Fun Facts about Klamath County's Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway All American Road.

Travel Writers

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 26, 2003

Looking for a close to home vacation destination that offers amazing facts to share with family and friends? Klamath County's little known Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway All American Road is not only one of America's top scenic drives, the route is filled with fascinating facts. Here are just a few of the fun facts of this renowned drive.

1. The route is one of only 29 drives in American that the federal government has selected as an All American Road, one of the best drives in the United States.

2. Crater Lake, the centerpiece of the drive, is the deepest lake in the United States. The last time Crater Lake froze over was in 1949.

3. Crater Lake is the 6th oldest National Park in the United States, and Charles Lindbergh flew over the lake in the Spirit of St. Louis on September 16, 1927.

4. Fort Klamath Military Post was the last cavalry post to be closed in the "Wild West" in 1890.

5. Although Fort Klamath Military Post never moved, it stood in four different Oregon Counties (Wasco, Jackson, Lake and now Klamath).

6. The church in Fort Klamath is 90 years old. Their service is always held at 5:00 PM, because the pastor has two other rural community churches to attend.

7. The community of Fort Klamath and surrounding areas use artesian wells as their home water source.

8. Klamath Lake is a premier birding site known nationally and internationally. The lake is the largest body of freshwater west of the Rockies.

9. The Klamath Basin has the longest running bald eagle festival in the United States.

10. The largest number of Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states winter in the Klamath Basin.

11. Klamath Falls has the only Arnold Palmer designed golf course in Oregon.

12. Geothermal hot water from natural wells provides heat for a number of Klamath Falls homes, buildings, sidewalks and the college (Oregon Institute of Technology).

13. The Klamath River is one of the Nation's premiere "Wild & Scenic" whitewater boating adventures.

14. Klamath Falls is Oregon's "City of Sunshine" and averages 300 days of sunshine a year.

15. The community of Midland got its name because it's half way between San Francisco and Portland. The community is smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Flyway, with several wildlife refuges nearby.

16. Bear Valley Refuge off Hwy. 97 is a protected wildlife area, a major night roost site for wintering bald eagles.

For more fun facts or complete information on this scenic byway, visit the county's website (www.klamathcounty.net) or call their visitor center (800/445-6728) for current brochures and maps.