Hot Springs Dot This Underrated Road Trip Through California's Most Iconic Mountain And Desert Scenery

The United States is one of the world's most legendary road trip destinations. In the West, you've got California's Big Sur coastline with striking cliff views that rival Italy's Cinque Terre. While on the East Coast, you'll find the Blue Ridge Parkway, "America's favorite drive" through stunning fall foliage. Then you've got U.S. Route 395. Featuring pure drama from start to finish, this California route skirts the eastern front of the Sierra Nevada, offering mind-blowing vistas of the Mojave Desert on one side and some of the highest peaks in North America on the other.

Despite the indisputably eye-watering scenery that abounds at every turn in the asphalt on the 395, the route sometimes doesn't get the attention it deserves. But there's no question that it flaunts some of the most iconic mountain and desert scenery in the whole of the state. It clocks just over 350 miles in California, passing Yosemite and Death Valley national parks and ending in Hesperia. Along the way, you can pitstop at steaming hot springs that bubble from the desert, ski resorts, the highest summit in the contiguous U.S., and plenty, plenty more.

California's famous section of the 395 crosses right through an area of high volcanic and geothermal activity. There's not one but two ancient volcanic fields in these parts, and you can even witness some stark geological evidence of great eruptions as you drive. Check out the so-called Fossil Falls, which are petrified beds of lava formed more than 20,000 years ago.

That also means that there are hot springs. Lots of them. The hotspot (no pun intended!) is the section of highway that runs north from Bishop, around Mammoth Lakes and Yosemite National Park. This area is home to countless places where you can take a dip to soothe post-hike muscles in naturally warmed water, with views of the Sierra Nevada and the desert swirling all around, of course.

If you're a fan of more natural springs and like to dodge the crowds, drop into Wild Willy's Hot Springs, which sit amid the sagebrush about 12 minutes off the 395. One Tripadvisor reviewer says a dip in these springs is "an awesome way to unwind after a long drive up to Mammoth and after a day of snowboarding." For something a bit more official, hit Keough's Hot Springs. They're the largest in the Eastern Sierra and now have managed pool spaces for easy access.

The great highlight of the 395 has to be the views. But then, what would you expect of a highway that takes you all the way from dust-swirling salt flats in the Mojave up to the pine-covered mountains in Canada? Perhaps the most striking thing is the collision of two very different environments: The desert in the east and the high mountains in the west. You can encounter shifting sand dunes in Death Valley and traverse the pine-speckled alpine hikes in the Inyo National Forest in the very same day.

You can drive the route in either direction. While you can begin in the small city of Hesperia, we suggest starting in the charred ridges of the Death Valley National Park and driving south to north. It's a land of record-breaking natural wonders, hosting the hottest, driest, and lowest places in the U.S. From there, you'll pass Whitney Portal to see another world — think snow-clad mountains and visions of the granite spire of Mount Whitney, often haloed in snow and framed by pine forests.

Further north, the shimmering outline of the White Mountains lurches up more than 14,000 feet on the right-hand side, opposite the eastern edges of the Sierra Nevada. Look to the Sierra Nevada to access some of California's most famous high-altitude draws, including the 3,500 acres of skiable terrain at Mammoth Lakes, not to mention the eastern entrance to the legendary Yosemite National Park via the scenic Tioga Road.