State Route 36 (SR 36) is an east–west

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 Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

that is routed from

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...

in Humboldt County to U.S. Route 395 just east of Susanville in Lassen County. The highway passes through Red Bluff, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Tehama County, on the northern edge of the

Sacramento Valley The Sacramento Valley is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies north of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the Sacramento River. It encompasses all or parts of ten Northern California ...

. The portion of SR 36 travelling past

Lassen Volcanic National Park Lassen Volcanic National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in northeastern California. The dominant feature of the park is Lassen Peak, the largest lava dome, plug dome volcano in the wo ...

and

Lake Almanor Lake Almanor is a large reservoir in northwestern Plumas County, northeastern California, United States. The reservoir has a capacity of and a maximum depth of about . The surface area is 43.75 square miles (11,331.2 hectares). It is formed by ...

is part of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, a

National Scenic Byway A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...

. Also, Route 36 between Alton and Susanville is a designated

Blue Star Memorial Highway Blue Star Memorial Highways are highways in the United States that are marked to pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces. The National Council of State Garden Clubs, now known as National Garden Clubs, National Garden Clubs, Inc., started the progra ...

Route description

SR 36 begins in Alton at an interchange with

. It continues east through the communities of Hydesville and Carlotta before paralleling the Van Duzen River all the way to the town of Bridgeville. It passes near Mt. McClellan as it follows a curving path through the communities of Dinsmore and Cobbs, then enters Trinity National Forest. Once in Trinity County, the highway veers away from the Van Duzen River, and crosses the Mad River before passing through the communities of Mad River and Forest Glen. The route briefly bends north to intersect with the southern terminus of SR 3 before turning east again and entering first Shasta County, where SR 36 passes through Wildwood and

Platina Platina is a municipality ''( município)'' in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. As of 2020 the population is estimated to be 3,578 inside an area of 326.73 km². The elevation of the municipality is 466 meters. Media In telecommunications, th ...

, where it intersects CR A16 and leaves the forest, and enters Tehama County. SR 36 passes through

Rosewood Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...

and later intersects CR A5 before entering the city of Red Bluff as Beegum Road. SR 36 continues south as Main Street into downtown Red Bluff before making a turn east as Oak Street, crossing the

Sacramento River The Sacramento River () is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento–San Joaquin River D ...

and coming to an interchange with I-5 before turning into Antelope Boulevard and passing the Tehama County Fairgrounds as it leaves the city limits. SR 36 intersects the northern terminus of SR 99 and turns northeast at the intersection. Several miles later, SR 36 intersects CR A6 at the community of Dales before continuing east and passing through Paynes Creek. Eventually, SR 36 intersects SR 172 at the town of

Mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2011): Mi ...

in the Lassen National Forest before running concurrently with SR 89. SR 89 and SR 36 intersect with the eastern terminus of SR 32 before crossing into Plumas County. Once the highway reaches the western shore of

, SR 89 continues southeast, while SR 36 passes through the community of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

along the northern shore of Lake Almanor. The route continues into Lassen County, where it intersects SR 147 and passes in between Lassen and Plumas National Forests. SR 36 intersects SR 44 before entering the city of Susanville as Hillcrest Road. The highway continues north briefly as Pine Street before becoming Main Street and continuing east through downtown Susanville and intersecting SR 139 and CR A27 before leaving the city limits. SR 36 ends at an intersection with U.S. Route 395 just southwest of Johnstonville. SR 36 is part of the

California Freeway and Expressway System The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses both state highways and federal highways in California. It was defined by Article 2 (comme ...

, and east of SR 44 is part of the National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

. SR 36 is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System, but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the

California Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an Executive (government), executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the Government of California#State agencies, cabinet-level California State Tran ...

. Both the SR 36/SR 86 concurrency, and the segment of SR 36 between SR 86 near Chester and SR 44 near Susanville, are part of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, a

In popular culture

On the TV show '' Lost'', during a flashback scene in the episode " Further Instructions,"

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) – 28 October 1704 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.)) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thi ...

picks up a hitchhiker who happens to be an undercover police officer on State Route 36. In author Robyn Carr's romantic novel series ''Virgin River'', the fictional town of Virgin River is located off State Route 36 in the mountains of Humboldt County in Northern California. In the New Zealand TV series '' 800 Words'', a California 36 highway sign hangs on the wall of Big Mac's fight club (alongside one for

Interstate 20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Reeves County, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. B ...

Major intersections

References

External links

{{CASR external links, SR, 36
AARoads - State Route 36
036 State Route 036 State Route 036 State Route 036 State Route 036 State Route 036 State Route 036 Monuments and memorials in California 1934 establishments in California

Route description

In popular culture

Major intersections

See also

References

External links