CA 36

[Max Rockatansky]

I recently had a chance to revisit CA 36 on my way to Lassen Volcanic National Park.  In past years I've frequently utilized CA 36 to traverse Northern California, especially in the landscape dividing the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Cascade Mountains.  That being case it was time CA 36 to the Gribblenation blog series.  CA 36 is a lengthy 250 mile east/west State Highway.  CA 36 begins at US Route 101 in Alton of Humboldt County and crosses the Coast Ranges to Red Bluff in Sacramento Valley.  From Sacramento Valley CA 36 continues east via the dividing line of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Cascade Mountains to US Route 395 near Susanville.  CA 36 passes through the Counties of; Humboldt, Trinity, Shasta, Tehama, Plumas, and Lassen over it's 250 mile alignment.

The initial route of CA 36 was formed out of large segments of Legislative Routes 29 and 35 which also is the source of it's biggest mystery.  The original route of CA 36 utilized Legislative Route 29 over Mineral Summit which it inherited from a 1860s franchise wagon road.  It is likely that CA 36 moved to Legislative Route 86 and 83 when they were paved over Morgan Summit sometime between 1938-1940.  After reading through the California Highways & Public Works guides I still cannot find a one hundred clear cut answer on CA 36 moving from Mineral Summit.  Since 1964 Old CA 36 over Mineral Summit has been signed as CA 172.  Of note; I did notice that CA 36 over Mineral Summit was one of the highways listed as being fully signed on a May 1935 Division of Highways Report to the AASHO.

https://www.gribblenation.org/2020/10/california-state-route-36.html

[M3100]

Thanks for posting this.  We drove the segment from Red Bluff (I-5) to a motel at Childs Meadow, on the segment that is multiplexed with SR89. As your pictures show this route is scenic.