I’ve been driving California’s Highway 395 since I was a kid, first as a preteen ski racer in the passenger seat of my mom’s Subaru, en route to races at Mammoth Mountain. Later, as a twentysomething ski bum living in Tahoe, I’d drive it with friends for a weekend of backcountry skiing or rock climbing on the eastern side of the Sierra. Now, I head out in a camper van to find deserted campsites, hot springs, and hikes to alpine lakes with my two kids in tow. Every time the car is pointed south on 395, I know good times lie ahead.
Sure, California’s coastline and its iconic roadways like Highway 1 and 101 are gorgeous and get the most attention. But I’d argue that Highway 395 makes for a more adventurous, off-the-beaten-path long-weekend road trip than any other in the Golden State. After all, this is the main access point to the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada, where the wall of high-altitude peaks looks as dramatic as the Alps from every vantage point along the way.
The highway connects Reno, Nevada, and the Lake Tahoe area on the northern end to Los Angeles on the southern end. From those endpoints, it’s 262 miles. We start our guide and mile-marked road map from the northern point. Along the way, you’ll pass by 14,505-foot Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48; Mono Lake, a million-year-old saltwater lake; and plenty of roadside hot springs. This is the best of the West, all on a single highway. Here’s when to drive it, where to stop, and how to find your own path.