Headlines About California Highways – June 2025

[cahwyguy]

Even in retirement, a new month means it is time for Highway Headlines. Here are your headlines for the month of June 2025.

Retirement Post: https://cahighways.org/wordpress/?p=17262
Headlines about California Highways - June 2025: https://cahighways.org/wordpress/?p=17311

Ready, Set, Discuss

[ClassicHasClass]

The 12 project is bearing fruit. It's not as horrible as it used to be, though in fairness it couldn't get a lot worse.

And *of course* US 395 is a top road trip. It's gorgeous through the Eastern Sierra. My wife likes it much more than US 101.

The retirement is well-deserved.

[Max Rockatansky]

I don't get how all these folks coming out of the Bay Area headed towards Tahoe hasn't discovered that 88 and 89 is the optimal way to get there.  Something feels off to me about rushing to Lake Tahoe only on normal people highways like I-80 and US 50. 

While US 395 is a very nice and scenic modern highway, I would hesitate to call it "most scenic in the state."  I'm not sure what I would call "most scenic" but stuff like several sections of 1 and 49 come to mind right away in the Caltrans stock. 

[pderocco]

I don't get how all these folks coming out of the Bay Area headed towards Tahoe hasn't discovered that 88 and 89 is the optimal way to get there.  Something feels off to me about rushing to Lake Tahoe only on normal people highways like I-80 and US 50. 

While US 395 is a very nice and scenic modern highway, I would hesitate to call it "most scenic in the state."  I'm not sure what I would call "most scenic" but stuff like several sections of 1 and 49 come to mind right away in the Caltrans stock. 

What makes US-395 so scenic, at least between Inyokern and Topaz Lake, is that it is usually in a wide open valley, yielding lots of vistas presided over by majestic mountains. I love 1 of course, but a lot of its views are of empty ocean on one side and trees and bushes on the other, so the best views are lengthwise along the coast. 49 I like primarily for the quaint towns, not so much the views.

395 is also beautiful in Oregon, and north of Spokane, but those roads are certainly nowhere near as popular, so wouldn't belong on that list. But then neither does the Nevada part, in my opinion, because it's apparent "popularity" is primarily due to the large local population filling the roads, not tourists. That article was an enthusiastic sales pitch, but I don't know how successful it will be. When I go up there, I want to get past Gardnerville to Reno.

[SeriesE]

46/41 interchange complete! I won't be heading there any time soon, so I'll have to wait for Max's (or someone else's) blogs to see how it looks like!

[Max Rockatansky]

I don't get how all these folks coming out of the Bay Area headed towards Tahoe hasn't discovered that 88 and 89 is the optimal way to get there.  Something feels off to me about rushing to Lake Tahoe only on normal people highways like I-80 and US 50. 

While US 395 is a very nice and scenic modern highway, I would hesitate to call it "most scenic in the state."  I'm not sure what I would call "most scenic" but stuff like several sections of 1 and 49 come to mind right away in the Caltrans stock. 

What makes US-395 so scenic, at least between Inyokern and Topaz Lake, is that it is usually in a wide open valley, yielding lots of vistas presided over by majestic mountains. I love 1 of course, but a lot of its views are of empty ocean on one side and trees and bushes on the other, so the best views are lengthwise along the coast. 49 I like primarily for the quaint towns, not so much the views.

395 is also beautiful in Oregon, and north of Spokane, but those roads are certainly nowhere near as popular, so wouldn't belong on that list. But then neither does the Nevada part, in my opinion, because it's apparent "popularity" is primarily due to the large local population filling the roads, not tourists. That article was an enthusiastic sales pitch, but I don't know how successful it will be. When I go up there, I want to get past Gardnerville to Reno.

Thing with US 395 is that a lot of that scenery is directly accessible via roads that actually go into it.  One thing to look from afar, quite another to drive up stuff like Horseshoe Meadows Road to the vicinity of Kearsarge Pass.

I don't know, I'd have to sit down and think on what I would consider the most scenic highway in this state.  I don't know if my answer would come from a road carrying a Route number. 

[Max Rockatansky]

46/41 interchange complete! I won't be heading there any time soon, so I'll have to wait for Max's (or someone else's) blogs to see how it looks like!

I was heading that way this past Sunday until my wife got a stomach bug.  I changed up my plans to finally knock out Breckenridge Road and Caliente Creek Road.  I'll get to the 41/46 interchange eventually but I'd be lying if I didn't say Breckenridge wasn't the priority.

[pderocco]

I don't get how all these folks coming out of the Bay Area headed towards Tahoe hasn't discovered that 88 and 89 is the optimal way to get there.  Something feels off to me about rushing to Lake Tahoe only on normal people highways like I-80 and US 50. 

While US 395 is a very nice and scenic modern highway, I would hesitate to call it "most scenic in the state."  I'm not sure what I would call "most scenic" but stuff like several sections of 1 and 49 come to mind right away in the Caltrans stock. 

What makes US-395 so scenic, at least between Inyokern and Topaz Lake, is that it is usually in a wide open valley, yielding lots of vistas presided over by majestic mountains. I love 1 of course, but a lot of its views are of empty ocean on one side and trees and bushes on the other, so the best views are lengthwise along the coast. 49 I like primarily for the quaint towns, not so much the views.

395 is also beautiful in Oregon, and north of Spokane, but those roads are certainly nowhere near as popular, so wouldn't belong on that list. But then neither does the Nevada part, in my opinion, because it's apparent "popularity" is primarily due to the large local population filling the roads, not tourists. That article was an enthusiastic sales pitch, but I don't know how successful it will be. When I go up there, I want to get past Gardnerville to Reno.

Thing with US 395 is that a lot of that scenery is directly accessible via roads that actually go into it.  One thing to look from afar, quite another to drive up stuff like Horseshoe Meadows Road to the vicinity of Kearsarge Pass.

I don't know, I'd have to sit down and think on what I would consider the most scenic highway in this state.  I don't know if my answer would come from a road carrying a Route number. 

Thing is, there are plenty of relatively short pieces of road that are stunning, like the Feather River Canyon, Sonora Pass, Tioga Pass, Rim of the World, going up into Sequoia from the south, some of CA-299 west of Whiskeytown, etc. What puts CA-1 on the list is that there are hundreds of miles of beauty. US-395, in all four states, is 1300 miles long, and except for 60 miles at the bottom, 40 around Reno, and 200 from Pendleton to Spokane, it's all at least beautiful, and quite a bit of it is unforgettable.

[Max Rockatansky]

I don't get how all these folks coming out of the Bay Area headed towards Tahoe hasn't discovered that 88 and 89 is the optimal way to get there.  Something feels off to me about rushing to Lake Tahoe only on normal people highways like I-80 and US 50. 

While US 395 is a very nice and scenic modern highway, I would hesitate to call it "most scenic in the state."  I'm not sure what I would call "most scenic" but stuff like several sections of 1 and 49 come to mind right away in the Caltrans stock. 

What makes US-395 so scenic, at least between Inyokern and Topaz Lake, is that it is usually in a wide open valley, yielding lots of vistas presided over by majestic mountains. I love 1 of course, but a lot of its views are of empty ocean on one side and trees and bushes on the other, so the best views are lengthwise along the coast. 49 I like primarily for the quaint towns, not so much the views.

395 is also beautiful in Oregon, and north of Spokane, but those roads are certainly nowhere near as popular, so wouldn't belong on that list. But then neither does the Nevada part, in my opinion, because it's apparent "popularity" is primarily due to the large local population filling the roads, not tourists. That article was an enthusiastic sales pitch, but I don't know how successful it will be. When I go up there, I want to get past Gardnerville to Reno.

Thing with US 395 is that a lot of that scenery is directly accessible via roads that actually go into it.  One thing to look from afar, quite another to drive up stuff like Horseshoe Meadows Road to the vicinity of Kearsarge Pass.

I don't know, I'd have to sit down and think on what I would consider the most scenic highway in this state.  I don't know if my answer would come from a road carrying a Route number. 

Thing is, there are plenty of relatively short pieces of road that are stunning, like the Feather River Canyon, Sonora Pass, Tioga Pass, Rim of the World, going up into Sequoia from the south, some of CA-299 west of Whiskeytown, etc. What puts CA-1 on the list is that there are hundreds of miles of beauty. US-395, in all four states, is 1300 miles long, and except for 60 miles at the bottom, 40 around Reno, and 200 from Pendleton to Spokane, it's all at least beautiful, and quite a bit of it is unforgettable.

If we're talking US Routes the choice for me is clear in US 191.

[kkt]

I don't get how all these folks coming out of the Bay Area headed towards Tahoe hasn't discovered that 88 and 89 is the optimal way to get there.  Something feels off to me about rushing to Lake Tahoe only on normal people highways like I-80 and US 50. 

While US 395 is a very nice and scenic modern highway, I would hesitate to call it "most scenic in the state."  I'm not sure what I would call "most scenic" but stuff like several sections of 1 and 49 come to mind right away in the Caltrans stock. 

What makes US-395 so scenic, at least between Inyokern and Topaz Lake, is that it is usually in a wide open valley, yielding lots of vistas presided over by majestic mountains. I love 1 of course, but a lot of its views are of empty ocean on one side and trees and bushes on the other, so the best views are lengthwise along the coast. 49 I like primarily for the quaint towns, not so much the views.

395 is also beautiful in Oregon, and north of Spokane, but those roads are certainly nowhere near as popular, so wouldn't belong on that list. But then neither does the Nevada part, in my opinion, because it's apparent "popularity" is primarily due to the large local population filling the roads, not tourists. That article was an enthusiastic sales pitch, but I don't know how successful it will be. When I go up there, I want to get past Gardnerville to Reno.

Thing with US 395 is that a lot of that scenery is directly accessible via roads that actually go into it.  One thing to look from afar, quite another to drive up stuff like Horseshoe Meadows Road to the vicinity of Kearsarge Pass.

I don't know, I'd have to sit down and think on what I would consider the most scenic highway in this state.  I don't know if my answer would come from a road carrying a Route number. 

Thing is, there are plenty of relatively short pieces of road that are stunning, like the Feather River Canyon, Sonora Pass, Tioga Pass, Rim of the World, going up into Sequoia from the south, some of CA-299 west of Whiskeytown, etc. What puts CA-1 on the list is that there are hundreds of miles of beauty. US-395, in all four states, is 1300 miles long, and except for 60 miles at the bottom, 40 around Reno, and 200 from Pendleton to Spokane, it's all at least beautiful, and quite a bit of it is unforgettable.

If we're talking US Routes the choice for me is clear in US 191.

typo for US 101?

[Max Rockatansky]

I don't get how all these folks coming out of the Bay Area headed towards Tahoe hasn't discovered that 88 and 89 is the optimal way to get there.  Something feels off to me about rushing to Lake Tahoe only on normal people highways like I-80 and US 50. 

While US 395 is a very nice and scenic modern highway, I would hesitate to call it "most scenic in the state."  I'm not sure what I would call "most scenic" but stuff like several sections of 1 and 49 come to mind right away in the Caltrans stock. 

What makes US-395 so scenic, at least between Inyokern and Topaz Lake, is that it is usually in a wide open valley, yielding lots of vistas presided over by majestic mountains. I love 1 of course, but a lot of its views are of empty ocean on one side and trees and bushes on the other, so the best views are lengthwise along the coast. 49 I like primarily for the quaint towns, not so much the views.

395 is also beautiful in Oregon, and north of Spokane, but those roads are certainly nowhere near as popular, so wouldn't belong on that list. But then neither does the Nevada part, in my opinion, because it's apparent "popularity" is primarily due to the large local population filling the roads, not tourists. That article was an enthusiastic sales pitch, but I don't know how successful it will be. When I go up there, I want to get past Gardnerville to Reno.

Thing with US 395 is that a lot of that scenery is directly accessible via roads that actually go into it.  One thing to look from afar, quite another to drive up stuff like Horseshoe Meadows Road to the vicinity of Kearsarge Pass.

I don't know, I'd have to sit down and think on what I would consider the most scenic highway in this state.  I don't know if my answer would come from a road carrying a Route number. 

Thing is, there are plenty of relatively short pieces of road that are stunning, like the Feather River Canyon, Sonora Pass, Tioga Pass, Rim of the World, going up into Sequoia from the south, some of CA-299 west of Whiskeytown, etc. What puts CA-1 on the list is that there are hundreds of miles of beauty. US-395, in all four states, is 1300 miles long, and except for 60 miles at the bottom, 40 around Reno, and 200 from Pendleton to Spokane, it's all at least beautiful, and quite a bit of it is unforgettable.

If we're talking US Routes the choice for me is clear in US 191.

typo for US 101?

No, but US 101 would probably be in my top three.

[pderocco]

Thing with US 395 is that a lot of that scenery is directly accessible via roads that actually go into it.  One thing to look from afar, quite another to drive up stuff like Horseshoe Meadows Road to the vicinity of Kearsarge Pass.

You mean Mulkey Pass, don't you?

[Max Rockatansky]

Thing with US 395 is that a lot of that scenery is directly accessible via roads that actually go into it.  One thing to look from afar, quite another to drive up stuff like Horseshoe Meadows Road to the vicinity of Kearsarge Pass.

You mean Mulkey Pass, don't you?

No, I meant Onion Valley Road and said Horseshoe Meadows for some reason.  Whitney Portal, Sherman Pass, Ninemile Canyon and Rock Creek are all also notable in the eastern Sierra. 

Regarding Horseshoe Meadows Road, damn that really is the closest thing California ever had to Pikes Peak-like State Highway.  Total shame to build most of that out as CA 190 only to relinquish it. 

[pderocco]

Thing with US 395 is that a lot of that scenery is directly accessible via roads that actually go into it.  One thing to look from afar, quite another to drive up stuff like Horseshoe Meadows Road to the vicinity of Kearsarge Pass.

You mean Mulkey Pass, don't you?

No, I meant Onion Valley Road and said Horseshoe Meadows for some reason.  Whitney Portal, Sherman Pass, Ninemile Canyon and Rock Creek are all also notable in the eastern Sierra. 

Regarding Horseshoe Meadows Road, damn that really is the closest thing California ever had to Pikes Peak-like State Highway.  Total shame to build most of that out as CA 190 only to relinquish it. 

If California wants an answer to Pikes Peak or Mount Bluesky, it should pave the road that goes to the top of White Mountain. It's an extremely prominent peak, so it has spectacular views all around.

[kkt]

I don't get how all these folks coming out of the Bay Area headed towards Tahoe hasn't discovered that 88 and 89 is the optimal way to get there.  Something feels off to me about rushing to Lake Tahoe only on normal people highways like I-80 and US 50. 

While US 395 is a very nice and scenic modern highway, I would hesitate to call it "most scenic in the state."  I'm not sure what I would call "most scenic" but stuff like several sections of 1 and 49 come to mind right away in the Caltrans stock. 

What makes US-395 so scenic, at least between Inyokern and Topaz Lake, is that it is usually in a wide open valley, yielding lots of vistas presided over by majestic mountains. I love 1 of course, but a lot of its views are of empty ocean on one side and trees and bushes on the other, so the best views are lengthwise along the coast. 49 I like primarily for the quaint towns, not so much the views.

395 is also beautiful in Oregon, and north of Spokane, but those roads are certainly nowhere near as popular, so wouldn't belong on that list. But then neither does the Nevada part, in my opinion, because it's apparent "popularity" is primarily due to the large local population filling the roads, not tourists. That article was an enthusiastic sales pitch, but I don't know how successful it will be. When I go up there, I want to get past Gardnerville to Reno.

Thing with US 395 is that a lot of that scenery is directly accessible via roads that actually go into it.  One thing to look from afar, quite another to drive up stuff like Horseshoe Meadows Road to the vicinity of Kearsarge Pass.

I don't know, I'd have to sit down and think on what I would consider the most scenic highway in this state.  I don't know if my answer would come from a road carrying a Route number. 

Thing is, there are plenty of relatively short pieces of road that are stunning, like the Feather River Canyon, Sonora Pass, Tioga Pass, Rim of the World, going up into Sequoia from the south, some of CA-299 west of Whiskeytown, etc. What puts CA-1 on the list is that there are hundreds of miles of beauty. US-395, in all four states, is 1300 miles long, and except for 60 miles at the bottom, 40 around Reno, and 200 from Pendleton to Spokane, it's all at least beautiful, and quite a bit of it is unforgettable.

If we're talking US Routes the choice for me is clear in US 191.

typo for US 101?

No, but US 101 would probably be in my top three.

Oh, okay.  I thought we were talking about the most scenic routes in California.

[Max Rockatansky]

We were then the conversation switched to scenic US Routes.  191, 101 and 395 would all be in the conversation IMO for the US Route category.

If I was going for mile for mile California highways that's a more difficult category.  There are plenty of scenic highways (numbered or not) but it is hard to pick one that I think has the best mile for mile punching weight.  If we are limiting it to State Highways only then maybe 89 takes the prize?  Even the most boring parts of that highway are still mountainous and Emerald Bay is a signature segment. 

[FredAkbar]

No, but US 101 would probably be in my top three.

There are only 7(?) US routes in California so being ranked #3 is not particularly impressive

[FredAkbar]

No, but US 101 would probably be in my top three.

There are only 7(?) US routes in California so being ranked #3 is not particularly impressive

Oh I see, you meant of all the US routes nationwide. 191 isn't in CA anyway so that makes more sense.

[Max Rockatansky]

No, but US 101 would probably be in my top three.

There are only 7(?) US routes in California so being ranked #3 is not particularly impressive

Oh I see, you meant of all the US routes nationwide. 191 isn't in CA anyway so that makes more sense.

Yes, if I was going for just CA it would be between 395 and 101.  If I was limiting it to CA then 395 would win.  101 would overall has more interesting things on it in Oregon and Washington than 395 (IMO).