SR 266 begins at the western terminus of
SR 266 at the Nevada state line. The route travels west-northwest, then turns to the west for another before approaching
Oasis, the only community through which the route passes. At Oasis, SR 266 intersects
SR 168, which serves as the gateway into the
Owens Valley from Nevada. Upon leaving Oasis, SR 266 continues to the west briefly, then turns north-northwest. Within the last , SR 266 slowly curves northwest as the route approaches the Nevada state line. The route ends at the state line at the southern terminus of
SR 264. As the route has more connections to Nevada than the rest of California, the
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the
Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) have entered into a joint agreement on snow removal and other short term maintenance duties for the route. but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by Caltrans. The entire route, consisting of two lanes for two-way traffic, traverses on the flat land in the
Fish Lake Valley east of the
White Mountains, and it can serve as transportation of agricultural goods between California and Nevada via the route's only junction (SR 168). In the event that SR 168 is closed, SR 266 connects to
SR 264, which intersects with
U.S. Route 6 (US 6) in order to provide an alternate access to California. ==History==