The Cascades Lakes Scenic Byway (Forest Route 46) is a

National Scenic Byway A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...

in central

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

in the United States. It runs for in the rugged country of Deschutes and

Klamath Klamath may refer to: Ethnic groups *Klamath people, a Native American people of California and Oregon **Klamath Tribes, a federally recognized group of tribes in Oregon *Klamath language, spoken by the Klamath people Places in the United States * ...

counties on the east side of the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

. It offers particularly good views of

Mount Bachelor Mount Bachelor, formerly named Bachelor Butte, is a dormant stratovolcano atop a shield volcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range of central Oregon. Named Mount Bachelor because it stands apart from the nearby Three Sisters, it ...

Broken Top Broken Top is a glacially eroded complex volcano, complex stratovolcano. It lies in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, part of the extensive Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located southeast of the Three Sisters (Oregon), Three Sisters peaks, ...

, and the

Three Sisters (Oregon) --> , topo = USGS South Sister and North Sister , type = Two stratovolcanoes (South, Middle) and one shield volcano (North) , age = Quaternary , volcanic_arc = Cascade Volcanic Arc , last_eruption = 440 CE , first_ascent = , easiest_rou ...

mountains and provides access to many recreational facilities in central Oregon. The route is so named because it weaves past a number of small natural lakes along the Cascades as well as several reservoirs on the upper

Deschutes River Deschutes River may refer to: *Deschutes River (Oregon) The Deschutes River in central Oregon is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many ...

Route description

The northern terminus of the route is in Bend where it changes into NW Century Drive. It follows the two-lane Century Drive Highway west into the

Deschutes National Forest The Deschutes National Forest is a United States National Forest located in parts of Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, and Jefferson counties in central Oregon. It comprises along the east side of the Cascade Range. In 1908, the Deschutes National ...

and past the

Mt. Bachelor Ski Area Mount Bachelor ski resort (stylized as Mt. Bachelor) is a ski resort located in Central Oregon, approximately west of Bend, along Century Drive Highway. The ski area is on the northern side of Mount Bachelor, a stratovolcano rising atop a volca ...

, then south along the Cascades into northern Klamath County, where it terminates on its southern end at its junction with

Oregon Route 58 Oregon Route 58 (OR 58), also known as the Willamette Highway No. 18 (see Oregon highways and routes), is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oregon. The route, signed east–west, runs in a southeast–northwest direction, connecting U.S. R ...

, approximately 40 mi (64 km) southeast of Oakridge. Along the way, Century Drive (not the Century Drive Highway) turns east to Sunriver. The Century Drive Highway begins at an interchange with

US 97 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

(the Bend Parkway) in Bend. It heads west along Colorado Avenue and Century Drive, which it follows to the entrance to the Mount Bachelor Ski Resort, where Century Drive Highway ends. The Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway continues south along the west side of

. Beyond Mount Bachelor Ski Area, the byway passes Todd Lake, Sparks Lake, Devils Lake, Elk Lake,

Hosmer Lake Hosmer Lake is a natural body of water in the central Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon. Nearly above sea level, the lake is part of a volcanic landscape about west-southwest of Bend along the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway. In 1962, the U ...

Lava Lake Lava lakes are large volumes of molten lava, usually basaltic, contained in a volcanic vent, crater, or broad depression. The term is used to describe both lava lakes that are wholly or partly molten and those that are solidified (sometim ...

Little Lava Lake Little Lava Lake lies in the Cascade Range about west-southwest of Bend in the U.S. state of Oregon. A close neighbor of Lava Lake, from which it is separated by solidified lava, Little Lava Lake is at an elevation of in the Deschutes National ...

, and Cultus Lake."The Cascade Lakes"
''Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway Tour of Interpretive Sites'', Deschutes National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, District of Columbia, 2010. South of

Crane Prairie Reservoir Crane Prairie Reservoir is a man-made lake located about southwest of Bend in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. The reservoir is named for the cranes that thrive in its habitat and for the upper Deschutes River prairie that once covered t ...

, the two routes split, with the scenic byway continuing to head south towards its terminus at Oregon Route 58. Century Drive instead heads back to the east, north of the

Wickiup Reservoir Wickiup Reservoir is the second-largest reservoir in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located southwest of Bend, Oregon, Bend, and is the largest of the Cascade Lakes. Wickiup Reservoir is close to the North and South Twin Lakes (Oregon), Twin Lak ...

, and then heads northeast parallel to the western shore of the

. It eventually crosses the river, runs north for several miles, and then terminates at an intersection with US 97 near the resort community of Sunriver.

References

External links

{{commons cat, Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway
Info from National Scenic Byways ProgramMap and driving directions from Bend, Oregon
National Scenic Byways Scenic highways in Oregon Cascade Range National Forest Scenic Byways Transportation in Deschutes County, Oregon Deschutes National Forest Tourist attractions in Deschutes County, Oregon