In addition, the P Ranch Historic District is located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the community center.

It passes by the Roaring Springs Ranch, running parallel with Catlow Rim just east of the highway.

After following the rim for approximately 30 miles (48 km), the byway turns southeast and begins to claim over Steens Mountain.

The High Desert Discovery Scenic Byway ends at the small unincorporated community of Fields.

The Diamond Loop Tour Route begins 15 miles (24 km) north of Frenchglen, heading east from the main byway.

The tour route offers the opportunity to see interesting geologic formations including the Diamond Craters volcanic area and the historic Pete French Round Barn.

The route passes Kiger Gorge Overlook, a viewpoint above a deep U-shaped glacier cut valley.

Sandhill cranes, Canada geese, tundra swans, and many species of ducks and shorebirds are common along the Malheur refuge section of the byway.

The program is intends to promote economic development and tourism by protecting scenic highway routes, often in less-traveled areas of the country.

[10][15] In the early 1990s, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management proposed a scenic byway between New Princeton and Lakeview.

It was a shorter route than the one proposed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management, and did not include any visitor centers along the way.