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

Ancient Ocean Crust

SET ODOMETER TO ZERO at the driveway to Patrick Creek Lodge

0.0 Patrick Creek Lodge

0.1 Patrick Creek Road (located on the left immediately after crossing the bridge)

The Patrick Creek Loop Road Guide begins here and follows Patrick Creek Road on a back country route of gravel surfaced road to historic sites, trails, and scenic vistas. The picture below shows road following a ridge with the Siskiyou Wilderness in the background.

Old Redwood Highway near Patrick Creek, California. The Old Redwood Highway Road Guide can be reached by driving three miles up Patrick Creek Road where you can pick up the tour that takes you on gravel surfaced roads over Oregon Mountain and into Cave Junction. To join the tour at this point, go to the Old Redwood Highway Road Guide and at the bottom of the page click on the link titled Patrick Creek. Click on "NEXT" at the bottom of each page to go to the next sequential section. The picture to the right shows what the gravel surfaced road looks like over much of the tour route.

The Patrick Creek Bridge marks the end of the mantle rock and the beginning of another section of ocean crust, the second of three that you will drive through on this tour.

1.1 The turnout on the right has a trail down to the river. Just after the turnout and along the road cut on the left are the flat surfaces of ocean sediments that were deposited directly on top of the ocean crust. All of these rocks have been turned up on end. You have just driven from the bottom of the ocean crust at Patrick Creek to the top. These sediments are believed to have been deposited in a very deep ocean setting and the fine silts were compressed into flattened layers as other sediments accumulated on top of them.

1.5 Road Straightens - opportunity to pull over and let traffic pass

2.0 Large turnout on the right overlooks river

2.1 Bridge

2.2 Passing Turnout - pull over to let faster traffic pass

Bear Basin Road from Highway 199 to the Siskiyou Wilderness, California. 2.8 Little Jones Creek Road (also known as the Jawbone Road and/or Bear Basin Butte Road) is another access route to the Siskiyou Wilderness with trails to Devil’s Punchbowl, Buck Lake, Island Lake, and the Clear Creek National Recreation Trail. The Bear Basin Botanical Area is also accessed by this road. The road is paved for about 10 miles to the top of the grade. The picture on the right will give you an idea of what the road looks like.

2.9 Lehman Bridge:
Monkey Creek Canyon can be seen merging with the Smith River on the left. The road just after the bridge on the left went to the Monkey Creek Fish Hatchery, a private enterprise established around 1947. The owner had plans to raise eastern brook trout for stocking local streams and rainbow trout for a pond at the hatchery where tourist could fish. He was also going to raise fish and sell them commercially to local restaurants and markets.

3.3 Siskiyou Creek Road (right)
Washington Flat is located below Highway 199 to the right and was named after George Henry Washington, a veteran of the Civil War who began living here in 1894. He had a mining claim on the flats and the only access to this area at that time was a trail from the old Patrick Creek Lodge on the Gasquet Toll Road. The distance from the lodge to Washington Flat was about seven miles. He named two peaks in the area - Broken Rib and Wounded Knee - to commemorate injuries he suffered during an encounter with a grizzly bear.

3.8 Short passing lane begins - pull over to let faster traffic pass

4.1 Large turnout on right with call box.
Entering another section of ocean crust, the last you will pass through on this tour.

5.0 Turnout - pull over to let faster traffic pass. Other turnouts are at 5.3, 5.6, 6.0

5.9 Exit ocean crust. From this point the road leaves the ocean crust and enters ocean sediments. You will drive through this type of rock until you reach the last section of this tour near Grants Pass, Oregon. This doesn’t mean that the sediments are 40 miles deep. At this point, the rocks of this region arc northward and you will be driving parallel to the ocean crust, which will be on your left.

6.1 Idyllwild was named after a motel located here in the early history of Highway 199. The small rock foundation where the gas pumps sat can be seen near the road on the left. This site is now the location of a California Transportation (CalTrans) Station. The old Idyllwild Motel is seen below when Highway 199 was still a gravel road.

Idyllwild Motel on Highway 199, Smith River National Recreation Area, California.

6.3 Call Box

6.6 Passing lane begins

7.3 Passing lane ends

7.8 Turnout - pull over to let faster traffic pass

Knopki Creek Road to the Siskiyou Wilderness, Highway 199, California. 8.1 Knopki Creek Road (right)
Knopki Creek Road is a gravel surfaced route that climbs for 12 miles to boundary of the Siskiyou Wilderness and the Youngs Valley Trail. This trail connects to other Siskiyou Wilderness trails that go to Raspberry Lake, Twin Valley, and the Clear Creek National Recreation Trail. Broken Rib Botanical Area is also accessed by Knopki Creek Road.

8.3 Turnout - pull over to let faster traffic pass

8.4 Turnout

8.9 Turnout

Volcanic ash deposits, Highway 199, Smith River National Recreation Area, California.

9.1 Volcanic Ash (left): A small seam of white colored volcanic ash can be seen cutting diagonally across the road cut (picture above left). This ash is believed to have come from a small chain of volcanic islands that were once located about 15 miles off the ancient coast of this region 150 million years ago. Volcanic ash is one of the easier rocks to identify on the gravel beds of the Smith River (picture above right)

Highway 199 went over a pass before dropping into the Smith River watershed. The siskiyou Wilderness is in the distant background. Highway 199, California.

9.3 Oregon Mountain Road (left) is a segment of the old 1922 Highway 199 that climbs over the mountain above the Highway 199 tunnel about two miles ahead and returns you back to Highway 199 about five miles ahead. Most of this route is paved but you should expect to encounter road hazards such as fallen rock and other debris after rain storms. The road may be closed by snow in the winter. The picture above shows the switchbacks above this intersection as you climb to the pass. In the middle, right background is Broken Rib Mountain and to the right of that is Wounded Knee Mountain. The mountain on the left is in the Siskiyou Wilderness.

9.5 Passing lane begins. Use the right lane to allow faster traffic to pass.

11.3 SET ODOMETER TO ZERO at the entrance to the rest area on the left before entering the tunnel

NEXT...

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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...