Our family has traveled on I395 for over 50 years and we are off again to revisit favorites and discover new treasures. Highway 395 is most often used to travel from Los Angeles to Mammoth or on the way to Reno in a day. However the entire route is filled with enough natural and human history to warrant a multi-day trip. You pass through desert, by lakes, below soaring peaks, and past ancient volcanoes. Whether traveling 395 on the way to ski in the winter, hike in the spring or summer, or to watch the leaves turn in the fall, we always something new to explore along the way. We've been known to head up and back on the 395 a few times a year!
Most people start this route heading north on the I15 that is accessed by many roads in Los Angeles and Riverside Counties. Anyone from out of the area can even fly into Ontario International Airport (instead of LAX) and rent a car. There are actually 2 Holiday Inns next to the airport and another nearby at Ontario Mills Shopping Center! Even locals may want to stay here to get an early start and miss the LA traffic!
From here, follow the I15 north to Victorville, CA and the start of your journey after you go through the Cajon Pass.
There are obviously many good camping options along the way, but there are more civilized choices like the Holiday Inns in Bishop, Carson City, and Reno! We have learned to make reservations ahead of time on weekends. Lots of ideas on Roadtrippers. You can make this trip last as long as you want to with so much to do!
A quick stop for little kids and those who love shiny red fire engines! http://www.victorvilleca.gov/site/citydepartments.aspx?id=132
Victorville is not only the beginning of I395, it's also part of Route 66! The CA Route 66 Museum is a good place to inspire a future trip. It's full of vehicles and signs and maps and photos.
As you drive through the high desert, you'll suddenly see an interesting assortment of statues and buildings. One is a 60 ton marble statue of this center's patron saint Quan Yin. This is a Buddhist Meditation Center that has classes on meditation and the fundamentals of Buddhism. Not exactly what you expect to find in Adelanto but at least good for a drive-by photo!
Kramer Junction, California, United States
Kramer Junction is the big crossroads of this area. It's got gas stations, a couple restaurants, and some great funky shops. You'll pass fields of solar panels outside of town.
Take a quick detour for a fascinating look into the history of the area. Borax has been mined in this desert for over a century and is still a thriving operation. This free Visitor Center museum has exhibits on the history, uses, and current extraction of boron. Kids and adults both enjoy it. It's impressive when to see the mining operation from the air conditioned comfort of the museum. http://www.borax.com/about-borax/visitor-center
Randsburg, California, United States
There's a certain kind of mystery to the "living" ghost towns of Red Mountain, Johannesburg, and Randsburg. You see mine trailings on the hills and abandoned ghost town buildings, but it's obvious that people still live and even mine here. Just off 395 is the tiny town of Randsburg and it's worth a stop.
Randsburg has a historic General Store with an old fashioned soda parlor that makes a great pit stop in the desert. There are also artists who call this little town home. It's a unique little community.
Only open on weekends, this small museum is a great resource in the history of the local Rand District mining areas, including Johannesburg, Red Mountain, and Garlock. You can also visit the cemetery in nearby Johannesburg.
"BLM Wild Horses and Burros" — Photo Credit: Animals' Angels
Ridgecrest, California, United States
Ridgecrest is just off the I395 and has many services. It's easy to zip past, but then you'd miss some interesting museums. There are also gas stations and grocery stores here.
The Maturango Museum has displays on the natural and cultural history of the Upper Mojave Desert. This area is rich in human history and here are excellent exhibits on the Coso Petroglyphs and the people who made them. In the Spring and Fall the museum leads tours to the otherwise inaccessible rock art.
Ridgecrest is next to China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station. To visit the museum you need to be cleared by security, which can be done at the Visitor's Center at the entrance to the base.
Another short detour takes you to a historic spot where the 20 mule teams from Death Valley would stop to water their horses at an artisanal spring on the way to deliver Boron. Now, there's an acclaimed tasting room for the Indian Wells Brewing Co. and the adjoining restaurant.
Time to stretch your legs and find out more about the changing desert landscape outside. Fossil Falls isn't a fossilized waterfall, and there aren't any fossils, but it is the remains of an enormous basalt lava flow that was carved and shaped by later river flow. Stop here and then start paying attention to the cinder cone hills you'll see along the way later.
This is one of the few places to eat in this area if you don't want to wait until Lone Pine.
Olancha, California, United States
Olancha and Cartago were important places during the Coso mining days of the late 1800's. The Coso mines were across Owens Lake to the east. Now it's just a dry saline flat. There are still remnants of stamp mills and charcoal kilns. Look for historical markers. Look for metal sculptures and a giant lemon house! Also, you'll pass the factory that bottles the Crystal Geyser water from local springs.
The Eastern Sierra Interagency Center is an essential stop for anyone visiting the area. There are displays, free guides, and a book store with all of the local information you need. The rangers are on hand to answer questions about the local area, Mount Whitney, Death Valley, and the Bristlecone Pines (the highest and the lowest and the oldest!). The weather and current conditions of roads and trails is available. They also have nice rest rooms and you get your first full view of Mount Whitney here.
Welcome to Lone Pine! The movie capitol of the Eastern Sierras. You're not as far from Hollywood here as you may think! Here, under the shadow of Mount Whitney, countless films have been made in the area. The Alabama Hills were the setting from such classics as Gunga Din, Hopalong Cassidy, John Wayne Westerns, and even Iron Man. The Lone Pine Film Museum many displays and a self guided driving tour to help you visit the sites of your favorite scenes!
You can continue on to the Holiday Inn in Carson City or the one in Reno! The I395 goes back into California much farther to the North. But that's another epic trip! You'll find plenty to keep you busy. We already have plans for new adventures on this route!
