The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway is one of 42 roadways in the United States with the designation as an All American Road. This byway is a total of 500 miles and connects several of the parks maintained by the National Park Services: Crater Lake National Park Lava Beds National Monument; Tule Lake National Monument; and Lassen Volcanic National Park.

The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway also connects with state parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, and numerous mountain communities across a landscape of volcanoes and lava beds. This Scenic Byway is found in the states of Oregon and Californina.

In the Cascade Mountain Range within the state areas of southern Oregon and northern California, there is one commonality that is found throughout this regions on several of the roads and highways that span the two states and this commonality is volcanoes, lava beds, volcanic specific features and other geological wonders.

The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway geological story also intertwines around another story, the historical story, one that relates the telling of the discovery of gold during the 1840s with the subsequent gold rush, boom towns being built around the gold mines. This massive pursuit of gold also sparked more of the historic story, that of the building up of the previously unknown territory of California with the extension of the railroads into the mining towns and the expansion of agriculture and ranching throughout the area to provide the needs of the growing territory.

Today, much of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway traverses dense mountain forests, broad wetlands, crystal clear rivers and idyllic farms and ranches set among the ghost town ruins of the gold rush boom towns.

All American Road