairground office, and offers interpretive displays that provide an overview of both Camp Tulelake and the Tule Lake Segregation Center. The visitor center is staffed Memorial Day through Labor Day, with brochures and exhibits available year round.The visitor center also provides easy access to the Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair Museum of Local History.

5. When are Ranger Guided Tours Offered? How do I Sign Up for Them?

Tours are offered regularly Memorial Day through Labor Day on Saturdays, 10 AM for the segregation center, and 1 PM for Camp Tulelake. Making reservations is advised, as tours do occasionally fill up.

Tours are offered between Labor Day and Memorial Day by request. To request a tour please contact the visitor center.

6. 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.

7. Do Former Incarcerees come back to visit?

Former incarcerees 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; the next pilgrimage will take place in 2016. Many former detainees, and a growing number of young people, participate in this event.