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

Ancient Ocean Crust

ZERO YOUR ODOMETER at the entrance to the rest area just past the tunnel.

0.0 Rest Area at the tunnel:

IMPORTANT NOTE: The road goes down a hill for the next two miles. Watch your speed. Highway Patrol is often present in this stretch of road.

Highway 199 goes through a large deposit of ocean sediment for the next five miles. This sediment was deposited on the rocks an ocean crust, which sits on the earth’s molten mantle. During the next 30 miles, you will be going through segments of ocean crust and upper mantle rock, among the largest and most complete assemblages of this type of geology in the United States.

1.6 Turnout: Pull over to allow faster moving traffic to pass

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

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

2.2 Volcanic Ash: A small seam of white colored volcanic ash can be seen cutting diagonally across the road cut on the right (picture above right). Volcanic ash is one of the easier rocks to identify on the gravel beds of the Smith River (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 about 160 to 150 million years ago. A small basin was situated between these islands and the edge of the ancient continent. You are riding over the sediments of this basin and soon you will be going through segments of ocean crust from the basin. The volcanic roots of the ancient islands are in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. The terrain that was once the edge of is ancient continent makes up some of the scenic mountains seen along the upper part of Knopki Creek Road.

Knopki Creek Road to the Siskiyou Wilderness, Highway 199, California. 3.3 Knopki Creek Road (left) is a gravel surfaced route that goes 12 miles to the Youngs Valley Trail into the Siskiyou Wilderness. This trail connects to other trails that go to Raspberry Lake, Twin Valley, and the Clear Creek National Recreation Trail. Broken Rib Botanical Area can be accessed by Knopki Creek Road and offers a view of numerous prominent peaks: Broken Rib Mountain, Wounded Knee Mountain, Haystack Peak and Sanger Peak.

3.7 Passing lane begins

4.7 Passing lane ends

5.0 Call Box

5.3 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 right. 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.

5.5 At this point the road leaves the shale ocean sediments and enters a section of ocean crust. This is the first of three different slabs of ocean crust you will travel through on this tour. Rocks of the ocean crust are much harder than other rocks in the region and more resistant to erosion. Note how the walls of the canyon become steeper in this part of the drive.

6.7 Turnout. Please use turnouts to allow faster moving traffic to pass.

7.1 Turnout

7.2 The road leaves the ocean crust and enters another exposure of ocean sediments

7.3 Large turnout on the right:
Washington Flat is located below the road to the left 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 road followed by the Old Redwood Highway Road Guide. 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.

8.1 Siskiyou Creek Road (left)

8.5 Lehman Bridge:
Monkey Creek Canyon can be seen merging with the Smith River on the right. The road just before the bridge 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.

8.6 Little Jones Creek Road (left):
Bear Basin Road from Highway 199 to the Siskiyou Wilderness, California. 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. A two track road about four miles long takes you to the wilderness boundary. The picture on the right will give you an idea of what the road looks like.

9.2 Turnout. Use turnouts to allow faster moving traffic to pass.

9.3 Bridge

9.8 Turnout

10.2 The flat surfaces of the shale in the road cut on the right are ocean sediments that were deposited directly on top of the ocean crust not long after it was formed. You will enter this ocean crust around the next corner.

10.3 The road narrows and the canyon walls become steeper, the two characteristics on this section of highway that indicate you have entered the rocks that make up an ocean crust. This is the second of three ocean crust segments you will go through on Highway 199.

11.3 Patrick Creek 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.

The historic Gasquet Toll Road between Patrick Creek and Gasquet, 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 a gravel surfaced section of the historic Gasquet Toll Road to the town of Gasquet about eight miles ahead. 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 Gasquet. 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 ocean crust and the beginning of an extensive exposure of mantle rock, one of the largest exposures of this type of rock in North America.

11.4 SET ODOMETER TO ZERO at the driveway to Patrick Creek Lodge

Mining display and waysides about local history, Patrick Creek Accessible Trail, Patrick Creek Campground, Highway 199, California. Patrick Creek Lodge parking lot provides an access point for the wheelchair accessible trail to an accessible fishing platform next to the Smith River and to historic Civilian Conservation Corps features as well as a mining display and interpretive signs. The paved trail begins at the point closest to the bridge and goes under Highway 199 to the historic features on the other side.

The historic Patrick Creek Lodge was established in 1926, after this section of Highway 199 was completed and opened to vehicle traffic. The owners of the original lodge, located three miles up river on the old road, moved to this location and built the new lodge, which became known as Patrick Creek Tavern. It was renamed the Patrick Creek Lodge in 1947.

Guests who have stopped here included John D. Rockefeller during a visit with the Save the Redwood League and, in 1931, Winston Churchill who later became Prime Minister of England.

Patrick Creek Campground day use area with safety fence (left) between picnic area and river, Highway 199, California. The entrance to Patrick Creek campground is on the other side of the highway from the Patrick Creek Lodge entrance. There is a nice day use area located to the left as you enter the campground that has picnic tables and a restroom. A small, chain link safety fence (left side of picture) between the grassy picnic area and the river makes this a nice place for parents with young children. A trail through the forest behind the restroom (background right) goes to a mining display and waysides about the local history and/or goes down to the river.

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...