California Route 36 is The Road With 1.811 Turns
California Route 36 is said to be one of the most scenic drives in the USA. It’s considered by some to be among the best roads in California, with 140 miles of twists and turns. If you love twisty roads this is the route for you.
How long is California Route 36?
The road is 400km (248 miles) long, running east-west from U.S. Route 101 (in Alton, in Humboldt County) to U.S. Route 395 just east of Susanville (in Lassen County) with a long, flowing series of twisties that are seemingly tailor made for motorcycles. The road crosses northern California across six counties (Humboldt, Trinity, Shasta, Tehama, Plumas and Lassen). Most of the route is a two lane conventional highway with intermittent passing lanes, with exceptions in Red Bluff, Chester and Susanville. The origins of the road date back to the era of the California Gold Rush, in the 1860’s.
Is California Route 36 challenging?
The road tops out at 1.757m (5,764ft) above the sea level, by Morgan Summit. It’s said to have 1811 curves in 140 miles. This west-east state highway in the U.S. state of California is one of the best motorcycle roads. The drive is pretty treacherous, so stay alert. It may be a great route for adventure if you looking for it and it will be better if driven during the day. It’s known as a heaven of twists and turns which demands 100% focus. Watch out for trucks with long trailers. Very good road surface, though it does get a little rough in spots farther west, and the center line briefly disappears for a few miles farther west. The road has lots of places without guardrails, and long drops. Every road will seem very trivial after you ride this. Not recommended at night or in bad weather or just after a heavy rain. There are sheer drop offs with no guard rails and blind curves. Make sure you have plenty of gas and let someone know your travel plans...Very limited (if any) cell phone service.
How long does it take to drive California Route 36?
Plan about 6 hours to complete the drive without any stop. The road passes through a diverse range of topography and climate regions.