US 395 is a major north–south highway serving the inland regions of the
West Coast states as well as northwestern
Nevada. It was named the Three Flags Highway in the 1930s to promote its role in linking Mexico, the United States, and Canada, though it never connected directly to Mexico.
California (southern segment) The southern terminus of US 395 is an interchange with
Interstate 15 (I-15) in
Hesperia, California, a city southwest of
Victorville; I-15 continues south across the
San Bernardino Mountains into the
Inland Empire and towards
San Diego. The highway travels north across the
Mojave Desert and intersects
State Route 58 (SR 58) at Kramer Junction near the town of
Boron and east of
Edwards Air Force Base. It continues across the desert, passing several
solar farms, and crosses the
El Paso Mountains and
Summit Range near
Johannesburg. US 395 veers northwest to bypass
Ridgecrest, which is served by a
business route, and merges with
SR 14 near
Indian Wells. from
Douglas County, Nevada, near
Topaz Lake The highway travels north through the
Eastern Sierra region along the eastern
escarpment of the
Sierra Nevada mountain range and the western boundary of
Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, a large military reservation. US 395 continues through the
Owens Valley and follows the
Los Angeles Aqueduct, which it crosses several times; the highway is primarily four lanes in the area with several divided sections outside of cities. Around
Owens Lake, US 395 intersects
SR 190 and
SR 136, which provide access to the west side of
Death Valley National Park. The highway traverses
Lone Pine and passes the
Manzanar National Historic Site, which operated as a
Japanese American internment center during
World War II. US 395 turns north after passing through
Independence and reaches
Bishop, where it serves as the western terminus of
US 6, a transcontinental highway. The highway ascends from the foothills into the
Mono Basin and follows the western shore of
Mono Lake to
Lee Vining, where it is
concurrent with
SR 120, which traverses
Yosemite National Park to the west. It then climbs
Conway Summit to an elevation of , the highest point on US 395. The highway turns west in
Bridgeport and north near
Fales Hot Springs to follow the
West Walker River downstream into
Antelope Valley. US 395 then follows the west side of
Topaz Lake and exits California to enter
Nevada. The highway travels northwest along the
Carson River through the
Washoe Tribe's
Dresslerville Colony and the adjacent towns of
Gardnerville and
Minden. At a junction with
State Route 88 in Minden, US 395 turns due north and becomes a four-lane divided highway as it approaches
Carson City, the state's capital city. It travels around the east side of Carson City on a freeway that is shared with
I-580 and
US 50, which leaves near the city's airport.
California (northern segment) US 395 re-enters California in Eastern
Sierra County and quickly enters
Lassen County while generally travels northwest along the Sierra Nevada foothills. The four-lane expressway narrows to a two-lane undivided highway at
Hallelujah Junction, where it intersects
SR 70. The highway continues northwest to avoid
Honey Lake and reaches an intersection with
SR 36 near
Susanville, where it turns east. US 395 travels around several mountains that dot the
Modoc Plateau as it moves further away from the Sierra Nevada range and follows the
Warner Mountains. The highway continues along the
South Fork Pit River into the city of
Alturas, where it serves as a main street until a junction with
SR 299. US 395 and SR 299 travel
concurrently and split northeast of Alturas in the foothills of the Warner Mountains. US 395 continues north along the shore of
Goose Lake and reaches the Oregon state line in the community of
New Pine Creek.
Oregon US 395 enters
Oregon at
New Pine Creek, then heads north to
Lakeview. At Lakeview, it overlaps
Oregon Route 140 (OR 140) for , then continues north to
Valley Falls. At Valley Falls, it turns northeast through
Wagontire to
Riley. Near Riley, US 395 overlaps
US 20 through
Hines and
Burns. Approximately northeast of Burns, US 395 turns north through
Seneca and
Canyon City to
John Day. At John Day, it overlaps
US 26 and heads west to
Mount Vernon. At Mount Vernon, US 395 turns north through
Long Creek and
Pilot Rock to
Pendleton. At Pendleton, it overlaps
I-84 and
US 30 west to
Stanfield. At Stanfield, US 395 turns north through
Hermiston to
Umatilla. East of Umatilla, it overlaps
US 730 and heads west to
I-82. It then overlaps I-82 to the
Washington state line at the
Columbia River. The entire route within Oregon was designated as the World War I Veterans Memorial Highway in 2015.
Washington US 395 enters
Washington with I-82 on the Umatilla Bridge, which crosses the Columbia River near
Plymouth. The freeway travels into the
Tri-Cities area, where US 395 splits from I-82 to travel through
Kennewick on city streets. The highway merges with
State Route 240 (SR 240), a regional freeway, as it crosses the Columbia River on the
Blue Bridge (officially the Pioneer Memorial Bridge). US 395 travels west of downtown
Pasco on a short freeway and reaches a junction with
I-182 and
US 12, which it joins for . The highway leaves Pasco and its concurrency with I-182 and US 12 and turns north into the rural
Columbia Plateau. The four-lane divided highway carries US 395 northeast around several small towns towards
Ritzville, where it merges with
I-90 and begins a concurrency. The freeway is joined by
US 2 and intersects
US 195 in the outskirts of
Spokane. In
downtown Spokane, US 2 and US 395 leave I-90 and travel north on
Division Street, which is split into a pair of one-way streets. US 395 currently runs north on Division Street to travel through Spokane. The
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is constructing the
North Spokane Corridor, a new freeway that will run from I-90 (around the Thor/Freya exit) northward to the existing US 395 north of Wandermere. Construction on the new freeway began in 2003 and is scheduled to be completed in 2030; once complete, US 395 is planned to move to the new alignment while US 2 will stay on Division Street. US 395 (along with US 2) proceeds north through Spokane as Division Street to the north edge of the city where they split; US 2 heading northeast to Idaho. US 395 then proceeds north through the towns of Deer Park, Clayton, Chewelah, Colville and Kettle Falls. It terminates at the
Canada–US border where it meets
British Columbia Highway 395. ==History==