State Route 36 (SR 36) is an east–west
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
that is routed from
U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...
in
Humboldt County to
U.S. Route 395
U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Laurier, where the road ...
just east of
Susanville in
Lassen County
Lassen County () is a county in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,730. The county seat and only incorporated city is Susanville. Lassen County comprises the Susanville, Calif ...
. The highway passes through
Red Bluff Red Bluff(s) may refer to several places in North America:
Places
Canada
*Red Bluff, British Columbia, a community near Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada
** Red Bluff First Nation, a First Nations band government headquartered near Quesnel, ...
, the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Tehama County
Tehama County ( ; Wintun for "high water") is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,829. The county seat and largest city is Red Bluff.
Tehama County comprises th ...
, on the northern edge of the
Sacramento Valley. The portion of SR 36 travelling past
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park is an American national park in northeastern California. The dominant feature of the park is Lassen Peak, the largest plug dome volcano in the world and the southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range. Lassen Vol ...
and
Lake Almanor
Lake Almanor is a large reservoir in northwestern Plumas County, northeastern California, United States. The reservoir has a capacity of and a maximum depth of about 90 feet (27 meters). It is formed by Canyon Dam on the North Fork of the Feath ...
is part of the
Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway
The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway is a scenic byway, scenic highway and All-American Road in the U.S. states of California and Oregon. It is roughly long and travels north–south along the Cascade Range past numerous volcanoes. It is composed o ...
, a
National Scenic Byway. Also, Route 36 between
Alton
Alton may refer to:
People
*Alton (given name)
*Alton (surname)
Places Australia
*Alton National Park, Queensland
* Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne
Canada
* Alton, Ontario
*Alton, Nova Scotia
New Zealand
* Alton, New Zealand, ...
and Susanville is a designated
Blue Star Memorial Highway
Blue Star Memorial Highways are highways in the United States that are marked to pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces. The National Council of State Garden Clubs, now known as National Garden Clubs, Inc., started the program in 1945 after World W ...
.
Route description
![ChesterCA1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/ChesterCA1.jpg)
SR 36 begins in
Alton
Alton may refer to:
People
*Alton (given name)
*Alton (surname)
Places Australia
*Alton National Park, Queensland
* Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne
Canada
* Alton, Ontario
*Alton, Nova Scotia
New Zealand
* Alton, New Zealand, ...
at an interchange with
U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...
. It continues east through the communities of
Hydesville
Hydesville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Humboldt County, California, United States. Hydesville is located southeast of Fortuna, at an elevation of . The population was 1,237 at the 2010 census, up from 1,209 at the 2000 census.
Geograph ...
and
Carlotta before paralleling the
Van Duzen River
The Van Duzen River is a river on the north coast of California. It is a major tributary of the Eel River and drains , mostly in Humboldt County, with a small portion in Trinity County. The river travels from its headwaters on the west side o ...
all the way to the town of
Bridgeville. It passes near
Mt. McClellan as it follows a curving path through the communities of
Dinsmore and
Cobbs, then enters
Trinity National Forest Trinity National Forest was established as the Trinity Forest Reserve by the U.S. Forest Service in California on April 26, 1905 with . It became a National Forest on March 4, 1907. On July 1, 1908 it gave up some acreage to California National F ...
.
Once in Trinity County, the highway veers away from the Van Duzen River, and crosses the
Mad River before passing through the communities of
Mad River and
Forest Glen. The route briefly bends north to intersect with the southern terminus of
SR 3 before turning east again and entering first
Shasta County
Shasta County (), officially the County of Shasta, is a county in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population is 182,155 as of the 2020 census, up from 177,223 from the 2010 census. The county seat is Redding.
Shasta ...
, where SR 36 passes through Wildwood and
Platina
Platina is a municipality ''( municÃpio)'' in the state of São Paulo in Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and ...
, where it intersects
CR A16 and leaves the forest, and enters
Tehama County
Tehama County ( ; Wintun for "high water") is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,829. The county seat and largest city is Red Bluff.
Tehama County comprises th ...
. SR 36 passes through
Rosewood
Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues.
True rosewoods
All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated ...
and later intersects
CR A5 before entering the city of
Red Bluff Red Bluff(s) may refer to several places in North America:
Places
Canada
*Red Bluff, British Columbia, a community near Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada
** Red Bluff First Nation, a First Nations band government headquartered near Quesnel, ...
as Beegum Road. SR 36 continues south as Main Street into downtown Red Bluff before making a turn east as Oak Street, crossing the
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River ( es, RÃo Sacramento) is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento†...
and coming to an interchange with
I-5
Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...
before turning into Antelope Boulevard and passing the
Tehama County Fairgrounds as it leaves the city limits.
SR 36 intersects the northern terminus of
SR 99 and turns northeast at the intersection. Several miles later, SR 36 intersects
CR A6 at the community of
Dales before continuing east and passing through
Paynes Creek. Eventually, SR 36 intersects
SR 172 at the town of
Mineral
In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. ( ...
in the
Lassen National Forest
Lassen National Forest is a United States national forest of 1,700 square miles (4,300 km2) in northeastern California. It is named after pioneer Peter Lassen, who mined, ranched and promoted the area to emigrant parties in the 1850s.
Wildl ...
before running concurrently with
SR 89. SR 89 and SR 36 intersect with the eastern terminus of
SR 32 before crossing into
Plumas County
Plumas County () is a county in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,790. The county seat is Quincy, and the only incorporated city is Portola. The largest community in the county is ...
. Once the highway reaches the western shore of
Lake Almanor
Lake Almanor is a large reservoir in northwestern Plumas County, northeastern California, United States. The reservoir has a capacity of and a maximum depth of about 90 feet (27 meters). It is formed by Canyon Dam on the North Fork of the Feath ...
, SR 89 continues southeast, while SR 36 passes through the community of
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
along the northern shore of Lake Almanor.
The route continues into
Lassen County
Lassen County () is a county in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,730. The county seat and only incorporated city is Susanville. Lassen County comprises the Susanville, Calif ...
, where it intersects
SR 147 and passes in between Lassen and
Plumas National Forests. SR 36 intersects
SR 44 before entering the city of
Susanville as Hillcrest Road. The highway continues north briefly as Pine Street before becoming Main Street and continuing east through downtown Susanville and intersecting
SR 139 and
CR A27 before leaving the city limits. SR 36 ends at an intersection with
U.S. Route 395
U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Laurier, where the road ...
just southwest of
Johnstonville.
SR 36 is part of the
California Freeway and Expressway System
The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses both State highways and federal highways in California. It is defined by Article 2 (commenci ...
,
and east of SR 44 is part of the
National Highway System,
a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
.
SR 36 is eligible for the
State Scenic Highway System,
but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the
California Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the cabinet-level California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). Caltrans is headquartered in Sacrame ...
.
Both the SR 36/SR 86 concurrency, and the segment of SR 36 between SR 86 near Chester and SR 44 near Susanville, are part of the
Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway
The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway is a scenic byway, scenic highway and All-American Road in the U.S. states of California and Oregon. It is roughly long and travels north–south along the Cascade Range past numerous volcanoes. It is composed o ...
, a
National Scenic Byway.
In popular culture
On the TV show ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'', during a flashback scene in the episode "
Further Instructions
"Further Instructions" is the third episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series '' Lost''. It first aired on October 18, 2006, on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), making it the 52nd episode of the series ...
,"
John Locke
John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...
picks up a hitchhiker who happens to be an undercover police officer on State Route 36.
In author Robyn Carr's romantic novel series ''Virgin River'', the fictional town of Virgin River is located off State Route 36 in the mountains of Humboldt County in Northern California.
In the New Zealand TV series ''
800 Words
''800 Words'' (stylised as ''800 words'') is a comedy-drama television series, co-produced by South Pacific Pictures and Seven Productions for the Seven Network.
Premise
George Turner is a popular columnist for a top-selling Sydney newspaper, ...
'', a California 36 highway sign hangs on the wall of Big Mac's fight club (alongside one for
Interstate 20).
Major intersections
See also
*
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
AARoads - State Route 36Caltrans: Route 36 highway conditions
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Monuments and memorials in California
1934 establishments in California