U.S. Highway 395 Voyage Tips and guide

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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 was created in 1926.

US 395 follows the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California and Nevada and also traverses the High Desert of Eastern Oregon and the Columbia River Plateau in Washington. 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.

The southernmost part of the US 395 starts in 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.

"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:

• Lone Pine, access to Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States
• Manzanar, site of an Internment Camp for people of Japanese ancestry during World War II
• Big Pine, gateway to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
• Bishop, largest populated place in Inyo County
• Mammoth Lakes, popular skiing destination
• Lee Vining, northeastern access to Yosemite National Park
• Mono Lake, salty lake renowned for its scenic beauty, tufa rock formations, and migratory birds