Trona-Wildrose Road and Trona Road is a combined highway corridor which traverses some of the most remote regions of the Mojave Desert. Both roads are heavily tied to the founding of the community of Trona in 1913 but functionally existed all the way back to the plight of the Death Valley 49ers. The combined highway corridor is approximately 66.7 miles long from Panamint Valley Road in Inyo County and US Route 395 near Johannesburg of Kern County. Trona Road from Poison Canyon westward approximately 7.8 miles is carried as part of California State Route 178.
https://www.gribblenation.org/2025/05/trona-wildrose-road-and-trona-road.html?m=1
For some odd reason, I love going through Trona, even though it's out-of-the-way on my way to Vegas or sometimes to Moab if I want to stay off of the interstate. I am fascinated with this town.
It often is just easier for me to head west from Las Vegas given I live in Fresno. The San Diego 500 crashing I've the Ag checkpoint and lane bottleneck near Primm along I-15 has long made southbound I-15 untenable on Sundays.
I did this entire highway when doing a weekend Death Valley trip (I decided to stay in Mammoth for whatever reason). So I drove this entire thing just past midnight, then turned west on CA-190 to connect back to US-395. I had no reason to do this, but I've never driven on this highway and wanted to see Trona, which is kind of an interesting little town.
It for sure is desolate, and some parts of the road aren't in great shape. I guess it runs right along the western border of Death Valley Nat'l Park, and it also provides access to Telescope Peak (although I think the trail leading to it was closed for whatever reason).
I'll probably be returning to Death Valley this winter for some stargazing, but I'll more smartly stay in Ridgecrest this time.
On this pass through back in 2024 the asphalt bad enough that my car kicked me out of cruise control. There wasn't really potholes but the surfacing just had a consistent uneven wearing in it.