U.S. Route 97 in California

U.S. Route 97
Route information
Defined by Streets and Highways Code § 397
Maintained by Caltrans
Length:	54.364 mi[1] (87.490 km)
Existed:	1930s – present
Major junctions
South end:	I-5 in Weed
North end:	US 97 at Oregon state line
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Bannered Divided Replaced State highways in California Interstate U.S. State Pre-1964 History Unconstructed Deleted Freeway Scenic ← SR 96 SR 98 →

In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 97 (US 97) runs north from I-5 in Weed to the Oregon state line. This is the majority of a shortcut between I-5 and Klamath Falls, Oregon, added to both states' state highway systems in 1931.

Route description

US 97 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System^[2] and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System.^[3] However, it is not a scenic highway as defined by Caltrans.^[4] As of 2007, it is part of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway.

US 97 begins in Weed at an interchange with Interstate 5. It runs on Weed's Business Loop of Interstate 5, which all of the loop used to be U.S. Route 99. At the junction with California State Route 265, U.S. Route 97 ends its concurrency with the Business Loop and turns right, heading to the northeast into the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and later the Klamath National Forest. US 97 passes by Grass Lake as it travels through the mountains before descending into the community of Macdoel. The route continues into the city of Dorris before intersecting with California State Route 161 near Indian Tom Lake before it crosses Oregon state border and leaves California.^[5]

US 97 Sign on Interstate 5

Major intersections

Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary (for a full list of prefixes, see the list of postmile definitions).^[1] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The entire route is in Siskiyou County.

Location	Postmile [1][6][7]	Destinations	Notes
Weed	L0.00	I-5 Bus. south (South Weed Boulevard)	Continuation beyond I-5
	L0.00	I-5 – Redding, Portland	Interchange; south end of I-5 Bus. overlap; south end of US 97; I-5 exit 747
	L0.43 0.05	SR 265 / I-5 Bus. north (North Weed Boulevard) to I-5 north – Yreka, Portland	North end of I-5 Bus. overlap; former US 99 north
​	4.43	CR A29 (Big Springs Road) – Lake Shastina
​	​	CR A12 (99–97 Cutoff) – Grenada, Yreka
​	21.80	Grass Lake Rest Area
​	49.90	Agricultural Inspection Station (southbound only)
Dorris	50.89	First Street, Main Street
​	53.81	SR 161 – Tulelake
​	54.09	US 97 north – Klamath Falls	Continuation into Oregon
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

Route map: Bing / Google

1. California Department of Transportation. "State Truck Route List". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (XLS file) on June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
2. "CA Codes (shc:250-257)". Leginfo.ca.gov. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
3. "CA Codes (shc:260-284)". Leginfo.ca.gov. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
4. "Officially Designated State Scenic Highways and Historic Parkways". California Department of Transportation. December 7, 2007. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
5. California Road Atlas (Map). Thomas Brothers. 2008.
6. California Department of Transportation, Log of Bridges on State Highways, July 2007
7. California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS, 2005 and 2006