Outback Scenic Byway (OR-31 / US-395)

The Outback Scenic Byway is a 170-mile National Scenic Byway through Oregon's high-desert southeast, starting near La Pine and running southeast on OR-31 through Summer Lake, the Chewaucan Valley, and into Lake County before joining US-395 south to the California border at New Pine Creek. The route passes Fort Rock State Park, the Hole-in-the-Ground maar crater, and Summer Lake Hot Springs. Roads are two-lane rural highway at high elevation (Lakeview sits at 4,800 ft, Oregon's highest incorporated city) with long straight sections punctuated by sweeping high-desert curves and virtually no traffic — essential to plan for fuel gaps.