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I'm making this drive later this week and was wondering which was better, the US 93 or US 95 (395)? Is one smoother than the other, safer, less boring? Any input would be appreciated.
They're both about the same-remote 2 lane state highways. Having driven both, I prefer 95. There seems to be better stopping points and I think it's a little quicker.
I too prefer US 95:
Boise to Winnemucca
Winnemucca to Fallon to Hawthorne
Rt. 359 from Hawthorne, NV to Calif border which becomes Calif Rt. 167 which terminates at US 395.
Take US395 south.
At the Inyokern turn off you have a choice, Rt. 14 down through Lancaster to I-5 to I-405 (this is the route I go)
Or
You can stay on US395 until it meets up with I-15 (thru San Bernadino).
It's probably faster for San Diego to stay on US395; however, I find this stretch to be like a roller coaster (up and down, up and down) which drives me crazy behind slow traffic.
We've gone 15-395-95 to Sandpoint, but the really interesting scenery on 95 is north of Boise along the Salmon. 395 through the Sierras is fabulously beautiful, but you have to put up with a very tough, tedious part of the road the first 60-70 miles on 392 going north from 15. 2 lanes, big-rig traffic, lots of hills (that's the roller coaster!). Also, check the weather forecast for later in the week--395 gets as high as 6000 ft, and if we get another storm this week, it's likely to snow up there. It snowed once when we went through in early October. A friend of mine always drives 93, and says it's very straight, and hardly any traffic, but I don't know about the scenic values. Frankly, I'd go up one way, and home the other! Have a good trip!
Thanks for the posts. This will be a one way trip Clark Fork. We're moving up to Boise and I'll be driving up first alone to start a new job. The family will follow after school is over. Leaving Saturday morning, work starts on Monday.
I too prefer US 95:
Boise to Winnemucca
Winnemucca to Fallon to Hawthorne
Rt. 359 from Hawthorne, NV to Calif border which becomes Calif Rt. 167 which terminates at US 395.
Take US395 south.
At the Inyokern turn off you have a choice, Rt. 14 down through Lancaster to I-5 to I-405 (this is the route I go)
Or
You can stay on US395 until it meets up with I-15 (thru San Bernadino).
It's probably faster for San Diego to stay on US395; however, I find this stretch to be like a roller coaster (up and down, up and down) which drives me crazy behind slow traffic.
Have a safe trip!!
I think staying on 395 is faster as well. Would you rather do 395 or deal with going through L.A. traffic? Also taking U.S. 6 out of Bishop saves a little bit of mileage instead of taking CA 167 (I did all the mileage checks before I started driving between L.A. and Boise). That said, CA 167 is a little more scenic.
The OP is heading towards Boise, so I'll reverse the plan.
I-15 to U.S. 395 junction
U.S. 395 to U.S. 6 junction in Bishop
U.S. 6 to NV 360 junction
NV 360 to U.S. 95 junction
U.S. 95 to I-80 junction (both share the same road to Winnemucca)
I-80/U.S. 95 to U.S. 95 junction in Winnemucca
U.S. 95 to ID 55 junction
ID 55 to I-84 junction
I-84 into Boise
I think hugging the Sierras on 395 makes this route the more scenic option. But it's Dullsville from Nevada onward. Also Bishop is worthy of a brief stopover--home to one of the best bakeries and the makers of the best retail beef jerky I've ever had (I wouldn't sleep in town though because it's pretty pricey). I like heading to the brewery on CA 14 just south of the U.S. 395/CA 14 junction to stock up on some of their beer. I really miss it. But with the miles on my truck and the clutch starting to smell on extended uphills, I'll be sticking to flying.
Most of these highways are of similar quality. You won't see a lot of passing lanes, but you hardly need them what with the general lack of traffic. (Another plus to moving out of CA!). Tip: turn on your headlights during the day, and be aware of local police mostly around small towns. Wide open straight stetches usually have no patrols, (keyword: usually!).
Thanks for the posts. This will be a one way trip Clark Fork. We're moving up to Boise and I'll be driving up first alone to start a new job. The family will follow after school is over. Leaving Saturday morning, work starts on Monday.
Didn't know you were moving! Well, good for you! In that case I won't even talk about neat touristy things to do on the way, on 395 (Lone Pine, Mono Lake, Bridgeport, Bodie, etc). Just git on up there, and all the best wishes to you!
What is the name of the brewery and how far out of the way is it? Also, brand of jerky you mentioned?
Indian Wells Brewing. Their beer quality is actually kind of spotty for me, but I find something endearing about breweries out in the middle of nowhere (Montana has one that has no signage to it and is only accessed by a dirt road). The one I miss most is Lobotomy Bock, 10.8% alcohol but goes down really smooth. So smooth that I question whether or not it's 10.8, but it's still potent stuff. I know Whole Foods sells some of their beer, but I don't know which kinds or anything like that given we're devoid of Whole Foods here. The brewery is on the west side of Highway 14 next to a restaurant, about maybe two miles south of the 14/395 junction.
The jerky place is called Meadow Farms. Pricey but worth it. They do mail order. 395 heads north in Bishop until you reach 6, where it starts heading due west. Go for a mile-and-a-half or so, and it'll be on the right hand side. Here's a pic of the place on Google maps:
(On a side note, the only jerky made in Boise that I've had was from Smoky Davis, and it was dreadful stuff. There's a butcher on Overland that makes some, but I haven't been there yet.)
In case you want to visit the bakery, it's called Erick Schat's Bakkery and is probably the most famous thing about Bishop. On 395 on the west side of the street a little ways before the junction with 6. I'm very glad you reminded me of them since they hadn't mail ordered their products in years, but I see they've started it up again when I visited their website just now! Their cheese bread is their most famous item and the one thing I crave the most. Pic of the bakery here:
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