The byway offers even more benefits than just the fascinating volcanic geology and scenery. Each season offers a different array of outdoor recreational opportunities for everyone. The beautiful green forests and mountains along the byway are home to hiking trails, including the nationally recognized Pacific Crest Trail, ski slopes, and great fishing and kayaking in clear, cool mountain streams and lakes. You can also enjoy viewing the hundreds of species of wildlife along the byway, including over one million birds at Klamath Lake during peak migration in the fall.

Enjoy the beauty of Pelican Bay which inspired John Muir (naturalist, writer, conservationist, and founder of the Sierra Club) to write The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, or dangle a line in one of the six national wildlife refuges in the Klamath Basin, reported to be favorite fishing spots of President Roosevelt. Search for your own treasured hideaway along the 500 miles of diverse landscapes which make up the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway.

The Klamath Basin, located in southern Oregon and northern California, boasts some of the most diverse and healthy bird populations in the nation. From Crater Lake National Park and Klamath Marsh Refuge in the north to Tule Lake and Clear Lake Refuges southeast of Tulelake, CA, Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway provides the ultimate birding getaway. Add countless species to your life list as you peer through binoculars at rare sea birds, enjoy breakfast with fellow birders before a Bald Eagle flyover, or spend a tranquil day on the water, the splash of your canoe paddle the only sound to break the silence.

The byway takes you to six different National Wildlife Refuges, each with its own ecosystem and bird population. Look for nesting American White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants in Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge in California. Also in the state, Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge's ten-mile auto tour provides a view of American Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, several species of geese, and the threatened Peregrine Falcon where cropland and open water meet. Visit Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge and see why it holds the distinction of being the nation's first waterfowl refuge. The 53,000-acre refuge features photoblinds, where photographers capture portraits of birds as they fly, feed, and nest in a protected environment.