Use our Eastern Sierras fall color guide for more info, but early October is a good bet. In addition, the tree leaves on this lake really pop in the fall. [3], US395 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System,[4] and part of the National Highway System,[5] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration. Share this Highway 395 road trip itinerary with your friends on Pinterest: Thanks for the great site. Dana Meadows is immediately south of the pass alongside the highway, as the pass itself is roughly angled northsouth as opposed to eastwest. The summit on Hwy 4 is only around 760feet. Alternatively, you may use, The Benson Portland, Curio Collection by Hilton, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Portland International Airport, OR, The Nines, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Portland. Check the "steepness" score to find interesting uphill hikes to summit, hilly streets to drive, or the fastest downhill mountain biking trails. Traveling north, US 395 traversed much of the path of modern SR 163 and I-15 to Poway Road, where it routed to the east along much of today's Pomerado Road to Lake Hodges, with various realignments over the years. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Head to the South Tufa Area where you can learn more about the weird, tower-like limestone formations known as tufa (created by the action of the lakes water with the salts in it), the billions of tiny shrimp that call the lake home, and, if youre here in autumn, the millions of migrating birds who feast on the shrimp and flies. Now, its time for another detour on your way down to Bishop. You can adjust this 395 road trip to fit a 3-4 day timeframe, but youll need to make some hard choices about what you have time for. For good eats, check out the Erick Schats Bakker or the Holy Smoke Texas Barbeque. The highway retains that name as it travels through Tuolumne Meadows, over Tioga Pass at an elevation of 9,945 feet, and through the Lee Vining Canyon on its 59-mile (95 km) journey to its intersection with U.S. Route 395, at Lee Vining. Would you agree its still a scenic drive? Formerly a fertile lake and valley, Owens Lake and the southern portion of the valley are now dry. SFO is on the 101. For more information, start with our mega guide for Death Valley that includes practical planning tips, routing suggestions, accommodations and top things to do. . It's totally paved. Past Lone Pine, the highway passes by Manzanar National Historic Site, a concentration camp where Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II. Here's a map made by the California . [3][12], After leaving Kramer Junction, US395 passes the Kramer Junction Solar Electric Generating Station. Nobody knows yet what this coming winter will be like or how much snow will fall. (This article contains affiliate links. Your next stop is the scenic June Lake Loop. The hike up the highest peak in the lower 48 states is straightforward the path, opened in 1904, had to be easyenough for mules carrying building materials forthe Smithsonian Institution shelter at the summit, constructed to observe a transit of Venus but obtaining the permit for the climb is not quite so simple: theres a lottery held each year to restrict numbers. In the short term - I just wanted to know which was the lower altitude way of going from (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Some of the canyons managed by the Forest Service allow disbursed camping. Before leaving Bishop, you may want to check out either the Laws Railroad museum (if you are a train nerd) or the Paiute-Shoshone Cultural Center (if you are into Native American culture). Even without taking the side trips, I'd like this route just for a more scenic drive. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-29830794', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Portland and Long Beach are both pretty much at sea level and there are no hills/mountains of any significance in between (Long Beach is on the ocean; the Columbia River connects Portland to the ocean.). Heres the 5 day itinerary for your 395 travel. In the winter, when the Coast range is subject to snow and ice, Hwy 30 in Oregon is NOT the best way to get to Long Beach. You will be limited by road conditions. Wellit's a draw either way. U.S. Route 395 (US395) is a United States Numbered Highway, stretching from Hesperia, California to the Canadian border in Laurier, Washington. r Ranges. While crossing the desert, the route clips the northeastern corner of Edwards Air Force Base. Prior to truncation, US395 served the metropolitan areas of San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino. Your first stop should be Bodie State Park. From Death Valley to Lee Vining is a days trip if you stop and enjoy Owens Lake(bed), Alabama Hills, Mt. The highway proceeds towards and around the west side of 73-square-mile (190km2) Honey Lake while en route to Susanville. Check Cal Trans for snowy road conditions, watch out for fast moving semis, and stay in the slow lane, especially if you are in an RV. Bodie would be a different story - probably inaccessible in April. However, US395 does not resume following the river, instead cutting across the Long Valley Caldera to serve the ski resort areas of Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain via SR203, after paralleling the runway of the Mammoth Yosemite Airport. FYI - I think Hiway 30' gets to about 2000 feet along that route. Starting on the west side of Highway 395, drivers . Our xenophobic reflex to the bombing of Pearl Harbor resulted in the imprisonment of 11,000 Japanese Americans at Manzanar. The Pacific Crest Trail passes through, and it crosses the highway here. Ive seen the obvious other options of I-5 and CA-99 described as very boring and that doesnt seem like a fitting end to what promises to be an amazing trip. Wait to go there until the road to it is fully open. The beginning of our road trip is the coastal route so I'd like to drive a different route back to (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? I don't remember the dirt road to Mono Lake being that bad or even that long. Check for deals and book here. Spring wildflower season starts in late May, but if its a late snow year, many of the hiking trails and campgrounds wont be open yet. It follows some of the river, but it goes over the coast range. The trail was first believed to be used by Jedediah Smith in 1826. From Mono Lake its a 30-minute drive to Mammoth Lakes, regional hub, famous ski resort and a great place to spend the night. This lovely alpine lake is named after a bruhaha that ensued after a group of escaped prisoners hid out there. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Those yellow leaves slapped me in the face, waking me up to whats amazing about Californias Highway 395 corridor. A popular recreation and camping area exists just north of the summit of the pass at Tioga Lake. [31] By 1918, the Camino Sierra had been included in the Automobile Blue Book, an early road atlas of the United States.[32]. Here's when to go. It covers 227 miles of Highway 395, from just south of Carson City to where it ends in Southern California near Victorville. At 8,138 feet (2,480m) in altitude, this is the highest point along US395, and the highest point along a U.S. Highway in California. The calculator provides a way to calculate how elevated the land is for a trip you are planning or for reference purposes. Dont do Sonora Pass if you have an extra large RV, because you wont make the hairpin turns at the eastern end. If it's like last winter, there was much more snow than in previous few years, and Tioga Road in Yosemite was not opened until June 29th, and other roads opened later than usual. Yosemite dazzles with its natural good looks, and its four seasons each offer something special. These include either Aurora Canyon from Bridgeport or Pole Line Road and Goat Ranch into Lee Vining. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-84867555', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');California, in fact the West. After leaving the Victorville area, the scenery changes as suburban neighborhoods disappear and the highway traverses the Mojave Desert. Just along the road is Lone Pines best place to eat, Seasons, serving up well-cooked, hearty dishes. This is on the Great Basin Divide, which demarcates the Great Basin. US395 passes between the cities of Ridgecrest and Inyokern, where US395 Business is routed on South China Lake Boulevard. Summer is a great time if you like hiking and water sports, but weekends and holidays can be crazy busy, so book ahead. [49], In 2002, Caltrans signed a memorandum of understanding with San Bernardino County, Hesperia, Victorville and Adelanto to establish a six-lane freeway through the Victor Valley. [48] The northern portion, through Cartago, will become a county route. The railroad was never completed past Keeler on the shores of Owens Lake. The Dalton Highway was originally built to service the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, which pumps oil from the north coast to the south of the state. 4) regarding those all-year roads: any advice on taking I-80, US-50 or SR-88? The highway is used as an access route for both the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, and the lowest point in North America, Death Valley. It then continues east, eventually descending into the state of Nevada. But this itinerary recommends the best scenic bits on a 227 mile stretch that starts just south of Carson City. I had some free time and an itch to fire up the van. The June Lake area is served from June Lake Junction by the June Lake Loop Road (SR158). It is the longest state highway in Oregon, running 237 miles (381 km) from the community of White City, Oregon (just north of Medford ), through Klamath Falls and on to Lakeview. The southern segment crosses the Mojave Desert and Owens Valley and passes east of the Sierra Nevada. Nobody knows yet what this coming winter will be like or how much snow will fall. If you are driving your own car, dont forget to check your oil and tire pressure before you leave and you should also invest in roadside assistance. The story told here, of how thousands of Japanese Americans were seen as a security threat and forcibly moved from the coast to live in the harsh desert environment, is an overlooked and controversial episode in the countrys history. The highway enters the state in a corner of Sierra County, entering Lassen County just 3 miles (4.8km) later. Well, I never would have guessed it. We love the Benchmark California Road Atlas. It assumes that you are starting in SF and ending in LA, although you could do it in the reverse order, or as an out-and-back. Though using US40ALT and US395 is a much longer route between Reno and Sacramento than mainline US-40 (130 miles (210km) versus 226 miles (364km)),[27][28] the alternate route was more likely to be open during winter storms than US40, which crested the Sierra at Donner Pass. If its winter and there is any rain or snow that can slow you down, that will give you a more comfortable time cushion. It is in the Inyo National Forest. Take the 101 the route closer to the coast. So some of the most obvious points to stop and linger along the way are not going to be accessible. It is possible for 395 to be closed, or at least have chain requirements on the tires, even in April. Or go on a guided tour to gain access to otherwise closed-off buildings. it does go over some small hills. JenAzz sez: I don't remember the dirt road to Mono Lake being that bad or even that long. [3] From Lone Pine to Bishop, the US395 corridor loosely follows another abandoned rail line, the Carson and Colorado Railroad, although for most of this run the rail line runs on the eastern edge of the valley, while the road mostly runs on the west edge. It is the highest elevation highway pass in California and in the Sierra Nevada at an elevation of 9,945ft (3,031m)[1]. The valley, named for one of explorer John C. Fremont's guides, was primarily home to the Timbisha and Paiute peoples before European settlement. This pass, like many other passes in the Sierra Nevada, has a gradual approach from the west and drops off to the east dramatically, losing more than 3,000ft (910m) by the time the road reaches U.S. Route 395. It boomed from 1882 to 1932 and is a well-preserved relic of our gold rush. Yes, as long as you are a safe driver. 3) with limited sightseeing, could we drive this route (taking one of the all-year roads across the mountains) with 1 overnight (ie in 2 days) safely and comfortably? Rebecca Stevenson Photo. Elevation: 1415m / 4642feet Barometric Pressure: 85KPa Elevation Map: Satellite Map: Related Photos: A painted sky Wonder Walk Butte Creek Falls Sunrise in a Crater.. Oregon Cascades Pano Rowena Sunrise Evening on the Cape Oneonta Falls. The easiest route is to take US-30 west out of Portland to Astoria, over the bridge to Ilwaco, WA and it is a hop, skip, and jump to Long Beach. Huh, and here I think of (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Another detour on your way down to Bishop it boomed from 1882 to 1932 and is well-preserved. And linger along the way are not going to be accessible Pinterest Thanks. Yet what this coming winter will be like or how much snow will fall while crossing the Desert the... 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