The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway is one of America’s National Scenic Byways that stretches from Crater Lake National Park, in Oregon, to Lassen Volcanic National Park, in California. The scenic route takes drivers over 500 miles of terrain that is scarred and shaped by the volcanic activities of the past. The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway makes the perfect 2-4 day road trip through the mountains of Northern California. Keep reading to find all of our favorite stops along the way and suggestions for itineraries.
Top Things To Do
Top Things To Do along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway
Lava Beds National Monument: Lava Beds National Monument is one of the best places along this road trip to get under the earth to explore the scars of volcanoes. Here you can wander vacant lava tubes as you explore the cave system.
McCloud Falls: McCloud Falls is a set of three waterfalls just minutes outside of Mt. Shasta. The best part of this waterfall is that you can drive to all three waterfalls, making it one of the most accessible stops along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway.
Burney Falls: Burney Falls is our favorite waterfall in the California. It is a beautiful stop and it is a great spot for camping near Mt. Shasta.
Subway Cave: Subway Cave is a short hike to a neat cave that allows you to see the amazing underground effects volcanic activity has had on the area.
Lassen Volcanic National Park: Explore all four types of volcanoes in one place – a plug dome, shield, cinder cone and a stratovolcano. Combine this with beautiful mountain lakes and volcanic debris fields and you have a park that really sums up the highlights of of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway all in one great final destination.
When To Visit
Summer is the ONLY time where all of the roads on the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway are open and therefore the only time that you can take the road trip. July-September is the most popular time to visit because the roads are open and the weather is nice. However, you can still drive portions of this road year-round. During the color change in fall is another popular time to visit. Additionally, fall is nice as the roads are likely to be open, unless there are early snow storms.
Getting There and Around
You will need a car for this road trip – obviously. Additionally, if you don’t live in the California or Oregon area, you will need to fly into the area. The closest large airport is Reno, Nevada.
Unfortunately, this is a one way road trip, and our itinerary reflects that. Which means that if you are flying in and out, you’ll need to allot time to get back to an airport. However, if you’re interested in taking a different route home, you could drive a portion of Highway 101 back to San Francisco and fly home from there.
Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway Roadtrip Itinerary
You can drive this route in either direction. We actually drove it in reverse of what we are writing in this post. But for the sake of this post, we’re starting in Lassen Volcanic National Park so that you are starting closest to the larger airports in the area.
Day 1 – Lassen Volcanic National Park
First, spend one day driving through Lassen Volcanic National Park. You’ll get to see four different types of volcanic domes, mud-pots, glacial lakes and more.
Check the road conditions before you go here as this road closes each winter and can take a while to be cleared in the summer.
Camp overnight at the McArthur-Burney Falls State Park.
Day 2 – Waterfalls and Caves
Next, start your morning exploring Burney Falls. Camping in the park the previous night puts you in the perfect spot to explore the waterfall before the crowds start arriving.
Then, backtrack a bit to explore the Subway Cave lava tubes. This actually would be a great stop for the evening after visiting Lassen. However, we found that Lassen took a full day to explore so we didn’t want to miss anything in that park.
Next, head to McCloud Falls. This is a quick stop on your way to Mt. Shasta. However, just because it is quick, doesn’t mean it isn’t a great stop. It has THREE easily accessible waterfalls all in one place.
Lastly, take a long drive, the longest of this road trip, to the Dorris area and stay the night there. Don’t forget to take in the beautiful mountain views on the way, including the high peak of Mt. Shasta.
Day 3 – Lava Beds National Monument
First, start the morning driving to Lava Beds National Monument. Do a few hikes in the park to explore the lava formations in the park. Caving is the most popular thing to do here so make sure to pack your caving gear so you can explore safely.
If you are unable to spend three days exploring the Volcanic Scenic Legacy Byway, cutting out the side trip to Lava Beds National Monument makes the most sense as it is an extra drive you get there. However, caving is one of our favorite things to do so we wouldn’t recommend skipping this stop if you have time.
Stay overnight near Klamath Falls.
Day 4 – Crater Lake National Park
Spend the entire day exploring Crater Lake National Park. Additionally, make sure to drive the full Rim Road and stop for a few scenic overlooks.
This ends the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. Finally, begin your journey home. If you want to take an alternative route home, consider popping over to the coast and taking Highway 101 back south.
What To Budget For Your Volcanic Scenic Byway Roadtrip
There are no toll roads along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. However, there are entrance fees for the three National Parks/Monuments that you will drive through. If you plan on visiting all three, the most economical way to visit is to buy an America the Beautiful parks pass which will get you entrance into National Lands for a full year.
When we visited the area, we primarily camped. Camping fees in the area were between $25-45/night. Camping was the better option for us as it seemed like there was a greater availability of campsites in the areas that we wanted to stay. We did stay in a nice B&B at the end of our trip and we did look at hotels along the way. They were also very budget friendly. It was easy to find places to stay for under $120/night.
Food in the area was really inexpensive for us. This is because places we visited were remote and didn’t have convienent places to eat out. We spent $80 on groceries and ate out twice. Our food total was $140.
This was a super budget friendly trip for us and one of the few places in California where “budget friendly” has been an option for us.
What To Pack For The Volcanic Scenic Legacy Road Trip
You will need a paper map for this trip. There is very spotty cell service in this area due to the mountains.
You will also definitely need layers here. We visited in early summer and temperatures varied from 100+ F to 50 F within a single day, just by driving to different areas.
We’d also recommend good hiking shoes or athletic shoes with wool socks. There are lots of opportunities to get wet as you explore waterfalls and the shores of lakes. Wool socks will keep you drier and let your feet vent.
If you plan on caving when visiting Lava Beds National Monument, make sure to pack caving gear. You will need both a flashlight (not on your phone) and a helmet.
We hope this has helped you to plan your own road trip along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. It is a great way to explore multiple National Parks in the remote areas of Northern California. If you are interested in exploring more of California, check out our other California destinations here. Or if you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments section below and we’d be happy to get back to you.
