State Route 96 (SR 96) follows the Trinity and Klamath Rivers in Northern California. For most of the route it goes through the Karuk Tribal Reservation, the Yurok Tribal Reservation, and the Hoopa Tribal Reservation. Over half of the length is the Bigfoot Scenic Byway, passing through "the region boasting the most sightings of Bigfoot of anywhere in the country" according to the National Scenic Byways Program.

This route is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System. However, it is not a scenic highway as defined by Caltrans.

The route begins at a junction with State Route 299, the Trinity Highway, in Willow Creek. It heads north, running parallel to the Klamath River, and exits the Trinity National Forest, nearing Hoopa. At Weitchpec, the route intersects State Route 169 and turns northeast into the Six Rivers National Forest. The highway passes through Orleans and turns more northerly after intersecting Salmon River Road. Passing through Happy Camp, SR 96 enters the Klamath National Forest. After passing through Gottsville, the route exits the national forest. It intersects State Route 263, which heads south toward Yreka. Picking up the designation of Interstate 5 Business, SR 96 turns north. Passing the Randolf Collier Safety Roadside Rest Area, the route meets its terminus at Interstate 5.

Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.