Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway
The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway is a scenic byway and All-American Road in the U.S. states of California and Oregon. It is roughly long and travels north–south along the Cascade Range past numerous volcanoes. It is composed of two separate National Scenic Byways, the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway - Oregon and Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway - California. The former includes Rim Drive within Crater Lake National Park, while the latter wholly includes the Lassen Scenic Byway within Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Route description
The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway is officially divided into 11 regions, with the first four regions forming the Lassen Scenic Byway. There is also an alternate route through Medicine Lake.Region 1: Lassen Volcanic National Park to Chester
The bypass begins at the intersection of SR 44 and SR 89 at the northern boundary of Lassen Volcanic National Park. It then runs south along SR 89 through the park, passing by Manzanita Lake and through an unnamed pass between Lassen Peak and Bumpass Mountain. After exiting the park, the bypass and SR 89 join with SR 36 east of Mineral. The highways then head east to Chester on the northwest side of Lake Almanor.Region 2: Loop around Lake Almanor
The bypass then runs along the highways looping around Lake Almanor, consisting of: SR 36 running along the north side of the lake between Chester and Westwood, SR 147 on the lake's eastern side between Westwood and Canyondam, and SR 89 from Canyondam back to Chester.Region 3: Chester to Susanville
From Chester, SR 36 and the byway continues east to its intersection with SR 44 west of Susanville.Region 4: Susanville to Old Station
The bypass then runs along SR 44 to the northwest through the Lassen National Forest until it intersects with SR 89 in Old Station. Southbound SR 44 and SR 89 can then be taken from Old Station back to Lassen Volcanic National Park to complete the Lassen Scenic Byway loop. While it can be traveled either in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, the segment through Lassen Volcanic National Park is usually closed during the winter.Region 5: Hat Creek to Burney
Continuing northwards along SR 89 from Old Station, the byway goes through Hat Creek and then to Burney. Thousand Lakes Wilderness and Burney Mountain are located just west of the byway, while Hat Creek Radio Observatory and the Lassen National Forest are to the east.Region 6: Burney to McCloud
Continuing northwards along SR 89 from Burney, the byway goes past McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park, then Lake Britton, then crosses the McCloud River and runs past Bartle before arriving at McCloud.Region 6b: Medicine Lake Loop
An alternate route of the byway runs from Bartle in a northeasterly direction for through the Modoc National Forest, to winding past Medicine Lake before arriving at Lava Beds National Monument .Region 7: McCloud to Weed
From McCloud, the byway continues west along SR 89 to Mount Shasta City near the mountain of the same name and Lake Siskiyou. The bypass then heads north along Interstate 5 through Black Butte before arriving at Weed.Region 8: Weed to Dorris
Continuing northwards along US 97 from Weed, the byway goes past Carrick, then Pluto's Cave, Mount Hebron, Macdoel, Butte Valley National Grassland, and Meiss Lake before arriving at Dorris, just south of the California-Oregon state line.Region 9: Tulelake to Klamath Falls
The byway again splits just north of Dorris; there is an alternate route that runs east for along the California–Oregon state line on SR 161 past Ainsworth Corner and Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge to Hatfield. At Hatfield, SR 161 joins SR 139. From here, the byway continues south for to Tulelake. At this point, SR 139 becomes the Lava Beds Highway while the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway turns sharply to the east. east of this point, the byway then turns runs south for roughly, where it passes through Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Lava Beds National Monument. From Lava Beds National Monument, the byway continues south to Medicine Lake .The mainline of the bypass continues north from Dorris along US 97, crossing into Oregon at the Francis Landrum Historic Wayside. It then passes through Worden and Midland before arriving at Klamath Falls.