The Story of US Hwy. 395 in California

US Highway 395 runs for 632 miles from Hesperia, California, to New Pine Creek, California, at the Oregon state line. It begins at the junction of I-15 in Hesperia and runs through the Mojave Desert — the driest of all North American deserts. Then it enters the Owens Valley, which, at 3,500 to 4,500 feet above sea level (ASL) and flanked by the Sierra Nevada to the west and the White and Inyo Mountains to the east, is considered the deepest valley in the United States. Peaks on both sides rise above 14,000 feet above sea level and as much as 10,000 feet above the valley floor.

Just beyond Bishop the road begins to climb alongside the Sierra Nevada, with a steep rise over Sherwin summit. Beyond Mono Lake it reaches its highest point at 8,138 feet in altitude at Conway Summit in Mono County.

The road passes four summits on its journey northward, then at Topaz Lake it dips into Nevada for 87 miles. After one final summit pass, Simee Dimeh Summit, the road exits the mountains and follows the receding escarpment of the sierra and into the urban areas of Carson City, Reno and Sparks.

Returning to California, US Highway 395 runs through Sierra, Lassen and Modoc counties, serving the towns of Susanville, Ravendale, Termo, Madeline and Likely. At New Pine Creek, alongside the eastern shore of Goose Lake, it enters Oregon and continues its journey north for another 673 miles to the Canadian border. The entire length of US Highway 395 is 1,305 miles.