The Other Great California Road Trip -WSJ

[question everything]

For decades, road trippers in search of California postcard views have flocked to Highway 1 for panoramas of craggy coastline and shady redwood forests. But ask a local like me which stretch of blacktop really shows off the Golden State’s frontier spirit and scenic diversity, and you’re liable to hear a different number: 395.

A world apart from the clogged coastline, Highway 395 winds from the lapis water of Lake Tahoe to the sky-high summit of Mount Whitney. This is the road that in-the-know mountain ramblers take to avoid the high-season throngs of Sequoia and Big Sur. A route where ski bums, ranchers and Patagonia-clad vacationers all coexist in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada. “It’s really a journey full of superlatives,” says Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California. “You pass the highest point in the contiguous United States, and a short detour takes you to the oldest trees in the world.”

And this summer, choosing it just makes practical sense. With mudslides and extreme weather events causing frequent closures along Highway 1, Highway 395 offers an uncrowded alternative route—that is, if you’re cool with trading sandy beaches and Pacific surf for alpine lakes and dramatic hikes. Covering roughly 475 miles, this itinerary more than delivers on the California dream.

DAY 1 | Get your bearings (and break out your bikini) in Lake Tahoe.

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DAY 2 | High-tail it to Bodie State Historic Park.

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DAY 3 | Sleep in, you’ve earned it.

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DAY 4 | Chase a mountain high.

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DAY 5 | Channel your inner cowpoke.

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DAY 6 | Dive into the ‘Wild West.’

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DAY 7 | Choose your next adventure.

From Lone Pine, you could make a beeline for the airport and creature comforts of Los Angeles—or take a detour to another land of superlatives: Death Valley, the hottest, driest, lowest place in North America. Spend a day cruising Badwater Road, taking in the jagged salt formations of Devils Golf Course, the multicolored mineral patchwork of Artists Palette and a carpet of hexagonal salt formations at Badwater Basin, which sits 282 feet below sea level. Bed down at the historic Inn at Death Valley, which was once frequented by film stars like Clark Gable and Bette Davis.

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/other-great-california-road-trip-highway-395-6060f461?st=cTf2zr&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

free with beautiful photos

[Grumpy Old Guy]

1. Highway 395 is by far my favorite place.

I go several times a year. Unfortunately there is a wildfire burning near Lee Vining and Mono Lake right now.

[mike_c]

2. I drive the 395 several times every year

We used to work on the North Coast but bought a retirement home central Arizona, so in those days we'd go back and forth every couple of months. We almost always took the 395 through Susanville and Reno. I'll be heading back up that way in a few weeks if all goes well. When the West Valley temperature climbs past 110F, we start to pine for Pacific breezes and summer afternoons in the 60s. On the 395 we make it a multiday road trip north, stopping each night in the national forests.

[LogDog75]

3. I've driven from Reno to Victorville on 395

In January of 2023, a friend and I drove from San Diego to Reno for a bowling tournament. We went up I-5 to Sacramento and then took Highway 50 around South Lake Tahoe because snow has closed the pass on I-80. On our return trip we decided to take Highway 395 to Victorville and then take I-15 to San Diego.

The drive was nice but the main drawback was for much of the drive there was no cellphone coverage until you got to Bishop and the number of homes or businesses were few for dozens of miles so if you had a breakdown you'd have to wait for someone to drive by for help.

One bright spot of the trip was stopping in Bishop at Erick Schats Bakery for lunch and for some sourdough bread. We got there in the mid-afternoon and the place was busy. My friend said the place was well known to travelers which is why it was busy.

We'll be heading up to Reno again in April 2026 for the bowling tournament but I won't take Highway 395 again.

[bluestateboomer]

4. You also pass the Manzanar National Historic Site

"In 1942, the United States government ordered more than 110,000 men, women, and children to leave their homes and detained them in remote, military-style camps. Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of ten camps where the US government incarcerated Japanese immigrants ineligible for citizenship and Japanese American citizens during World War II."

https://www.nps.gov/manz/index.htm

[question everything]

5. Interesting. Thanks for the link