State Scenic Highway 74 74
State Scenic Highway 74 is a National Scenic Byway in California. Within California it covers roughly 120 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along State Scenic Highway 74 with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
State Scenic Highway 74, the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway, climbs 62 miles from the desert floor near Palm Desert into pine forest above. The route rises through the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument and the San Bernardino National Forest, gaining thousands of feet as it passes through habitat zones ranging from arid, cactus-studded desert scrub to snow-capable pine and fir forest near Idyllwild and Mountain Center. A visitor center about four miles south of the Highway 111 junction in Palm Desert marks the monument boundary and offers trail information for the surrounding wilderness. Numerous pullouts along the winding, often steep road let drivers stop for views stretching from desert valley floor to distant reservoirs and forested ridgelines, a transition few California drives compress into just a few hours. Travelers can complete the byway from Palm Desert to Banning via Highway 74, or reverse the route starting on Highway 243 south of Banning, with gas available in Palm Desert, Banning, Mountain Center, and Idyllwild along the way.
- Palm Desert to Banning
- 62 miles
- Palms to Pines Scenic Byway
- Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
- Idyllwild and Mountain Center
- desert-to-pine elevation change
Plan a drive on State Scenic Highway 74 →
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.
Where to Stay along State Scenic Highway 74
4 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of State Scenic Highway 74.
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