Oregon Route 66 is an

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 ...

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 ...

that runs between the cities of Ashland and

Klamath Falls Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city was ...

. The highway is known as the Green Springs Highway No. 21 (see

Oregon highways and routes The state highway system of the U.S. state of Oregon is a network of highways that are owned and maintained by the Highway Division of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Highways and routes The state highway system consists of abo ...

), and is signed east-to-west.

Route description

Oregon Route 66 begins (at its western terminus) at an intersection with

Oregon Route 99 Oregon Route 99 is a state highway that runs between the southern border of Oregon, and the city of Junction City. Oregon Route 99 was formed from parts of the former U.S. Route 99; it shares much of its route with I-5, but much of it is also ...

just east of downtown Ashland. The highway heads northeast, crosses and intersects with

Interstate 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 Califor ...

, and continues east along the northern edge of the

Siskiyou Mountains The Siskiyou Mountains are a coastal subrange of the Klamath Mountains, and located in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the United States. They extend in an arc for approximately from east of Crescent City, California, northea ...

. Before ascending into the mountains, it passes alongside

Emigrant Reservoir Emigrant Lake is a reservoir located southeast of Ashland, Oregon, Ashland, Oregon, at the southern end of the Rogue Valley. It has an elevation of above sea level. The lake has an average surface area of , and an average volume of . The lake ...

. Six miles east of Ashland, the highway intersects with

Oregon Route 273 Oregon Route 273 is an Oregon state highway running from OR 66 near Ashland to Interstate 5 near the California state line. OR 273 is known as the Siskiyou Highway No. 273 (see Oregon highways and routes). It is long and runs north–south p ...

, near the Klamath Falls Junction. The highway then passes over the mountains. The highway ends at an interchange with

U.S. Route 97 U.S. Route 97 (US 97) is a major north–south route of the United States Numbered Highway System in the Pacific Northwest region. It runs for approximately through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, primarily serving in ...

in Klamath Falls; just west of this interchange the highway intersects and briefly overlaps

Oregon Route 140 Oregon Route 140 (OR 140) is a state highway in southern Oregon, United States. It is the longest state highway in Oregon, running from the community of White City, Oregon (just north of Medford), through Klamath Falls and on to Lakeview. It ...

. OR 140 continues east of the US 97 interchange, past the Klamath Falls airport, and eventually towards Lakeview. Prior to 1934, the stretch of OR 66 between Klamath Falls Junction and Klamath Falls was signed as US 97; when the highway between Klamath Falls and

Weed, California Weed is a city in Siskiyou County, California, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a total population of 2,862, down from 2,967 in 2010. There are several unincorporated communities adjacent to, or just outside, Weed proper, inclu ...

was completed, that route became US 97, and the Green Springs Highway became OR 66. At that time, OR 66 west of Klamath Falls Junction (and OR 273 south of there) was U.S. Route 99; in 1938 a new route over

Siskiyou Pass Siskiyou Pass (sometimes called Siskiyou Summit) is a historic mountain pass in the Siskiyou Mountains of Jackson County. It is the most used pass in the U.S. state of Oregon. The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) made the Siskiyou Trail over the pass ...

was completed, and the highway assumed its current configuration. OR 66 is in length.

Major intersections

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oregon Route 066 066 Transportation in Jackson County, Oregon Transportation in Klamath County, Oregon