Oh Yeah

Charlottesville

May 27, 2025

This article recently appeared in the WSJ. This road trip is truly wonderful. It takes you through such an unpopulated yet spectacularly beautiful part of California. Lone Pine, Bishop and Mammoth are fantastic little towns. The Owens Valley is surreal in its beauty and that Owens Lake is dry due to water being diverted to Los Angeles. And the Whoa Nellie Deli at the Mobil station outside Lee Vining!! Mango salsa on your fish taco = Heaven!

This route is one of my all time favorites.

The Other Great California Road Trip

With natural disasters plaguing the iconic Pacific Coast Highway, a local recommends Highway 395—for alpine lakes, cozy cafes and desert ghost towns along the Sierra Nevada’s dramatic eastern side.

For decades, road trippers in search of California postcard views have flocked to Highway 1 for panoramas of craggy coastline and shady redwood forests. But ask a local like me which stretch of blacktop really shows off the Golden State’s frontier spirit and scenic diversity, and you’re liable to hear a different number: 395.

A world apart from the clogged coastline, Highway 395 winds from the lapis water of Lake Tahoe to the sky-high summit of Mount Whitney. This is the road that in-the-know mountain ramblers take to avoid the high-season throngs of Sequoia and Big Sur. A route where ski bums, ranchers and Patagonia-clad vacationers all coexist in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada. “It’s really a journey full of superlatives,” says Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California. “You pass the highest point in the contiguous United States, and a short detour takes you to the oldest trees in the world.”

And this summer, choosing it just makes practical sense. With mudslides and extreme weather events causing frequent closures along Highway 1, Highway 395 offers an uncrowded alternative route—that is, if you’re cool with trading sandy beaches and Pacific surf for alpine lakes and dramatic hikes. Covering roughly 475 miles, this itinerary more than delivers on the California dream. 

DAY 1 | Get your bearings (and break out your bikini) in Lake Tahoe.

Rent a stand-up paddleboard or kayak from SUP Tahoe and spend your first day gliding around the mirror-clear water of Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America. Come sunset time, head to Riva Grill for surf and turf with a lakeside view, then retire to the modern mountain digs at the new Desolation Hotel. (Relax: There’s nothing desolate about its “luxury yurts” and other rooms.)

DAY 2 | High-tail it to Bodie State Historic Park.

Roughly 2.5 hours south of Tahoe, Bodie is the best-preserved ghost town in the state and exemplifies the boom-and-bust cycle that plagued many of California’s Gold Rush-era burgs. Those who time their visit just right can take a guided Stamp Mill Tour (seasonal, 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.). For a snack break afterward, pull into the Whoa Nellie Deli.

“They’ve been serving up amazing food for almost 30 years,” says Andrew Roberts, co-founder of adventure outfitter EXP Journeys. Then skirt the rounded edge of immense Mono Lake and scour the shoreline for views of tufas—squiggly calcium-carbonate spires that emerge like a skyline.

Tufas emerge from Mono Lake.CALIFORNIA STATE PARKSBodie State Historic Park is one of the state’s best-preserved gold-mining ghost towns.

Even if you’re itching for an afternoon siesta at this point, you won’t regret a detour for a glimpse of the granite peaks and shimmering tarns along June Lake Loop, a scenic byway that’s a favorite of Sam Highley, founder of luxury road-trip planning company All Roads North. Pull off at Silver Lake for a photo op with a backdrop of toothy stone spires and verdant pines. Then drop your bags in one of the cabins at the newly renovated Outbound Mammoth before fueling up on crispy duck confit at the Brasserie, a chic French cafe perched above—of all things—a rollicking retro bowling alley.

DAY 3 | Sleep in, you’ve earned it.

Spend a lazy morning exploring Mammoth Lakes, popping into the Stove for hearty egg skillets and heaping servings of cinnamon French toast before taking the Reds Meadow shuttle (Friday to Sunday, starting approximately July 3 this summer) to marvel at the basalt spires of Devils Postpile National Monument. If your breakfast sugar-boost left you hankering for a hike, traverse one of the site’s mostly flat trails to roaring Rainbow Falls for a 5-mile (round-trip) adventure.

DAY 4 | Chase a mountain high.

Rise early and grab to-go breakfast burritos and coffee alongside the off-season ski bums at Stellar Brew & Natural Cafe, then motor a few minutes south to Convict Lake to sip your latte under the imposing summit of Mt. Morrison. Ready to get some steps in? Walkers can circumnavigate the lake in about an hour on a flat, 3.25-mile loop. Heading south on the 395, turn off on State Route 168 for a glimpse of ancient bristlecone pines. These gnarled, high-altitude trees can reach roughly 5,000 years in age, and are considered the oldest living things on the planet. Take an easy path near the visitor center at Schulman Grove to take selfies among the ancients, says Highley.

DAY 5 | Channel your inner cowpoke.

In Bishop, celebrated rock climbers mingle with mule-raising cowboys. Come Memorial Day weekend, the hamlet’s stark but friendly contrasts are on full display at the annual Mule Days festival, an All-American blur of rodeo competitions and country music concerts. After a slower pace? Try trout fishing on South Lake or take a soak in Keough’s Hot Springs. A side trip to Manzanar National Historic Site, one of 10 camps where the U.S. government incarcerated Japanese-Americans during World War II, offers sobering perspective on a dark era in our nation’s history. However you choose to spend your day, though, don’t sleep on the world-class pulled pork at Copper Top BBQ, a rural hole-in-the-wall that Yelp named America’s best restaurant in 2015.

DAY 6 | Dive into the ‘Wild West.’

As you cruise down to Lone Pine, scour the western horizon for a glimpse of Mount Whitney—the tallest peak in the Lower 48. Though you won’t be able to see it from its namesake trailhead at Whitney Portal, the drive along a cliff’s edge yields sweeping views down into Owens Valley. Avid hikers can lace up for a six-mile stroll up to chilly Lone Pine Lake, while motorists can meander the dirt roads of the Alabama Hills, where dozens of classic movies, like “Django Unchained” and “How the West Was Won,” were filmed. In town, the quirky Museum of Western Film History celebrates the town’s Hollywood connection. Though Lone Pine lacks in the hotel department, it’s home to some truly impressive Airbnbs, like the Lone West, which boasts second-to-none Sierra views.

DAY 7 | Choose your next adventure.

From Lone Pine, you could make a beeline for the airport and creature comforts of Los Angeles—or take a detour to another land of superlatives: Death Valley, the hottest, driest, lowest place in North America. Spend a day cruising Badwater Road, taking in the jagged salt formations of Devils Golf Course, the multicolored mineral patchwork of Artists Palette and a carpet of hexagonal salt formations at Badwater Basin, which sits 282 feet below sea level. Bed down at the historic Inn at Death Valley, which was once frequented by film stars like Clark Gable and Bette Davis.

The perfect road trip might not exist. But, especially this year, the best any freewheeling California traveler can hope for is a big, frequently breathtaking playground—like this one—in which to let loose.

Under-the-Radar Routes for Discerning Drivers

Because crowds kill the thrill of road-tripping, trade the standard journeys for one of these lesser-known jaunts

Instead of the Blue Ridge Parkway — Try Maine’s Bold Coast Scenic Byway

Appalachia’s Blue Ridge Parkway is stunning—and, as one of the most-visited destinations in the National Park system, often insanely crowded. Those seeking a quieter meander should consider heading north to Maine. This 147-mile coastal stretch runs from the “blueberry kingdom” of Milbridge, just beyond Acadia National Park, to the famous, candy-striped lighthouse of Lubec, on the state’s northern fringes. Bed down at Bar Harbor’s Salt Cottages while visiting the park, then set a course along the Schoodic Peninsula, known for its puffin colonies and nesting seabirds. In Milbridge, Robertson Sea Tours provides family-friendly lobster boat outings, and, not far from Lubec, the easternmost town in the U.S., Sunrise Canoe and Kayak offers paddles among the bald eagles of Cobscook Bay.

Instead of Route 66 — Try Utah’s Scenic Byway 12

Route 66 is synonymous with dramatic Southwestern scenery. But stretching over 2,448 miles from start to finish, America’s “Mother Road” is no small undertaking. Anyone who wants a more targeted tour of desert wonders should consider Utah’s Highway 12, which covers 123 dramatic miles between Panguitch and Torrey, taking in a torrent of red rock vistas. If time allows, Andrew Roberts, co-founder of EXP Journeys, recommends a detour to Bryce Canyon. Explore the rust-hued Navajo Sandstone hoodoos of the park, then motor down to Ofland Escalante for a drive-in movie night right outside your private cabin. In the morning, squeeze through slot canyons at Willis Creek Narrows, in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, before heading north to the arches and castle-like spires of Capitol Reef National Park.