The California State Legislature makes state highways eligible for designation as a scenic highway, listing them in the Article 2.5 of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of the California Streets and Highways Code.[3] For a highway to then be declared scenic by Caltrans, the local government with jurisdiction over abutting land must adopt a "scenic corridor protection program" that limits development, outdoor advertising, and earthmoving, and Caltrans must agree that it meets the criteria. The desire to create such a designation has at times been in conflict with the property rights of abutters, for example on State Route 174.[4][5]
Any county highway that is believed to have outstanding scenic qualities is considered eligible, and the county with jurisdiction must follow Caltrans' same approval process as state highways to be declared scenic.[1]
Entering the Arroyo Seco Parkway in PasadenaThe Cabrillo Freeway, looking south from the Cabrillo Bridge in Balboa Park
California Historic Parkways are defined in the Streets and Highways Code, sections 280–284, as a subset of the State Scenic Highway System. Such historic parkways must have been constructed prior to 1945, and have been determined by either Caltrans or the Office of Historic Preservation in the California Department of Parks and Recreation to have historical significance. They must not at time of designation be traversed by more than 40,000 vehicles per day on an annual daily average basis. They also must be "bounded on one or both sides by federal, state, or local parkland, Native American lands or monuments, or other open space, greenbelt areas, natural habitat or wildlife preserves, or similar acreage used for or dedicated to historical or recreational uses".[3]
Monitor Pass and Luther Pass Highways, and Lake Tahoe Road, scenic drive through the forests of Sierra Nevada and along the southwestern side of Lake Tahoe
Route 156, traverses agricultural areas, particularly artichoke crops, between Castroville (nicknamed the "Artichoke Center of the World") and Prunedale
^Lech, Steve (2012). For Tourism and a Good Night's Sleep: J. Win Wilson, Wilson Howell, and the Beginnings of the Pines-to-Palms Highway. Riverside, California: Steve Lech. p. 230. ISBN978-0-9837500-1-7.