SoCal to North Central Washington: 395 or 95?
Hoping to head to the Washington Pass/Rainy Pass area, and then later to Marblemount and then Mt. Baker. I am tired of Interstate 5 -- crowded, hilly, and bad pavement. I asked Google Maps, and I ...
Forum Discussion
US395 in the south is between the Sierras and Death Valley, and then the White Mtns. There are a couple passes north of Bishop. The freeway in the Reno area. It continues at that inland 4000-5000 ft level into Oregon. North of Burns is crosses a low mtn range. and across the Columbia into Washington.
US97 to the west is closer to the Cascades, but is generally flat and straight. Some take a diagonal from 395 to 97 in N Calif, others pick it up from I5. It has more of a grade when crossing the Columbia (both sides). OR31 is another diagonal from 396 to 95.
US95 is deeper into the Nevada desert. Once in Oregon you could cut west to 395, or stay on 95 to I84. I84 also has some uplands before it gets to Pendelton.
In Washington, 97 has a low pass before merging with I82. There's anther pass crossing from I90 to US2, followed by river side driving all the way to Twisp (WA20). If entering around the Tricities (I82), some take WA17 across the Columbia Plateau. There are grades dropping from the uplands to the Columbia River.
I don't think it matters too much which of these routes, or mix of them, you take.
US97 to the west is closer to the Cascades, but is generally flat and straight. Some take a diagonal from 395 to 97 in N Calif, others pick it up from I5. It has more of a grade when crossing the Columbia (both sides). OR31 is another diagonal from 396 to 95.
US95 is deeper into the Nevada desert. Once in Oregon you could cut west to 395, or stay on 95 to I84. I84 also has some uplands before it gets to Pendelton.
In Washington, 97 has a low pass before merging with I82. There's anther pass crossing from I90 to US2, followed by river side driving all the way to Twisp (WA20). If entering around the Tricities (I82), some take WA17 across the Columbia Plateau. There are grades dropping from the uplands to the Columbia River.
I don't think it matters too much which of these routes, or mix of them, you take.
