Interstate 5 North: Weed, California to Ashland, Oregon

This drive features the northernmost 50 miles of Interstate 5 in California as we begin the drive in the city of Weed and drive all the way to the Oregon border and cross Siskiyou Summit, which is the highest point on all of I-5. We descend Siskiyou Summit into the city of Ashland, Oregon, where we end the video. This is one of the most scenic drives on the whole of I-5.
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Chapters:
0:00 Weed, California
1:15 Shasta Valley
6:20 Yreka, California
8:20 Anderson Grade Summit
10:10 Klamath River
10:20 Climbing Siskiyou Summit
13:40 Welcome to Oregon
15:07 Descending Siskiyou Summit
19:50 Ashland, Oregon
20:51 Photos
Music:
Epidemic Sound
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[@GaryGeat28]

In March of 2009, my mom and I were traveling to Arizona. After we made it through Grants Pass, we hit a huge snowstorm through Siskiyou Pass.

[@estelleadamski308]

My dad was a teacher, a guard at Alcatraz for a while, but, his favorite job was as a surveyor for CalTrans, and he worked on I-5 for yrs. Killed a lot of rattlesnakes! Hot and dusty work. A beautiful road, so my dad helped build it. I'm proud of his part in it!

[@meredithslack6895]

Great video. Loved the history along the way. Thank you.

[@gamalielshapira]

Weed, named after lumber tycoon Abner Weed who built a mill there in the late 1880s. Died in 1917, buried 30 miles south in the town of Dunsmuir.

[@InterstateKyle]

It has to be one of the funniest City names in the country, even if it’s named after a person. The town sure profits off the name!

[@gamalielshapira]

@@InterstateKyle I always chuckle at “Why, Arizona”

[@briane173]

@@gamalielshapira They need to plat a new town called "Because."

[@briane173]

@@InterstateKyle Not unlike George, Washington.

[@audinos4827]

Abner Weed III died not too many years ago. He was probably the reason the name hasn't been changed to Shastina, as has been often proposed.

[@jessemedina4482]

Sight for sore eyes... I just moved away from Medford, OR to miserably cold MT. I only lived 3 blocks from I-5 and loved attacking the Siskiyou Pass on a sunny day in my Lincoln Mark VII. Already can't wait to move back.

[@christinabrodrick6406]

My favorite the mountains … thank you 😊

[@briane173]

Weed is one of my favorite spots in the Shasta area. The views of Mt Shasta from inside of town are spectacular. I wouldn't wanna be around if Mt Shasta decided to erupt, though. I think it would be all she wrote. The hilly landscape you drove through between Weed Airport and Yreka was caused by a massive landslide down the north slope of Mt Shasta; it created countless hummocks that blanketed the entire valley. I don't have details on when it happened but one would assume it was the product of one of Shasta's eruptions over the last 10,000 years.

[@GreatAussieDrives]

Great stuff. Really enjoyed the footage of the Siskiyou Summit though my favourite view was at 7:48, I love how the landscape there opens up like that 😁

[@andresdiaz623]

Drove through there today on my way to Manzanita. It’s a really scenic drive. I really enjoyed it.

[@dwood78part23]

I know you love the drive in the Northwest as you drove this route a number of times in the road videos you done in the past. Nice scenery too :)

[@StevenEveral]

On one road trip I took from Seattle to California, I stopped in Weed to pick up some snacks. I looked at the time on my phone: 4 : 20pm. Edit: But seriously, this stretch of I-5 is one of my favorite stretches of road on the west coast. The views of Mount Shasta on I-5 south are amazing.

[@briane173]

Weed has a Quality Inn that is, in fact, a quality inn. I try to make Weed a stop on my itinerary whenever I drive from WA to SoCal; depends on whether I'm rushed or not. I prefer to drive along the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains and east slopes of the Cascades, but if I have to take I-5 I try to make Weed my last stop before returning home.

[@kevinhabener1279]

@StevenEveral I say ditto to your comment.

[@Tobyvideos]

Traveled this freeway many times, last was 2019. Great videos and I get to look at all of it as a passenger

[@InterstateKyle]

Thank you! I love this drive, always puts me in a good mood everytime I drive it!

[@jeffhildreth9244]

T 13:16 you missed the exit to All Sar Liquor... THE BARGAIN in booze in Nor Cal. To many Oregonians this is a MUST destination to escape obscene liquor prices.

[@Sacto1654]

You mean All-Star Liquors Express at 210 Hilt Road?

[@jeffhildreth9244]

@@Sacto1654 Hell yeah.. Just got back to J'Ville Or. from Carmel and stopped there at 11:00 AM on the way. Got Tequilla and Gran Marnier. Ripping deals.

[@michaelsharp3615]

Can't wait to see Eastern Oregon succeed from their state and join Idaho!!! That way they feel as if they are part of their state compared to Western Oregon totally different

[@donavanjohnson409]

Nice ride along interstate 5 north

[@InterstateKyle]

Thank you! 😊

[@countenanceblog]

Since the video shows the Rogue River Valley: RIP, Roger Fredinburg. One of the many people we lost in 2022.

[@user-nj3ri3fk9o]

great content thanks

[@kevinhabener1279]

This is 1 video that reminds me of how Oregon to me is like the Canada to California. The scenery changes going north, I find to be rather identical to traveling north from Western Washington up into British Columbia, Canada. Just too bad that Canada has very much closed its border to us over the past 20 years since 2001. But far northern California's Shasta Valley has been one of my top 10 favorite areas of all the 3 West Coast States. As A native Washingtonian who's attended college in Bellingham, near the Washington/Canada Border, I've gotten to know that isolated section of Western Washington which increased my craze for the northernmost county in California on I-5 to where it became my #1 hot spot for driving to and spending 2 nights plus at.

[@briane173]

If I can't make it to the eastern Sierra Nevada along US-395 my concession is making a stop at Weed CA. The next best thing if you're into a more-or-less alpine setting and surrounded by conifers.

[@catholicactionbibleonlyist1813]

Pamela courson comes from Weed California

[@InterstateKyle]

That’s a cool fact!

[@mattwiser8406]

Nice video, and though you've shown this stretch of I-5 previously, it still looks like a good drive-ODOT work zones notwithstanding. What were all those semis doing parked just south of the Siskiyou Pass, though? A bit of trivia: the I-5 goes through an area north of Mt. Shasta where earthen mounds were spotted on satellite imagery-the Science Channel's What on Earth? show had this. What made the mounds? Gophers. Yep, gopher mounds that can be seen from orbit.

[@briane173]

We have a few areas of these mima mounds in WA as well. Jury's out on the gopher theory, but it hasn't been ruled out either. There have been many explanations for these mima mounds, but because of the varied landscapes and differences in climate from area to area, it's difficult to attribute these mima mounds to anything common to them all -- except the possibility of a bunch of busy-ass prairie dogs or gophers.

[@ColtonRoadVideos]

Awesome video! One thing I’ve wondered: Do semi trucks actually drive 55 in California? I have a feeling they don’t!

[@Metaphysics-for-life]

Hilt is a great place to stop for food and tax free liquor !!

[@destroyer0685]

For a Texan driving to Seattle this part of I 5 is certainly enjoyable. Once we entered Ashland we stopped at the McDonalds off of 5 for lunch.

[@briane173]

I think Ashland and Weed ought to exchange names.

[@damienredd9068]

For the first time in a long time ago, they were more likely to have been a little bit of everything that is not the case of the world

[@lonudist]

Same video

[@dvferyance]

If northern California would become the state of Jefferson than Oregon should change it's name to Adams.

[@briane173]

Except that most of the southernmost counties in Oregon intended to become part of the State of Jefferson. I do wonder how far that movement would've gotten had it not been for Pearl Harbor and WWII.