Crescent City to Grants Pass Highway 199 Road Guide - California & Oregon Redwood Highway

Elk Valley, Oregon

ZERO ODOMETER at the driveway to the rest area on the left immediately before entering the tunnel.

0.0 Rest Area.

0.1 Tunnel begins

0.5 As you leave the tunnel you will be entering Elk Creek Valley. There are 39 Elk Creeks in the state of Oregon as well as numerous elk flats, mountains, meadows, and springs. Judging from the number of geographic names commemorating elk, these animals must have been plentiful in the day of fur traders and early pioneers. There are less than a dozen elk known to be in Illinois Valley. Much larger herds are found in other parts of this region including Crater Lake National Park and Redwood National Park.

Elk Valley marks the beginning of a dividing line between two different geologic regimes that will be on both sides of you from here to Grants Pass. Highway 199 is constructed on the ocean sediments of an ancient ocean basin that are associated with the rocks that make up the mountains on the left side of the road, most of which are about 150 million years in age. The rocks that make up the mountains on the right side of the road are part of an older geology, about 220 million years old, known as the Rattlesnake and Hayfork Terrain.

1.7 Oregon Mountain Road (right) The 1922 Redwood Highway returns to Highway 199 on the right.

2.4 Agriculture Inspection Station: Traffic entering Oregon does not need to stop here but if you are planning to return to the coast keep in mind that there are several things that are not allowed over the border into California. Fruit and vegetables purchased in a store are generally allowed into California but locally grown fruits and vegetables may not be allowed if they are deemed an agricultural threat. Cherries from local fruit stands AND those purchased in grocery stores are prohibited. The state does not allow these products into California as a measure to prevent the spread of crop damaging disease and insects.

3.0 Oregon-California State Line A black bear at Twin Pines Hotel was a prominent memory for may people who traveled Highway 199. Twin Pines, Oregon.

3.2 Turnout - Oregon State Welcome Sign

3.7 Twin Pines (left)
A black bear at Twin Pines Lodge was a prominent memory for may people who traveled Highway 199. Twin Pines, Oregon.

4.0 Sharp curve. During winter months, watch out for ice on this curve.

4.5 Elk Creek Bridge - Deering School (site): In the vicinity of Elk Creek Bridge and prior to the construction of Highway 199 was the small community Deering. The town and post office was named after the small school located here, which was named after the Deering family, one of the early pioneer families in this area.

6.6 Passing lane begins

6.7 Moores Lumber Mill was located about 500 feet to the left. It was one of the larger mills in the valley during the lumber boom of the late 1940s and closed down in 1954. In May of the following year, spontaneous combustion caused by decomposition in the mill’s sawdust pile started a fire. The pile, estimated to be about 75 feet deep, burned for several years.

7.0 Passing lane ends

8.1 Bridge over the West Fork of the Illinois River:

After crossing the bridge, you will be entering the Rough and Ready Creek alluvial fan, a deposit of rock and gravel deposited from Rough and Ready Creek Canyon during the last ice age. Rough and Ready Creek is unusual because the entire watershed is contained within an outcrop of mantle rock. As rock and gravel is washed out of the Rough and Ready Creek Canyon, it spreads out in a fan shape over the surrounding flat lands and during the span of thousands of years has piled into sediments that rain water quickly drains through. This rapid draining creates an artificial arid environment. The combination of the artificial arid environment along with the predominance of nutrient poor mantle rock is what makes the Rough and Ready alluvial fan unique. Rough and Ready Forest State Park, located about two miles ahead, was established because of the unusual plant communities found in this unique geologic landscape.

8.5 ZERO ODOMETER at the intersection next to the O’Brien Store

The 1857 Turnpike and Puncheon Road between Oregon and Crescent City, California crossed the road at this point. This historic road, known locally as the McGrew Trail is a popular 4x4 route.

The Old Redwood Highway Road Guide also crosses Highway 199 at this intersection for the last part of the tour to Kerbyville. For more information about picking the tour up here, go to Old Redwood Highway Road Guide and find the link to Gold Country at the bottom of the page. This section of the tour begins at this intersection and goes to the right, following paved roads to Kerbyville.

If you use the restroom at O'Brien, watch out for the giant outhouse fly.

O’Brien is named after the family that owned a ranch in this area when the main road to the coast followed the Wimer and Gasquet Toll Roads over Oregon Mountain. Highway 199 didn’t exist at that time. The family built a school near this location in the late 1800s and hired a teacher to educate their daughters and other children in the local area. In the early 1900s, a resort was established along the West Fork of the Illinois River about a mile up Lone Mountain Road. The O’Brien Store was established after Highway 199 was constructed in 1922. This was a gravel road until 1927 when the highway was paved from Grants Pass to the California border.

Elk Creek Lodge was a well-known eating place nearby. The menu had no prices. Instead, patrons put money in a box on the way out according to what they thought the meal was worth.

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Disclaimer: All information in Highway199.org is accurate to the best knowledge of the author. However, conditions in outdoor settings can change dramatically after storms or fires. For this reason, travelers are advised to check current road conditions before traveling through the area, drive responsibly and take measures to understand safety issues in the region. When participating in outdoor activities, always plan and prepare for safe hiking, swimming or any other activities mentioned in the Highway 199 website. More on disclaimer and copyright...