Cedarville Airport — Modoc County, California

Cedarville Airport (FAA Identifier: O83) is a public-use general aviation airport located in Cedarville, the county seat of Modoc County in the remote northeastern corner of California. Situated at an elevation of approximately 4,649 feet above mean sea level, the airport serves as a vital air access point for one of the most sparsely populated and geographically isolated counties in the contiguous United States. The surrounding high desert terrain of the Surprise Valley — flanked by the Warner Mountains to the west and Nevada's Great Basin plateau to the east — makes Cedarville Airport an essential link between this frontier community and the broader aviation network of California and the Pacific Northwest.

The airport features a single paved runway, Runway 13/31, stretching approximately 4,300 feet in length, which accommodates a wide range of single-engine and light twin-engine piston aircraft. The runway surface is well-suited for operations by Cessna 172s, Piper PA-28s, Beechcraft Bonanzas, and similarly sized general aviation aircraft routinely used for personal travel, agricultural coordination, search and rescue staging, and emergency medical transport. High-density altitude conditions prevail during summer months due to the combination of elevation and warm temperatures, and pilots are advised to carefully calculate performance data before every departure.

Cedarville Airport is owned and operated by Modoc County and is listed in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) as a general aviation facility. The airport does not currently support scheduled commercial airline service; the nearest commercial airports offering scheduled passenger flights are Redding Municipal Airport (RDD) approximately 170 miles to the southwest, and Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) roughly 120 miles to the southeast. Visitors and residents requiring commercial air travel most often drive to Reno-Tahoe, which offers connections to major hubs including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

The airport serves a critical function during wildfire season, which in Modoc County typically runs from June through October. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) utilize airports throughout the region, including facilities comparable to Cedarville, as staging and refueling points for air tankers, helicopters, and reconnaissance aircraft during active fire suppression efforts. The remote terrain of the Modoc National Forest, which borders Cedarville to the south and west, makes aerial fire-fighting resources indispensable.

Agriculture is the economic backbone of the Surprise Valley, with cattle ranching, hay production, and grain farming dominating the local land use. Cedarville Airport supports aerial agricultural operations including crop surveying and veterinary supply transport to remote ranches that may be inaccessible by road during winter months, when snowfall and ice can close mountain passes including the route over Cedar Pass on State Route 299. The airport's fuel availability — self-serve 100LL Avgas — ensures that transient pilots can refuel during cross-country flights traversing the Great Basin or the northeastern California highlands.

Emergency medical services represent another critical use case for the airport. Modoc County's nearest full-service hospital with surgical capabilities is located in Alturas, approximately 30 miles south, and patients requiring higher-level trauma or specialty care must be transported to facilities in Redding or Reno. Medical evacuation flights staging through or departing from Cedarville Airport have provided life-saving transport for residents of the Surprise Valley communities of Cedarville, Eagleville, and Fort Bidwell.

The airport's fixed-base operator (FBO) services are minimal compared to larger general aviation airports, consistent with its rural character. Pilots should contact Modoc County for current fuel availability, ramp access, and any temporary flight restrictions or NOTAMs affecting operations in the Cedarville area. The airport identifier O83 should be referenced when filing VFR flight plans or querying current weather data through standard aviation weather services including ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot, and the FAA's Aviation Weather Center.

Cedarville Airport Contact Information

Address, Phone Number, and Hours for an Airports in Cedarville, California.

Name Cedarville Airport
Address 30530 Surprise Valley Road, Cedarville CA 96104 Map
Phone (530) 279-2111
Website
Hours

Map of Cedarville Airport

Airports in near by County


Airports near Cedarville

Frequently Asked Questions — Cedarville Airport

Cedarville Airport's FAA identifier is O83. The airport has a single paved runway designated Runway 13/31, approximately 4,300 feet long. The field elevation is about 4,649 feet MSL. Pilots should account for high-density altitude performance penalties, particularly during summer months when temperatures in the Surprise Valley can exceed 90°F.

Cedarville Airport typically offers self-serve 100LL Avgas. Jet-A availability may be limited or unavailable, so turbine aircraft operators should confirm fuel availability in advance by contacting Modoc County directly or checking current AOPA Airport Directory listings. Pilots flying cross-country routes through northeastern California or the Nevada border region often use O83 as a fuel stop.

The nearest commercial airports to Cedarville are Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) approximately 120 miles southeast, and Redding Municipal Airport (RDD) approximately 170 miles southwest. Reno-Tahoe is the more commonly used option, offering connections to Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), Denver (DEN), and other major hubs via airlines including Southwest, United, and Alaska Airlines.

Yes. Cedarville Airport plays an important role in both emergency medical transport and wildfire aviation support for Modoc County. Medical evacuation flights use the airport to transport patients from the Surprise Valley to trauma and specialty care centers in Redding or Reno. During fire season, CAL FIRE and USFS aerial assets operating in the Modoc National Forest area may use regional airports including Cedarville for staging, reconnaissance, and refueling coordination.

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