360° VR Panoramas of Mount Shasta and the Klamath-Trinity Mountains
The Southern Section of the G-O (Gasquet-Orleans) Road
Six Rivers National Forest, California
The G-O Road was built by the US Forest Service to connect the Smith River near Gasquet with the middle stretch of the Klamath River near Orleans. Environmentalists viewed it as a giant pipe designed to suck timber from the interior to the idle mills on the coast.
It is surprising to find such a heavy-duty road in a remote mountainous area, particularly since it is broken in the middle. After a long controversy the Siskiyou Wilderness Area was created to forever block its completion.
Despite much evidence of logging and fires, the G-O road is a wonderful drive, following ridges higher and higher into the heart of the mountains. There is still some big timber left, and a great diversity of tree species. A trail connects its south end, near Elk Valley, to its north segment, near Doctor Rock.
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 | Rhododendrons on the G-O Road Rhododendrons in the forest along the G-O Road in the Siskiyou MountainsGasquet-Orleans Road (G-O Road), Klamath National Forest, California Date photographed: June 30, 2009See location in Google Maps | |
 | Along the G-O Road A typical scene along the south portion of the Gasquet-Orleans (G-O) Road, a major logging artery eventually left incomplete to save the forestsGasquet-Orleans Road (G-O Road), Klamath National Forest, California Date photographed: June 30, 2009See location in Google Maps | |
 | Forest on the G-O Road Though mostly logged and much of it burned, patches of magnificent forest can be found along the G-O Road between Orelans and Elk ValleyGasquet-Orleans Road (G-O Road), Klamath National Forest, California Date photographed: June 30, 2009See location in Google Maps | |
 | Ocean View from the G-O Road An expansive view over Blue Creek to the ocean from the high point of the south G-O RoadGasquet-Orleans Road (G-O Road), Klamath National Forest, California Date photographed: June 30, 2009See location in Google Maps | |
 | High on Dillon Creek High in the watershed of Dillon Creek, one of the largest blocks of lowland forest in the Klamath Mountains despite extensive firesDillon Creek, Klamath National Forest, California Date photographed: June 30, 2009See location in Google Maps | |
 | Burned Forest on the G-O Road A burned forest near Elk Valley at the north end of the southern segment of the G-O RoadGasquet-Orleans Road (G-O Road), Klamath National Forest, California Date photographed: June 30, 2009See location in Google Maps | |
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