Car Travel in Death Valley and Mojave

Much of the desert can be seen from the comfort of an air-conditioned car. You can approach Death Valley from the west or the southeast. Whether you've come south from Bishop or north from Ridgecrest, head east from U.S. 395 on Highway 190 or 178. To enter Death Valley from the southeast, take Highway 127 north from Interstate 15 in Baker and link up with Highway 178, which travels west into the valley and then cuts north toward Highway 190 at Furnace Creek.

The Mojave is shaped like a giant L, with one leg jutting north toward the Owens Valley and the other extending east toward California's borders with Nevada and Arizona. The major north-south route through the western Mojave is U.S. 395, which intersects with Interstate 15 between Cajon Pass and Victorville. U.S. 395 travels north into the Owens Valley, passing such dusty little stops as Lone Pine, Independence, Big Pine, and Bishop. Farther west, Highway14 runs north-south between Inyokern (near Ridgecrest) and Palmdale. Two major east-west routes travel through the Mojave: to the north, Interstate 15 between Barstow and Las Vegas, Nevada; to the south, Interstate 40 between Barstow and Needles. At the intersection of the two interstates, in Barstow, Interstate 15 veers south toward Victorville and Los Angeles, and Interstate 40 gives way to Highway 58 toward Bakersfield.

Information

California Highway Patrol 24-hour road info (800/427-7623. www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo).