The two non-contiguous segments of US 395 in California are defined in section 610 of the
California Streets and Highways Code as simply
Route 395: Route 395 is from: (a)
Route 15 near
Cajon Pass to the
Nevada state line passing near
Little Lake,
Independence,
Bridgeport, and
Coleville.(b) Nevada state line northwest of
Reno to the
Oregon state line near
New Pine Creek via
Alturas. This definition corresponds with the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)'s U.S. Route logs of US 395. US 395 is part of the
California Freeway and Expressway System, and part of the
National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the
Federal Highway Administration. US 395 is eligible to be included in the
State Scenic Highway System, and is officially designated as a scenic highway by the
California Department of Transportation from Fort Independence to Fort Springs Road in Inyo County, and from the Inyo–Mono county line to south of Walker. This designation means that there are substantial sections of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community. The
Eastern Sierra Transit Authority provides transit service along the southern segment of the 395 in California.
Mojave Desert US 395 begins in
Hesperia at a partial interchange with
I-15 as it heads north. The road then enters
Adelanto, on the western edge of
Victorville. Victorville, founded by the
Santa Fe Railroad to take advantage of water along the
Mojave River, and for most of its history home to
George Air Force Base, was the second fastest growing city in the United States from July 2006 to July 2007. Although US 395 was once a rural road passing to the side of these cities, with growth these cities are encroaching on the highway and changing its character from rural to suburban. After leaving the Victorville area, the scenery changes as suburban neighborhoods disappear and the highway traverses the Mojave Desert. While crossing the desert, the route clips the northeastern corner of
Edwards Air Force Base. Just past the base, the road intersects
State Route 58 (SR 58) at Kramer Junction. This was formerly an
at-grade intersection; however, SR 58 was rerouted onto a new
freeway alignment on October 24, 2019. After leaving Kramer Junction, US 395 passes the Kramer Junction Solar Electric Generating Station. It then crosses the
Rand and
El Paso Mountains, where the highway crosses from
San Bernardino County into
Kern County, near
Johannesburg. While traversing these mountains, the route crosses a former
Southern Pacific rail line, now owned by the
Union Pacific Railroad (UP) that loosely follows the route of
SR 14 through the Mojave. Though the railroad is abandoned north of Searles Station, US 395 parallels the old railroad grade from this point to
Lone Pine. US 395 follows the western boundary of the
Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, not far from
Big and Little Petroglyph Canyons, where the
Coso People created prolific
rock art and traded with distant tribes using tools crafted of stone. The highway proceeds diagonally across the valley, until merging with SR 14. Prior to July 1, 1964, the part of SR 14 between I-5 and US 395 was part of
US 6 that continued south to
Long Beach. , as seen from US 395 Between
Mojave and its junction with US 395, SR 14 follows the edge of the
Sierra Nevada mountains. Formerly, US 6 and US 395 ran
concurrently from this junction north to Bishop. US 395 follows the valleys along the eastern edge of the
Sierra Nevada as the mountains gradually increase in altitude until reaching their peak at over near
Lone Pine. Along the shores of Owens Lake, the highway passes by
Cartago and
Olancha. Just north of the lake is
Lone Pine. Lone Pine is noted as an access for both the highest point in the
contiguous United States,
Mount Whitney, and the lowest point in North America,
Badwater Basin in
Death Valley. Both Mount Whitney and the mountains surrounding Death Valley are visible from US 395. Past Lone Pine, the highway passes by
Manzanar National Historic Site, a concentration camp where
Japanese Americans were imprisoned during
World War II. The next community is
Independence, the
county seat of
Inyo County and the home to the
Eastern California Museum. Just north is the small
Fort Independence Indian Reservation and the
Tinemaha Reservoir. Nearby is where the Los Angeles Aqueduct is tapped from the
Owens River; with more vegetation visible north of this point. At the north end of the valley sits
Bishop, the largest city in the Owens Valley. Bishop serves as a gateway for the recreation areas of the Sierra Nevada, including
Mammoth Mountain. At the north end of Bishop is the former separation with, and current terminus of,
US 6, a route which travels eastward across the US to
Provincetown, Massachusetts on the
east coast. This point is also where US 395 departs from former rail corridors, with the former Carson and Colorado grade following the modern US 6 corridor towards
Hawthorne and
Tonopah, Nevada. which is supplied by the Owens River. However, US 395 does not resume following the river, instead cutting across the
Long Valley Caldera to serve the ski resort areas of
Mammoth Lakes and
Mammoth Mountain via
SR 203, after paralleling the runway of the
Mammoth Yosemite Airport. with
Mount Morrison in the distance past the junction leading to Mammoth, the highway crests the second summit,
Deadman Summit, at . This summit separates the Owens River watershed from that of
Mono Lake, a
salt lake approximately three times as salty as the ocean. Along the descent towards Mono Lake, the highway passes near the community of
June Lake, a recreation area where there are several freshwater lakes famous for trout fishing, and the
June Mountain Ski Area. The June Lake area is served from
June Lake Junction by the
June Lake Loop Road (SR 158). Just before arriving at Mono Lake, US 395 has a brief concurrency with
SR 120; the two routes separate at the southern end of
Lee Vining. At this junction US 395 is from
Tioga Pass, along SR 120, the highest paved through route in California, and the eastern boundary of
Yosemite National Park. The fourth summit crossed by US 395 in California is
Devil's Gate Pass, elevation , which separates the East and
West Walker Rivers. The winding descent from Devil's Gate follows the West Walker River, exiting near the towns of
Walker and
Coleville in the
Antelope Valley, a few miles south of
Topaz Lake which is on the California-Nevada State Line.
Nevada Topaz Lake is where US 395 leaves California, to serve the
Reno and
Carson City metropolitan areas before returning to California. The highway runs for in Nevada, with a significant portion built to freeway standards and co-designated
Interstate 580. When the highway passes from California to Nevada it is near the area where the larger Sierra Nevada in California separates from the
Pine Nut Mountains of Nevada. The highway crosses one more pass, Simee Dimeh Summit, before completely exiting the mountains. The highway returns to California following the receding
escarpment of the Sierra. from Nevada The highway enters the state in a corner of
Sierra County, entering
Lassen County just later. A short segment in Lassen County is a freeway with one exit serving
SR 70 at the
Hallelujah Junction. This exit is numbered 8, even though it resides hundreds of miles from the origin of the highway; the exit number instead uses the distance from the point of re-entry to California. SR 70 was at one time numbered
U.S. Route 40 Alternate, using US 395 from this junction south to
Reno to connect with the mainline US 40 (now
I-80). Though using US 40 ALT and US 395 is a much longer route between Reno and
Sacramento than mainline US-40 ( versus ), the alternate route was more likely to be open during winter storms than US 40, which crested the Sierra at
Donner Pass. The highway proceeds towards and around the west side of
Honey Lake while en route to
Susanville. Although Susanville is used as a
control city, US 395 does not technically enter the city. In a
T-intersection with
SR 36 just before Susanville, US 395 makes a sharp turn avoiding the city, making a near complete loop around the
Susanville Municipal Airport.
Modoc Plateau North of Susanville, the highway bends around
Shaffer Mountain and crosses the
Modoc Plateau. While en route, the highway serves the towns of
Ravendale,
Termo, and
Madeline in
Lassen County, as well as
Likely in
Modoc County. Here US 395 parallels the South Fork of the
Pit River until the confluence with the north fork in
Alturas. Past the confluence, the highway follows North Fork Pit River across Modoc County toward
Goose Lake. The last junction in California is with
SR 299, former U.S. Route 299, in
Alturas. SR 299 can be used to travel west all the way to the western side of California at
US 101 in
Arcata, and east to
Nevada State Route 8A at the Nevada state line. The two highways are briefly concurrent from Alturas to the
XL Ranch Indian Reservation. US 395 travels in a north-northeast direction for the last in California, paralleling the east shore of Goose Lake just before crossing the
Oregon state line at
New Pine Creek, Oregon. ==History==