Highway 199: Smith River

US 199 is the road from the Redwood Coast to Grants Pass, and its California stretch is one long river drive. From Crescent City it heads inland into Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, crosses the Smith River near Hiouchi, and then follows the river and its Middle Fork upstream through the Smith River National Recreation Area, past Gasquet and Patrick Creek Lodge.

The Smith is the only major river in California left undammed and flowing naturally, and Congress made the country around it a National Recreation Area in 1990. The road keeps the river close for miles, with white-water rapids below and redwoods, rhododendrons and ferns along the way. Most of the highway is the Smith River Scenic Byway, a National Forest Scenic Byway, and the recreation area's visitor center is right on the highway in Gasquet.

Near the top the highway follows Griffin Creek and passes under Hazel View Summit through the Randolph Collier Tunnel, opened in 1963 to replace the winding road over the summit, which still exists as Oregon Mountain Road. From there it drops toward Elk Valley and the Oregon line.