Pristine, beautiful, green, lush, peaceful, breathtaking....gorgeous drive. Put this byway on your travel bucket list.
Slow down, enjoy the majestic beauty of this awe inspiring road.Pull over for speeding locals, and fill up in Weaverville as the very few gas stations up here tend to run out of gas at times.
there was snow the day I traveled over the roads but the views of the lake were pretty. Very quiet. Looking forward to going back in the summer. Looked like some nice camping spots.
The first time I made this drive was in 1996 when we moved to Weaverville from Florida. I was too white-knuckled and intent on staying on the twisting mountain road to notice much then. I have now traveled the whole length of this road many times and consider it one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Sheer cliffs, views of Shasta Lake and Whiskey Town Reservoir, the Trinity River and the Trinity Alps, sometimes shrouded in fog, the cedar, pine and fir trees sometimes laden with snow, the roadside sometimes cloaked in a huge variety of wild flowers. Breathtaking wilderness at its best. Take your camera!
This is a beautiful way to travel if you have the time to enjoy the spectacular scenery and maybe dip your feet in the Trinity River or watch the canoeists. Scenic is the perfect description.
Solitude, amazing rivers, breathtaking forests and canyons, and even though this is the only road from Redding to the ocean, it is lightly traveled by European standards. One of my favorite parts of California.
Young conifer forest encases the road and valleys on both sides of the 299. Few lookouts allow majestic views of pine covered mountains but nothing fantastic or different than the North bound drive up the 101. If going, travel only as far as Willow Creek and be sure to get a bite and a beer at Bigfoot Restaurant. The trip to Orleans is dull and dizzying on the 96 as the road swings back around sharp rocky curves without scenes of the river below. Not worth the time and effort and it will only get you killed on a curve or a speeding ticket.
Good road by Trinity Lake , along the Trinity River & over Scott's Mountain pass (5,600') is a excellent day trip. After the drive Weaverville to Etna in lovely Scott Valley of about 80 miles & 2 hours travel time be sure to stop at the Brewery which in addition to excellent beer it makes a very good root beer. Serving an tasty lunch with lots of sandwich/salad choices in a pub type atmosphere as well as outdoor garden setting. Good service.Then walk the two block downtown with several interesting shops. You the have the option of either returning back down Highway 3 or continue Northeast through the balance of Scott Valley to Yreka then down Interstate 5 past Weed, Mt Shasta, Lake Shasta to Redding & on 299 past Whiskytown Reservoir over The Buckhorn Pass (3,218') & back to Weaverville.
We were in Weaverville, destination Weed, California. My G-Grandmother lived in Callahan, California for a number of years in the 1870s, before moving her family to Sonoma County (CA).The road is a great shape, and while there are a number of very tight turns and switchbacks, and a lot of elevation gains and losses, the route is very drivable.And when you get to Callahan, check out the Callahan Emporium!
I truly enjoyed driving this road in mid November. Trees where changing color..the river and the views were incredibly beautiful..so happy I decided to drive highway 299.