State of Jefferson Scenic Byway
State of Jefferson Scenic Byway is a National Forest Scenic Byway in California. Within California it covers roughly 100 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along State of Jefferson Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
The State of Jefferson Scenic Byway is a 108-mile Forest Service byway through California's rugged Siskiyou County, following Highway 96 along the Klamath River to Happy Camp. It starts on Highway 263 out of Yreka, crosses the Pioneer bridges to Highway 96, then continues past Happy Camp and over Grayback Summit to the Oregon line near O'Brien. The byway takes its name from the 1941 movement that tried to carve a breakaway "State of Jefferson" out of the rural counties straddling the California-Oregon border, a streak of independence still visible in local signage, and it earned its official Forest Service Byway designation in 1992. The Klamath River corridor was worked hard by 19th-century gold and copper miners, whose tunnels and placer claims still dot the canyon walls, and the area today is home to the Karuk Tribe. Rafting, salmon and steelhead fishing, and wild mushroom foraging draw visitors along the route, though Grayback Summit closes seasonally with snow, leaving the Klamath River stretch as the most reliably year-round drive.
- Yreka to Happy Camp via Hwy 96/263
- ~108 miles, Klamath National Forest
- Klamath River canyon
- 1992 Forest Service Byway designation
- gold & copper mining history
- Karuk Tribe homeland
- Grayback Summit closes in winter
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What is a National Forest Scenic Byway?
National Forest Scenic Byways are routes designated by the U.S. Forest Service that thread through the mountains, canyons and old growth of America's national forests and grasslands.
Where to Stay along State of Jefferson Scenic Byway
6 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of State of Jefferson Scenic Byway.
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