Best route to US-395

[Okiejoe]

Planning a trip to California in mid June, what is the best route from Las Vegas to the area of Lone Pine to Bishop on US 395? We are driving from OKC area on I-40 to Kingman and would like to cut across to 395 via Las Vegas. We are driving a 32 ft Class C towing a PT Cruiser. Never drove in that area before and would like to travel that portion of 395 to get to Lake Tahoe.

[saddlesore]

You have for most intents and choices either ..
I-15 west to US 58 west to US 395 north
or

US-95 north out of 'Vegas to US-6 west over Montgomery Pass to Bishop and North on US-395
or
US-95 north to Shurtz, Alt-95 west to SR 208 south/west to US-395 and north.
It's a crap shoot on how long You want to drive.
North on US-95 is miles and miles of high desert with the occasional small town speed traps, casinos and cat houses,
West on I-15 into Cali and then north on US-395 is miles and miles of desert and hills with stupid high prices for fuel and anything else..
Happy trails

[Chance]

Best route? “Best” is a little subjective.

I’ve done that drive a few times, but normally from Lone Pine (or nearby Ridgecrest) to Vegas; in opposite direction. Because I like a challenge, I’ve gone through Death Valley on 190. I also wanted to follow part of the Furnace Creek 508 bike race route to drive the climbs and descends.

Climbs are some of the toughest I’ve driven, and heat can be an issue in summer if in a hurry and putting your foot to the floor. In a small 4-cylinder pickup or my V10 van it wasn’t an issue at all, but on a loaded down rented 30-foot E-Series Class C (no toad) with almost 100,000 miles, I had to take my time on steepest portions. There were a few sections where around 25 MPH was all I wanted to risk for fear of overheating in late May or early June — can’t recall exactly.

I don’t know if there’s an RV length limit, but since there is camping in NP it may be OK. We only drove through, but I’d like to overnight next time we are there — if there is a next time.

I’ll add that I enjoyed driving through the National Park and appreciated the barren landscape, but my wife not so much. I think it made her a bit nervous in part because rented motorhome wasn’t in great condition. Also, gas was the most expensive I’ve ever seen, but when touring I consider that normal part of cost.


For what it’s worth, 395 is scenic and worth driving in my opinion. I even got to ride my bike on parts of it while visiting my daughter. There’s a little campground at end of the Mt Whitney Portal Road I also want to stay in one day. I only rode up there on a bicycle, but recall the campground is tight, so a larger motorhome may not be able to maneuver easily if at all.

[Bill in Redlands]

If you choose the I-15 route, connect to Highway 54 west out of Barstow toward Kramer Junction, the intersection of 54 and 395.