Driving Directions to the California Salmon
The fastest route from the San Francisco Bay Area is I-5 to Hwy 299
- From I-5 North in Redding take Exit # 678 to merge onto Hwy 44 West.
- Turn right onto Hwy 273 North/Pine St. Take the 1st left onto Hwy 273 North/Eureka Way (signs for Weaverville/CA-299 W).
- Continue straight on Hwy 299 West.
- In Willow Creek turn right onto Hwy 96 East.
- Just before the town of Somes Bar turn right onto Salmon River Rd (parallels the Salmon River).
- Oak Bottom River Access is located 2.3 miles from Hwy 96. If you cross the bridge, you went 1.5 miles too far. Look for an All-Outdoors guide or a notice on the bulletin board.
Other possible routes:
From the coast - Hwy 101 to Hwy 299 East (at Arcata) to Hwy 96 East (at Willow Creek)
From Oregon - I-5 South to Hwy 96 West (north of Yreka)
We encourage you to print and use our driving directions and not rely strictly on GPS navigation. GPS / cellular service is limited to nonexistent in outlying areas.
Driving Distances and Times to Meeting Place From:
San Francisco to Redding: 220 mi/ 3.5 hrs
San Francisco to Arcata: 280 mi/ 5 hrs
Medford, OR to Hwy 96 jct near Yreka: 40 mi/ 40 min
Redding to Somes Bar: 145 mi/ 3 hrs
Arcata to Somes Bar: 85 mi/ 2 hrs
Yreka to Somes Bar: 105 mi/ 2.5 hrs
Happy Camp to Somes Bar: 40 mi/ 1 hr
Orleans to Somes Bar: 8 mi/12 min
These are approximate mileages and driving times and do not take into account any delays or stops. Please allow a little extra time to assure correct arrival time to the meeting place. Thank you!