State Route 243 (SR 243) is a 30-mile (48-kilometer) two-lane state highway in Riverside County, California, that runs from SR 74 in Mountain Center to Interstate 10 (I-10) in Banning. Known as the Banning-Idyllwild Panoramic Highway, it also provides access to Idyllwild and the San Bernardino National Forest. The road from Banning to Idyllwild originally opened by 1910, and was added to the state highway system in 1970. The highway was later also designated as the Esperanza Firefighters Memorial Highway in honor of firefighters who died while fighting the 2006 Esperanza Fire.
The rapidly growing Wolf Fire in Southern California has scorched over 1,165 acres, triggering evacuations in Riverside County...