Song of the Open Road
 
Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.

-- Walt Whitman (1819-1892). Leaves of Grass. 1900

ROAD TRIP on the HISTORIC HIGHWAY 395
Hwy 395 is a 1,305-mile, north-south route that begins in Hesperia, California, and stretches through the California desert and then slowly ascends along the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. The predominately two-lane highway continues through the deserts of Nevada, Oregon and Washington, finally ending at the Canadian border.

Most baby boomers that grew up in California have fond childhood memories of family vacations spent traveling what was once a much longer road. Hwy 395 originally began in downtown San Diego, at the intersection of Market Street and 12th avenue, but was decommissioned in San Diego and Riverside Counties in the 1980s.  It is still a popular route for vacationers heading for Mt. Whitney, Mammoth, Lake Tahoe, Death Valley, Reno, and more, as well as to the PCT and other trailheads in the Sierra Nevada and Cascades.  For an in-depth history, click here.

CALIFORNIA
• Deep Creek Hot Springs (near Hesperia)
• Boron (near Kramer Junction)
• Mining towns of Randsburg, Johannesburg and Red Mountain
• Death Valley
• Olancha
• Lone Pine
• Mt. Whitney
• Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery
          Virtual tour of the hatchery
• Alabama Hills
• Manzanar National Historic Site
• Independence
• Big Pine
• Bishop
• Keoughs hot springs (near Bishop)
• Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
• Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain
• Devil’s Postpile
• Mono Lake State Reserve
• Bodie State Historic Park
• Bridgeport

Off beat attractions on the 395
• Shoe Tree - Who drives their unneeded shoes out to the middle of nowhere and hurls them into a tree?  Apparently, hundreds of people.
• Airplane Graveyard - Storage area for surplus and obsolete aircraft, including an extremely rare Convair 990 and Vietnam-era F-4 Phantoms.
• Laws Railroad Museum - Ghost Town and freak two-headed lamb display.
• Upside down house in Lee Vining, CA - House built upside down, from outside
structure to inside furnishings. Located at the School House Museum, Lee Vining, CA Directions: US 395, East at Mono Lake Visitors Center, Right at School House Museum. Phone: 760-647-6461)

NEVADA
• Lake Tahoe
• Carson City
• Reno hiking trails off 395
• Nevada hwy 395 Highlights

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
• Honey Lake
• Susanville
• End of the Oregon Trail
• Emigrant Trail Scenic Byway
• Willow Ranch
• Goose Lake State Recreation Area

OREGON
• Lakeview
• Southern Oregon Camping Guide
• Towns and Cities along Oregon Highway 395
• Wildlife viewing: Oregon to Bishop
• Cottonwood Meadows Recreation Area Trail System
• Booth State Scenic Corridor
• Oregon Outback Scenic Byway
• Chandler State Wayside
• Canyon City
• Journey Through Time Scenic Byway (near John Day)
• Highlights on Hwy 395 from Burns to Pendleton (see day 3, at Oregon Packaged Tours)
• Ukiah-Dale Forest State Scenic Corridor
• Blue Mountains Scenic Byway (near Ukiah)
• Battle Mountain Scenic Corridor

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Get your motor running
Head out on the highway.
Looking for adventure
In whatever comes our way. -- Steppenwolf: "Born to be Wild"

Highway 395 Maps
(Downloads may take several minutes)
• California State Map
• Independence Area (Lone Pine to Big Pine)
• Long Valley Map
• Eastern Sierra Trailheads and Junctions accessed from 395
• Wilderness Areas of the Sierra Nevada
• Fall Color Corridor Map
• Oregon Map
• Southern Oregon camping spots
• Washington map (lengthy download)

Coordinates:
South end: I-15 in Hesperia, CA
34°24′46″N, 117°18′22″W

North end:  US-Canadian Border near Laurier, WA
Lat: 48:59:19N (48.9885), Lon: 118:13:30W (-118.225)

Google Earth - Get a bird’s eye view of Historic Highway 395 at Whitney Portal . If you have Google Earth installed, you can double-click on the linked Placemark file and it will fly you to the Historic Highway 395. If not, you will need to install Google Earth first (available at http://earth.google.com).

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...Let the blow fall soon or late,
Let what will be o'er me;
Give the face of earth around
And the road before me.
Wealth I seek not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I seek, the heaven above
And the road below me... --The Vagabond, Robert Louis Stevenson, 1896

• A movie, called “Highway 395”, about serial killers on the loose in Mono County, was filmed in 2000 starring Fred Dryer. Click here for more details on this and other places Highway 395 has appeared in popular culture.

• The 1941 film, High Sierra, is set in part at Whitney Portal and features a car chase up the Whitney Portal Road.

• Hallelujah Junction, on Hwy 395 and Route 70 is nothing more than a truck stop, but American Composer John Adams liked the name enough to compose and name a piano piece after it.

• Who knew? The green California State Route signs are in the shape of a miner's spade to honor the California Gold Rush.

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I'm gonna find that long stretch of highway
Where no one knows my name
Where as long as the sky just goes on
And it's never the same,
A modern day drifter don't ever complain. -- Dierks Bentley: "Modern Day Drifter"

PHOTOS
HAVE YOU SEEN Adventure 16’s "sweet" billboard on southbound Hwy 395 located between Lonepine and Ridgecrest? 

WE WANT YOUR PHOTOS!
Take your picture in front of the Adventure 16 Hwy 395 billboard and email it to us.

A16 President John D. Mead	S.D. Store Manager Christo
On the way home from Whitney	Michelle stops for a photo
Jared flips over the sign	Send us your photos!

OTHER Hwy 395 PHOTOS
• 395 scenic route - mono county
• Mono Lake Photo Gallery (lengthy download)
• 395 just short of road to Virginia Lakes
• The Eastern Sierras Along Highway 395 Corridor
• Along Highway 395 from Lonepine to Bridgeport

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--Near Independence
[Source:  Independence Chamber of Commerce]

Independence is the main point of entry into the spectacular back country of Kings
Canyon National Park and the Kern Divide. The Kearsarge Pass Trail beginning at Onion Valley is one of the main access points for the John Muir Trail and The Pacific Crest Trail. Onion Valley is also an alternative route used to access Mt. Whitney.

Major trail heads in the area include:
• Kearsarge Pass
• Robinson Lake
• Golden Trout Lake
• George Creek( Mt. Williamson)
• Baxter Pass
• Shepherd Pass

Alternative access to Mt. Whitney is available from the Kearsarge Pass Trail which has its own quota of permits issued for backcountry travel to the Whitney Zone. Here is a short description of the trip: 

Kearsarge Pass to Mt. Whitney-53 Miles
The route begins at Onion Valley, West of the town of Independence. The trail climbs past Gilbert and Big Pothole lakes, past the Kearsarge and Bullfrog Lakes to the Junction With The PCT/JMT. Following the trail south through Vidette Meadow and along Bubbs Creek to Forrester Pass. Passing Diamond Mesa and crossing Tyndall Creek the trail passes Bighorn Plateau and from near the crossing at Wright Creek the Summit of Mt Whitney can be seen to the east. From Wallace Creek the trail continues south through Sandy Meadow and turns east to the Crabtree Ranger Station. Form the Ranger Station the JMT continues past Guitar and Hitchcock Lakes to Trail Crest. North 1.9 miles is the Summit of Mt Whitney. Returning to trail crest and down the "96" switchbacks the Mt. Whitney trail leads east to Trail Camp and out at Whitney

• Highway 395/Eastern Sierra Nevada Hikes
• Sierra Nevada Hikes

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Ain't no tellin' where the wind might blow
Free and easy down the road I go
Livin' life like a Sunday stroll
Free and easy down the road I go
Free and easy down the road I go. --Dierks Bentley: "Free and Easy Down the Road I Go"

LODGES & CAMPGROUNDS along the CA 395
• Camping near Independence
• Lodging near Independence
• South Sierra Wilderness Information
• Golden Trout Wilderness Information
• John Muir Wilderness Information
• Free (RV) camping spots
• Inyo County Campgrounds

Good Places to Eat
• http://www.schats.com/
• http://www.thesierraweb.com/tiogagasmart/deli.html
• http://www.roadtripamerica.com/eats/jt.htm

Planning Ahead
• CA/NV 395 road and traffic conditions
• Road Trip Fuel Calculator
• Free Trip.com
• Historical Markers along the 395
• Historical Landmark--Chimney Rock
• California Landmarks--Searchable database by county
• Inyo county Historical Landmarks
• East Oregon Trip Check
• East Oregon Road Conditions
• East Oregon trip planner
• Washington Road Conditions

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We've been sitting here too long
We gotta move
And I know the way to shake these blues
Why don't we go for a drive
While we got these wheels in motion
Keep our engines alive
We're runnin'on emotion
Let's take a drive.-- Billy Burnette: "Let's Take a Drive"

• Driving over 60 mph can waste up to the equivalent of 10 cents per gallon.

• Keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure could save up to over 3% in
gas mileage.

• Many parts of the 395 climb thousands of feet in elevation, and pass through extremely remote areas. Always be prepared for any conditions. Check weather forecasts before leaving home, and remember that it becomes cooler and often more prone to storms at higher elevations. Always travel with the ten essentials, including jackets, water, and an emergency kit in your car.

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It was on a summer's evening
The air was still and calm.
I drove out to the highway
Where a traveler's soul belongs.
I could hear the highway crying
That lonesome road did wail. -- Patty Larkin: "The Road"

395 weather/ webcam

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Time to hit the highway
Move on down the road
Time to hit the highway
Move on down that road
Gonna get my motor running
Light my heavy load. –Rockin’ Jake: “Hit the Highway”

Inspired by a great adventurer.

From the deserts to the mountains, on the road and off, we highly recommend Royal Robbins travel clothes. They pack well, wear well and, of course, look great! You'll love the wrinkle and stain-resistant features, as well the rugged, yet stylish versatility that takes you from a day-hike on the PCT, to a nice dinner in town--all in the same clothes! Imagine the room you will save in your suitcase! 
 

Click here for great products from Royal Robbins®.

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We'll meet again on some bright highway
Songs to sing and tales to tell
But I am just a pilgrim on this road, boys
Until I see you fare thee well. --Steve Earle: "Pilgrim"

• Sierra Mountaineering International
• Bicycling on Old U.S. 395 in San Diego County
• Road & Mountain Biking in the Eastern Sierra
• U.S. Highway 395 by Motorcycle
• Road Trip Boredom Busters
• Some Road Songs - A thorough list of songs about the open road.
• Song Lyrics for the Road
• Hwy 395 Fly-fishing Guide Services
• Highway 395 Windshield Adventures book
• RV Travel on America's historic highways, including the 395
• Auto club article about road tripping the 395
• Roadgap - A well-done collection of “roadgeekery” and 395 information.
• Westcoast Roads—Lots of photos and info
• Travelers guide to historic 395
• Road trip 395
• Road trip: Lone pine
• 395 Road trip in pictures “Highway 395 is ….the corridor leading to the best summer vacations I ever spent.”
• Great Drives:  395 and the Owens Valley
• Hwy 395 DVD-The Adventure Begins From California To Canada. Travel back in time to the Pony Express, covered wagons, historic ghost towns and no towns. Along the way you can camp, fish and hike. Relive the history of the Oregon Trail. 

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Get on the highway, roll out the way
One more city, one more day
we've all got problems, we've all got fears
I got the answer and it's worked for years
I'll drive, you know I'll drive to survive. -- Jimmy Thackery and The Drivers: "Drive to Survive"

Staying Healthy and Safe
• Help for Motion Sickness
• Traveling with Dogs
• Driving in Weather

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Roadside motor court cabins made of sandstone
Travelin' in style was a port in the storm
If those walls could talk
The stories they could tell, son
Roadside motor court used to keep you safe and warm
But now there's holes in the roof
And weeds by the door
The building's still there
But they don't see no travelers no more. --The Red Dirt Rangers: "Used To Be"

US 395 Scenic Highway
Description: The route cuts through the Owens River Valley with the high mountain ranges of the eastern Sierra Nevada as a backdrop. Scenery here is typical of high desert meadows with peaks of the Sierra Nevada range to the west. Driving time is about 2 1/2 hours at 50 mph.

Location: From Fort Independence to south of the town of Walker. The officially designated part lapses between Fish Springs and the Inyo/ Mono county line.

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Hiking, backpacking, and other wilderness activities, are potentially dangerous and unpredictable.  Adventure 16 assumes no liability for injuries associated with the use of information provided on this site. The trails, activities and areas described on this site are to be used for informational purposes only and should not be your sole source of guidance.  Always thoroughly research any outdoor area you plan to visit using various resources--including contacting local ranger stations--to obtain the most up to date information for your destination. Contact your physician if you are unsure about your health or physical abilities.

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