US Highway 395 - Definition and Overview

United States Highway 395 is a scenic highway that starts in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia, runs along the east side of the Sierra Nevada in the Owens Valley, winds through Carson City, Reno, back into California, crosses through the Modoc Plateau, and into eastern Oregon, into eastern Washington, through Spokane, ending at the Canadian border.

Points of interest along the highway include:

• The Sierra Nevada to the west of the highway, including
  • Mount Whitney
  • Mammoth Mountain, which has a ski resort.
  • Mount Dana
• The Long Valley Caldera, a volcanic caldera that the road runs through.
• The Mono and Inyo Craters, a chain of geologically recent volcanic craters.
• Mono Lake, one of the oldest lakes in North America, home to many migratory birds.

Termini

As of 2004, the highway's northern terminus is in Ferry County, Washington at the Canadian border, where it continues as British Columbia provincial highway 395. Its southern terminus is in Hesperia, California at an intersection with Interstate 15.

U. S. Highway 395 once extended to downtown San Diego. This part of the highway is now the alignments of Interstate 15 from Hesperia to Devore and Interstate 215 from Devore to Temecula where it meets Interstate 15 again. From Temecula the old route follows Interstate 15 again to east of Falbrook where the original U.S. 395 still exists as a frontage road. Old U.S. 395 can be followed from California State Highway 76 through Escondido where it meets Interstate 15 again. Finally, California State Highway 163 splits off Interstate 15 at the south end of Miramar and follows the original alignment of U.S. Highway 395 into downtown San Diego.

States traversed

The highway passes through the following states:

• Washington
• Oregon
• California
• Nevada
• Back into California

Related US routes

• U.S. Highway 95
• U.S. Highway 195
• U.S. Highway 295

Sources and external links

• Endpoints of US highways (http://www.geocities.com/mapguy_annex/HwyEnds/End395/end395.htm) (used with permission)
• List of geographical sites along US 395 (http://www.schweich.com/ushwy395A.html)