Highway 3: Weaverville to Fort Jones

Highway 3 north of Weaverville is a long, quiet mountain road, and Caltrans lists it as a state scenic highway for its entire length. Most of this drive is also the Trinity Heritage Scenic Byway, a National Forest Scenic Byway that follows the path of the early miners and settlers north from Weaverville.

Heading north, the road climbs out of Weaverville and runs beside Trinity Lake, the big reservoir also named Clair Engle Lake, with the water on the right, through Covington Mill and Trinity Center. Past Coffee Creek it follows the upper Trinity River into the Trinity Mountains, then crosses Scott Mountain Summit, where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the highway.

On the north side it comes down into Siskiyou County and the Scott Valley, through Callahan and Etna to Fort Jones. The last part is open valley farmland, a gentle finish after the mountain miles.