Redwood Natl Park to Crater Lake In mid July

[tripisu]

Hi there,

My husband and I are traveling from Redwood National Park to Crater Lake in mid July and I was wondering what the best way to go about it was. We were planning to leave early from Redwood and take the long way along 299 to see the Trinity Heritage Scenic Byway and then the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway in OR.. is this worth it?

If not, what's the best/most scenic route we could take? Thanks for any suggestions.

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

There really is no 'best', it's just a case of what appeals to you the most. It will partly depend on where you are setting off from in the morning and where you have come from. Taking the route you describe you will get some nice views of Mt Shasta, but then again further up the coast you have Prairie Creek Del Norte coast Redwoods SP. There are other options to consider as well.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

How much time do you have available for this leg of your trip? That may help you decide if it is "worth it."

The drive through Lassen as well as past Burney Falls is a nice one, but the direct route from Redwoods to Crater Lake (US-199/OR-62) is also a very scenic route in it's own right, with the OR-62 section making up part of the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway.

The direct route can be done easily in a half day. The route you're looking at could be driven in one long day on the road, but I think you'd want at least 2 full days to be able to enjoy Lassen and other stops along the way.

Of course, another factor would be where are you going to be before this section and where are you heading next? It's always much easier to provide advice in the context of an entire trip, rather than trying to look at one segment and guess what the rest of your plans might include.

[tripisu]

Thank you both so much for your helpful replies!

We're doing a 2wk roadtrip to see some major state parks and other attractions (Redwood SP, Crater Lake, Yellowstone, Yosemite). On day 3, we're planning to arrive at the Redwood SP from a nearby lodging around 7A. Leave around 12-1P after some hiking, then we'd take either one of two routes to reach Crater Lake, where we'll be lodging that night.

It seems both routes are very scenic options, though, from both your inputs.
Either we'll stay longer with the redwoods and take the direct route, or leave the scheduled 12-1P and take the longer way on the byways. We just want to have something to look at on the drive to Crater Lake :)

Thank you again!

[Midwest Michael]

If you're not planning to leave until afternoon, and you want to get to Crater Lake the same night, then going the direct route is your only option - and even that will take you until nearly dark.

You don't have nearly enough time to try and detour via Lassen - as mentioned, that would be a hard full day on the road just to cover those miles.

In fact, if you think you could make leave at 1, drive the nearly 500 miles it would take to go via the volcanic byway, and get to Crater Lake that same night, then I'm concerned about how badly you might be underestimating the other drives on your trip.

[tripisu]

The route via byways is actually just under 350, but you're right - it would be a big task to undertake. Thank you again for your input!

[Midwest Michael]

Ok, then I'm confused about what route you were talking about. I thought you were picking it up the Volcanic Byway near Lassen National Park.

If you skip that portion and just pick it up at Weed (US-97) that does shave about 100 miles off the drive.

I also assumed you were starting from Redwoods National Park - assuming Klamath as roughly the midpoint. If you were actually talking about starting from the Humboldt Redwoods, then it's closer to the 350 miles you talked about, and then the choice between the two routes is closer - although I'd still continue up the coast on the the more direct route, which still does still save you about 70 miles.

[glc]

Keep in mind that CA-299 from US-101 to Redding is a mountain highway, lots and lots of curves. It's going to take you 3.5 hours plus stops. If you are going to branch off and take CA-3 north, that's also not a fast road.