The U.S. Highway 395 is a 1,300 miles (2,100 km) long highway that runs inland from north to south through the states of Washington, Oregon, and California, where a short stretch passes through Nevada. The route, created in 1926, is the main (and, in many places, only) road that follows the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains on their eastern side. This side is more rugged and more remote than the west. The highway is a gateway to national forests, parks, and ski resorts throughout its course.

It provides access to some of the most beautiful places in the western states of the US, like the Mojave Desert, Death Valley National Park, and Yosemite National Park. Despite the region's arid climate, there are national forests along the route of the highway as well, including 39.254-117.1281 Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest and 37.8528-118.2862 Inyo National Forest .

In California and Nevada, the highway roughly follows the eastern (and significantly less populated) side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous U.S., isn't directly visible from the route. This part of the route is a desert valley with the forested Sierra Nevada to the west and the White Mountains to the east. To the north, the route's climate becomes cooler and less arid due to elevation change. The section of the highway in Nevada passes through two of the largest population centers on the route, namely Carson City and Reno.

The northern part of the route, crossing Oregon and Washington, tracks east of the volcanic Cascades. US-395 twice crosses the Columbia River, the core of an agricultural region known for its fruit production. This region is, relative to the western sides of either state, low in population density.

Given that this route takes more than 20 hours to drive in total, consider booking hotels in the larger towns along the route, and plan to take some time to explore the mountains. If you take the route during the summer, the Owens Lake region in the south will be hot, so if you are taking detours, go to the higher altitude sites that are cooler. During the winter and early spring, most mountain roads are closed due to snow.

For those sensitive to altitude, the elevation change is significant along the route, passing 8,000 ft (2,400 m) at the highest point close to Mono Lake.

For travel by bus, the Eastern Sierra Transit Authority (ESTA) offers daily routes from Lone Pine to Reno and Mammoth Lakes to Lancaster, plus two shorter express routes:

• The Lone Pine Express operates between Lone Pine and Bishop, with the route taking about 80 minutes, four times a day weekdays and twice daily weekends.
• The Mammoth Express operates between Bishop and Mammoth Lakes, with the route taking about one hour, four times a day.

Southern California

[edit]

The southernmost part of the US 395 starts in 34.3929-117.40663 Hesperia in the south and travels 356 miles (573 km) north to Topaz Lake on the California-Nevada border. Plenty of gas stations will feed the need of your car along the way, no more than 25 miles (40 km) apart. Prices away from larger places might go up substantially, plan accordingly.

Map of U.S. Highway 395

"Eastern Sierra Transit" operates bus routes from Inyokern to Reno in Nevada (see Routes & Schedules). A ticket from Inyokern to Bishop is $25, Bishop to Reno $53 (as of 2024).

Remarkable locations:

• 36.606111-118.0627784 Lone Pine, access to Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States
• 36.728333-118.1544445 Manzanar , site of an Internment Camp for people of Japanese ancestry during World War II
• 37.165-118.2894446 Big Pine, gateway to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
• 37.3635-118.39517 Bishop, largest populated place in Inyo County
• 37.648611-118.9719448 Mammoth Lakes, popular skiing destination
• 37.9575-119.1191679 Lee Vining, northeastern access to Yosemite National Park via CA-120 (summer only)
• 38.016591-119.00931210 Mono Lake, salty lake renowned for its scenic beauty, tufa rock formations, and migratory birds
• A detour to the remote ghost town of 38.212222-119.01222211 Bodie , one of the best preserved in the U.S., is possible north of Mono Lake

Oregon

[edit]

• 42.188889-120.34583315 Lakeview, the tallest town in Oregon at 4,802 feet, also known as one of the best places in North America for hang-gliding and paragliding.
• 43.586261-119.05410316 Burns, location of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
• 44.418056-118.95517 John Day, a small town with an 1865 stagecoach stop that functioned as a Chinese community center and general store from the 1880s to 1940s, now a museum.
• 45.669722-118.79138918 Pendleton, an agricultural and manufacturing town quite close to the Umatilla Indian Reservation, whose Tamástslikt Cultural Institute could make for an interesting slight detour from the route.
• 45.841111-119.29166719 Hermiston, south of the Columbia River on the border with the state of Washington

US-395 continues into British Columbia as BC-395. This road connects to BC-3, leading to Christina Lake to the east and Grand Forks to the west.