"Jefferson is the state that never was and never will be but that has lived in men's minds for a…read morehundred years." So quoth one resident from the region encompassing part of Southern Oregon and Northern California that locals call the State of Jefferson. If you have ever had occasion to traverse this largely unspoiled, sparsely populated, Heaven-sent, beautiful geographical region, you will understand why residents proudly and defiantly describe themselves as the 51st state in the Union. The history of a movement to secede from the rest of the United States is well-documented on the Web in State of Jefferson websites, Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Jefferson), and has made its way into the collective consciousness of the local population enough to garner recognition by media outlets in the area. For instance, the region's NPR affiliates are referred to as Jefferson Public Radio (http://www.ijpr.org) and The Pioneer Press, an area newspaper published in Fort Jones, California, stakes its claim as "The official newspaper of the State of Jefferson". The sheer beauty and remoteness of parts of this hypothetical state, exemplified by the view of the snow-covered mountaintop of the extinct volcano Mt. Shasta, are enough to convince most skeptics that the State of Jefferson is its own special place that deserves a name of its own and is worth visiting at least once in one's lifetime.

Over the rich history of the United States, various successionist movements have come and gone (or…read morenot). In fact a few of my Texas friend actively look forward to the day when the Lone Star State goes it's own way, but only after they get their first In-N-Out Burger franchise. Up here in the far reaches of Northern California is the State of Jefferson, with Yreka as its Capital. It's a beautiful drive and somewhere along I-5, there's actually a sign on top of a barn that announces your arrival. There is no border patrol, unless you count the Ag Inspection Station at Hornbrook. The State of Jefferson was a dream, that Northern California and Southern Oregon shared, to succeed in creating a new state. The concept of the State of Jefferson started 1852 when a bill was introduced in the California State Legislature meeting at Vallejo. This bill died in committee and the proposal was never acted upon. After Oregon was incorporated as a state in 1859, miners in the area refused allegiance to either state government and declined to pay taxes. During the Civil War some settlers were interested in creating a northern haven for slavery, but fortunately this failed. By 1941 the dream was sparked again when certain counties in California and Oregon decided that they were not being fairly represented by Sacramento and Salem. This was a region that earned a living off the lumber, fishing, and other harvesting businesses in the area and they felt the government was not distributing infrastructure funding equally to the area. In particular, poor road quality and lack of bridges made it difficult to earn a living in this remote area. They wanted to break away and from their own state to improve their lifestyles by governing themselves with their own laws. And the Jefferson State of Mind lives on today.....

Meh..The place is heavily graffitied and smells like urine. I got a very disturbing and somewhat…read moreevil vibe from the place. Your GPS may take you off an unpaved dirt road - glad we had a 4 wheel drive truck, about .4 miles to where you will see a sign for 'Plutos' Cave' and another dirt rood offshoot behind the sign with a lowered gate behind it. DON'T GO THAT WAY. Look around the little parking area for a path with rocks painted white on either side. THAT path will take you to the cave. Some smart person also painted several rocks white on the path to the cave. Look for those as there are several path offshoots.

I would not consider putting Pluto's cave on your bucket list, but if you are in the area it is a…read morecool place to check out. It is not really a place you want to take the kids, more like a place for people with no children that want to experience a spooky experience. The caves are definitely filled with human negative energy. We did not stay long, we just checked them out from a distance, but did not go actually in to the deeper section. This is more like for a group of 3 or more.

Mount Shasta is an incredibly beautiful mountain and volcano. If your driving between Seattle and…read moreLos Angeles you can't miss it from the highway. There are probably a couple different cities that you can enjoy Mount Shasta from but my favorite city is Weed. They have hotels and gift shops and is a cute little town with everything you need. There are two exits for Weed off the highway. One exit is the 'old town' part that is more cute and the other exit is the newer part. I think staying a night here is a perfect thing to do as the scenery is so pleasant. It really is a destination. So often to see natural beauty like this you have to sacrifice comforts of city living. Not with Mount Shasta - its a town that has it all and is just steps away from a little nature walk with an incredible backdrop. It is a real sight to see when you have this regular old Shell Gas station or even Grocery Outlet where the backdrop is the volcano. I don't think you can ever get tired of the harmony here of man made combined with nature.

Incredible volcano and mountain…read more Really recommend spending some time around the nature in this area, even if you won't be committing a summit climb. I went up this past weekend with the attempt to summit Shasta and had a really nice time. The town of Mt. Shasta has a few restaurants and some decent accomodations for sleeping (slept in Loge with our group which was great)... As for the hike, we went up and started at Bunny Flats and camped at Helen Lake for the night and then going for the summit via the Avalanche Gulch route. It was a beautiful and trying hike...definitely be familiar with the risks and have the proper skills to manage them if attempting. All in all; Mount Shasta is majestic and magical. Spend some time here!

This is a great place for a photo op of Mt. Shasta, may it be you are coming or going. There is…read moregreat information about the history of the Mountain as well as benches if you just want to stop and take a minute to enjoy the beauty. I have stopped here on countless occasions when traveling between Oregon & California

A little pit stop off southbound highway 97. Totally worth the stop. I can only imagine how much…read moremore grand and beautiful it would have been if the top was not covered. Definitely want to come back and explore it in the Spring or Summer.

Crossing the Oregon-California border was one of those simple moments that made our road trip even…read moremore memorable. The last town you pass through is Ashland, then you climb up to the summit, and as you start coming back down boom there's the Oregon/California border sign. There's a nice, spacious parking area where it's easy to pull over. We popped the trunk on the car, toasted a couple of bagels with cream cheese, brewed a fresh pot of coffee, and shot a fun little video together. It turned into one of those unexpected moments that ended up being a highlight of the trip. If you're traveling up or down the West Coast, I definitely recommend stopping here. It's a great place to stretch your legs, grab a photo with the state sign, and make a memory. Five stars!

Driving south from Oregon into California on I-5, I think I heard my wallet cry as I crossed the…read moreborder. Yes, fuel is more expensive in the Golden State than it is in the Beaver State. So fill up if you can before you cross over. There is not a good place to stop here. It looked too dangerous to me. There is an Agricultural Checkpoint in Hornbrook. They might or might not be checking passenger vehicles. My Sprinter van was waved through without being stopped. [Review 20951 overall - 484 in California - 1936 of 2023.]

An inactive volcano, Mount Shasta is the fifth-highest mountain in the Golden State. 14,179 feet…read moretall it dominates the landscape of this area of Northern California. I'm from North Carolina, which boasts the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi (Mount Mitchell, 6684 feet). Allegedly, the volcano was last active in 1250 AD. No Yelp then to prove it one way or the other. There is a fabulous vista point not far away on I-5. I'd love to catch it at sunrise but alas, I'm heading south this afternoon and can't stay to get closer to Mount Shasta. Instead, I'll just have to be satisfied with the great views of the mountain from the highway. [Review 20958 overall - 488 in California - 1943 of 2023.]

Driving past Mount Shasta on I-5 you just can't miss this natural piece of beauty. Its 100 degrees…read moreand somehow the mountain still appears snow capped in late summer. Most of the surrounding area is very flat and then all of a sudden your attention is fully grabbed by is presence. An unplanned stop and slight detour isn't a hard decision to make. I pull over and stop. Open the trunk and pull out a little bottle of apple cider I packed for the trip to Seattle. I sip the near burning hot cider and it reminds me of the holidays - the only time I would have such a beverage. Apparently my Black Opel paint made the back trunk into an oven of sorts. I gaze at what appears to be a snow capped mountain volcano. It takes a moment to realize the altitude difference of the top of the mountain and where I'm standing - apparently 14,162 feet. I take a small hike or nature walk. I pick up some rocks that had a huge volume and very little weight. Apparently lava that dried up when it was near the surface and under no pressure. I think most of the time in life some of the most enjoyable moments and events are unplanned. Maybe schedules and windows of time and reservations are overrated.

When I was in southern Oregon, I knew I had to visit Crater Lake. However, I was worried that…read moresince I did not have a four-wheel drive car I would not be able to visit the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. It turns out that the Hobart Bluff hike is accessible with a typical car, so I was able to check it out and do a short day hike. Now, be warned that even with this hike, you will be traversing a winding road filled with gravel. You will also pass through private property at points, so you should make sure you're driving at a slow speed and not kicking up too much dust. I entered "Hobart Bluff" into my GPS, but it ended up stopping short from the actual trailhead; I'd recommend either bringing a map with you or checking out driving directions online to minimize confusion. The hike itself is relatively easy as you approach the viewpoint. Then, you do have to climb a moderate elevation to get the amazing views. On a clear day, you can see Mount Shasta and Mount McLoughlin, and seeing the junction between the different mountain ranges (and their varying flora) was a sight to behold. If you are feeling like you want a longer hike, you can walk part of the Pacific Crest Trail and pretend that you are Cheryl Strayed for a hot second.

Great alternative to Grizzly peak. Theres a fire lookout opposite direction of hobarts trail…read morehaven't been yet though.

Beautiful dam! This is officially the first dam I've ever driven over. Absolutely beautiful scenery…read moreand love all the trees. Southern Oregon at its finest

Beautiful & clean however the elder camp host was down right evil. Oregon typically has amazing…read morekind helpful hosts but this guy seemed to hate humans and especially kids. He chapped us for climbing a dead tree in a forest with no sign and blamed my kids for destroying a bird house that they found on the ground in pieces and we're actually trying to fix. Then mad dogged me shaking his head as I drove away- Get a life dude- or how about do your job and if you don't like it then get the hell out. No need to make others feel as miserable as you are. Oregon, you can do better than that. Did I mention I brought him homemade jam when we first arrived thinking this guys old and way out here, maybe he'd enjoy a gift- so sad when we try and be generous and kind and people can't get past their misery to see the light in others. Don't want someone to climb a tree- THEN put up a gosh darn sign.

I was having lunch with my parents today at our usual pizza spot, shout out Stark Street Pizza, and…read morewe were talking about all the times we would drive to Tahoe years ago. This prompted me to ask my parents if they remembered ever seeing the Truck Village. They said they had not. We all found that interesting. As I stated in my previous review, I used to drive I-5 from Portland, OR to San Francisco, CA somewhat frequently. On my way home to Portland I would pull off Exit 743 North, just south of Weed, CA, and have a bite of my packed lunch and admire the vividly painted water trucks that are neatly parked in a perfect display for passers by. The view heading south on I-5 isn't as good. I did some internet sleuthing on this matter. It seems that the provenance of these trucks and where the name "Rainbow Drive" the road you follow to the gate is beyond my ability to attain. The earliest mention of it is on an online travel message board back in 2006. I was making the drive in 2010-2011. The most recent post was 2023. This iconic roadside attraction is mysterious indeed. 2024 - Review # 23

Just love these colorful trucks all lined up! Look forward to this welcome to CA several times a…read moreyear as we go to/from WA state. Thanks for the eye candy! Ps. I have never bought a water truck but if I did I would think if this place first