Roadtripping the 395N: From LA to Reno

July 13, 2017

2016 was an incredible year for me; I spent three months in LA hanging out with my college friends, followed by three months in NYC with my bestie, Shaine. But the highlight would definitely have to be going to Burning Man for the first time.

From camping in a tent covered in playa dust 24/7, learning to ride a bike and ending up with saddle soreness, having to use porta potties for the first time, to having only one cold outdoor shower for an entire week, the playa challenged me more than I ever thought it would. But, it was all worth it…at least it must had to be, because I’m going back again for more this year!

If you’ve been to Burning Man before, you know it requires months and months of preparation. And as a first time Virgin (that’s what they called first year Burners) flying in from Asia, there’s A LOT more you have to do. Since I have friends that live in LA that offered to let me stay with them, I chose to fly in to LAX, spend a week there getting over my jet lag before my friend and fellow Burner, Karla and I drove up to Black Rock City.

Here’s are a couple of things to do when you get to LA

ROADTRIP HIGHWAY 395N: THE DIRECTIONS

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Our rental was in Long Beach, which is where our directions start for our roadtrip along Highway 395-N. But, you basically get on the highway 395-North to Reno, Nevada. We initially wanted to leave at 6am to beat LA rush hour traffic, but the rental car place didn’t open until 8am…we ended up leaving Long Beach around 9:30am and thankfully had a smooth ride out of the city, and ended up in Reno just in time for sunset.

ROADTRIP HIGHWAY 395 NORTH HIGHLIGHTS: WHERE YOU SHOULD STOP, TAKE IN THE VIEWS, AND EAT

The 395 North highway basically runs through California and is home to numerous attractions and stops (California Through My Lens has a great, comprehensive guide)…you certainly won’t cover them if like us, all you have is a day’s trip.

So if you’re driving up to Reno before Burning Man and have time to kill, here’s where I’d recommend stopping.

Table of Contents

Red Rock Canyon State Park

Once you’re out of LA and on State Route 14, you’ll drive right through the park, which is located where the Sierra Nevada mountain range connects with the El Paso range. How do you know you’re in the park? Well apart from the Snapchat filter, you’ll know when all you can see on either side of the road are the impressive, colorful canyon formations.

In addition to the area’s natural beauty, there’s a lot of history to the park. The native Kawaiisu Indians left petroglyphs on the El Paso mountains, some of which are on display – we unfortunately didn’t know about it when we stopped, otherwise we would have gone and hiked the trail.

Fossil Falls

I’m not even sure if I can describe this place because it’s UNREAL. Driving down the dirt road that leads to Fossil Falls, the scenery is dramatically changes and you kinda feel like you’re on Mars. Or that’s what I assume being on Mars would be like…just a bunch of shrubs, and Red Hill which is a deep red dirt hill formed by a volcanic eruption that occurred 10,000-15,000 years ago. Fossil Falls is a little drive away and are basically a bunch of rocks. But the rocks are cool, okay. They were formed by the interaction of glacial activity and volcanic eruptions which caused the Owens River to divert course and reshape the rock into the unique structures we get to explore today.

Erick Schat’s Bakkery

Our initial attempt to get lunch in Independence, CA failed because Still Life Cafe was closed. So by the time we got to Bishop we were hungry. I may or may not have been hangry, but waiting until we got to the next town, Bishop, for Erick Schat’s Bakkery paid off because the sandwich and dessert I ate were delicious.

Known for their sheepherders bread from the Basque region of Spain, the bakery/deli/pastry shop was crowded when we walked in. The smell of fresh bread baking was intoxicating, and in addition to lunch, Karla and I ended up buying loaves of bread…for dinner!

Mono Lake

I’ll admit Karla and I really didn’t do much research on what there was to see prior to driving up the 395. I was trying to google along the drive, but cell reception was spotty along the way, so for the most part, we were totally winging it. If we saw something that caught our eye along the drive, we generally stopped. We had NO IDEA that one of the sights we’d pass would be Mono Lake. It was a lovely surprise – we may have freaked out a little bit in the car.
For those that don’t know, Mono Lake is one of North America’s oldest lakes…about 1 million years old and is saltier than the ocean and unusually alkaline in nature. The interaction of freshwater springs from the surrounding are and the alkaline lake water cause the formation of limestone “tufa towers” that dot the entirety of the lake. We headed to the lake on a rainy day which meant that we had the area all to ourselves, except for all the alkali flies and shorebirds. If we had more time, we would have definitely gone for a swim or floated because you know…extremely salty waters!

If you’re coming from SoCal, there are a number of routes you can take that are outlined in detail on the Burning Man website. We chose heading up the 395 to Reno because it was the most scenic (trust me I took the I-5 a lot when I was road tripping in college, and there’s nothing to see except dairy farms and industry…I only recommend it if you’re in a time crunch. And from personal experience, avoid it at all costs when you’re headed back from the Burn, the commercial signs and traffic overwhelm you and do not make for a good reintegration into society).

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About Author

Christabel

Christabel is the blogger and editor behind Where's Bel. She lives to travel, and is often restless if she's not out exploring, scoping out new restaurants or happy hours. Say Hello!

15 Comments

liondar Wendy
July 14, 2017 at 3:46 pm

We’re considering a road trip out west so am bookmarking this! Thanks!
- liondar Christabel
  July 23, 2017 at 5:52 pm
  
  Awesome – I used to live in California and took quite a few road trips in college. If you need any more road trip advice/spots to check out just let me know! 🙂
liondar Olivia
July 22, 2017 at 11:53 am

What a cool road trip!! it almost looks like another planet! One of my favourite things about road trips is, no matter how much you plan for it there are so many wonderful surprises along the way. One road trip I went on took us in the back roads of Saskatchewan. suddenly the road turned into a sand road and we were driving in sand dunes. It was incredible!
- liondar Christabel
  July 22, 2017 at 1:55 pm
  
  So true, I liked the fact that we hadn’t planned it out at all and just went with the flow…who would have thought there were so many stops along the way! It also helped that signal is very spotty along much of the highway so we couldn’t google anything even if we wanted to.
liondar Amy Krigsman
July 23, 2017 at 10:51 am

I’ve always wanted to take a road trip like this. You always find the best little treasures on the road, don’t you?
- liondar Christabel
  July 23, 2017 at 10:54 am
  
  Road trips are the best. You never know what’ll be waiting for you if you make a left instead of right!
liondar Welile Vilane
July 23, 2017 at 11:12 am

this road trip looks awesome!! One of the things I wish I had the chance to do while living in Los Angeles. Great pics as well!
liondar Castaway with Crystal
July 23, 2017 at 10:05 pm

It’s my dream to do Burning Man! Love the desert photos 🙂 🙂
- liondar Christabel
  July 24, 2017 at 9:26 am
  
  It’s an incredible experience! I’m headed back to the playa again this year, can’t wait 🙂
liondar Kirstin Street
July 25, 2017 at 6:02 am

Can’t wait to drive this route when we come to America next! Great read!
- liondar Christabel
  July 27, 2017 at 11:12 am
  
  Thank you – I recommend this, and if you have a lot of time, driving the PCH is well worth it – coastal views are stunning!
liondar Amnda
July 25, 2017 at 5:00 pm

Amazes me how much MORE I need to see in California
- liondar Christabel
  July 27, 2017 at 11:12 am
  
  Right?! I have a huge California things-to-see list and I lived there for almost 5 years!
liondar Ruth | Tanama Tales
July 25, 2017 at 11:41 pm

Love it! Have been to all these places and still have more to see. I have only driven to Mono Lake. One day I have to keep going until I make it to Reno.
- liondar Christabel
  July 27, 2017 at 11:11 am
  
  It was my first time going to Reno/Lake Tahoe on the road trip – I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was such a beautiful drive through the mountains.

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