Carving through diverse national forests, parks and monuments, past soaring mountain peaks and alongside deep volcanic lakes, Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway delivers travelers to a massive amount of recreation opportunities. Virtually every type of outdoor activity exists along the byway's 500 miles of varied mountain terrain, so bring your hiking shoes, fly rod, kayak, and camping gear. You'll want to stay awhile.
A National Park Pass might be a wise investment on this byway, which starts in one National Park, ends in another, and travels through a National Monument. Each are unique in its offerings. At the southern end of the byway in California, Lassen Volcanic National Park offers volcanic domes, lava fields, and geothermic pools and vents for the amateur scientist and intrepid hiker alike. If hiking and looking at rocks fails to provide enough of a thrill, try hang-gliding or parasailing in the Hat Creek Area of the park. Drive the byway north to Lava Beds National Monument, where amateur cavers can explore the highest concentration of lava tube caves in North America on a guided tour or on their own. Continue into Oregon and stop in at Crater Lake National Park at the northernmost end of the byway. With snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, fishing, backpacking, and much more, allow a couple of days to fully experience this park's offerings.
Travelers on the byway spend much of their time in four major National Forests, including the Klamath, Shasta-Trinity, and Lassen National Forests in California and the vast lands of the Fremont-Winema National Forests in Oregon. These forests brim with lakes, streams, rivers, and trails all offering visitors a multitude of recreational opportunities. Sportsmen enjoy big game hunting and fishing, bird-lovers find a variety of rare birds in the protected wetlands including bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and pelicans, and backpackers find solitude and beauty in the quiet forests.
Within these parks and forests, water draws a variety of recreation enthusiasts to the byway with several lakes, rivers and streams. Take the Upper Klamath Canoe Trail for a peaceful and memorable trip through over nine miles of freshwater marsh through a wildlife refuge. Kayak or whitewater raft on the Klamath River, testing your skills against Class III-V rapids on one of several popular southern Oregon routes. Three of the lakes in the area, Lower and Upper Klamath Lakes and Tule Lake, enjoy protection as national wildlife refuges providing a temporary home to millions of migratory waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway during spring and fall months. In addition to traditional lake recreation like boating, fishing and swimming, the lakes along the byway serve as popular sailing and windsurfing waters. For a relaxing trip on the distinctive blue surface of Crater Lake, pick up some tickets and take one of the summer boat tours. The hike up requires some physical fitness, but the effort yields the reward of the singular experience of being inside a volcanic caldera and living to tell the tale.
Long winters and high elevations may discourage some travelers from trekking across snowy plains or 14,000 feet summits, but if intense alpine adventure interests you, the byway provides access to downhill ski and snowboard resorts, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling around Crater Lake, and the epic Mount Shasta. With over 17 routes to the summit, Shasta draws 15,000 climbers a year to test their skill against nature and the elements. Despite its imposing image, the peak offers routes for beginning climbers as well as advanced mountaineers. Technical rock climbers find plenty of sport and traditional routes in the region's rocky crags and boulders on volcanic rock near Klamath Falls or Lassen National Park and granite domes in Castle Crags State Park, just to name a few.
Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway claims the distinction of being one of the most scenic drives around, but it would be a shame to spend it all in the car. In an area so replete with recreational opportunity, you're sure to find something to motivate you to get outside.
