State Scenic Highway 36 36

State Scenic Highway 36 runs from Fortuna, near California's redwood coast, inland toward Trinity County over 140 miles of mountain curves. The Humboldt County stretch between Fortuna and the community of Peanut, eligible for but not yet officially part of California's State Scenic Highway System, threads through old-growth and second-growth redwood forest before climbing into drier mixed-conifer country as it gains elevation heading east. With well over a thousand curves across its full length, the highway has earned a reputation among motorcyclists as one of the more demanding rural roads in Northern California, crossing historic bridges and hugging canyon walls for long stretches with few towns in between. Further east, beyond this segment, Highway 36 continues toward Susanville near the Nevada border, but the western portion here stays entirely within redwood and mixed-forest terrain, a quieter, less-visited alternative to the more famous Avenue of the Giants a short drive to the west.

• Fortuna to Peanut
• Humboldt/Trinity counties
• redwood and mixed-conifer forest
• eligible for CA Scenic Highway System
• 1,000+ curves (full route)
• alternative to Avenue of the Giants