Picturesque Hwy 96 is home to the secluded towns of Hoopa, Orleans, Somes Bar and Happy Camp. The highway meanders north from Willow Creek and passes through the Hoopa Valley Reservation, the largest Indian reservation in California. Attractions at the reservation include the Hoopa Tribal Museum, Lucky Bear Casino and ancient Indian villages that date back 10,000 years. The first section of the highway follows along the Trinity River, and travelers pass the popular river beach at Tish Tang. The water is cool and inviting on a hot day, but the current can be strong and dangerous.

Approximately 20 minutes from Willow Creek is Hoopa Valley, the contemporary and ancestral home of the Hoopa people. In the valley, travelers will find lodging, restaurants, groceries and many other amenities.

Further along Hwy 96 is the pleasant community of Orleans. Orleans is situated along the Klamath River and borders the Six Rivers and Klamath National Forests. The Orleans Ranger Station has information on the nearby Marble Mountains, Trinity Alps and Siskiyou Wilderness areas. The region has scores of high country lakes and miles of remote trails. Wildlife is abundant and it's not unusual to see otters, geese, ospreys, bears and even a bald eagle. More than 300 species of birds inhabit the area. Orleans has a surprising number of services for its size, including restaurants, motels, a museum, gas station, deli, laundromat, grocery store, RV parks and more.

About 10 miles north of Orleans is the hamlet of Somes Bar, where the astonishingly clean and beautiful Salmon River — sometimes called the California Salmon or Cal Salmon to distinguish it from the Salmon River in Idaho — meets the Klamath. Somes Bar is just over the line into Siskiyou County. Oak Bottom Campground offers camping area along a calm stretch of the Salmon. A narrow, curvy road leads upriver to Class IV and V rapids on the Salmon, which should be run only by experts. Somes Bar has groceries, propane, gasoline and a post office available.

Further north is Happy Camp, named by a party of gold-seekers who camped on the beach at Indian Creek in 1851. The area is the ancestral homeland of the Karuk tribe. Today the tribe continues its culture and lifestyle there.