Intro to Golden State Highways and California Travel Directory
Pictured above as the cover photo for the Golden State Highways and California Travel Directory is California State Route 89 above Lake Tahoe east of Emerald Bay. I picked the above photo for a specific reason; it features a part of the State Highway System that often is overlooked by mainstream travel websites. While California State Route 1 in Big Sur may garner much deserved attention the Highway System in California has even more to offer in the form of; massive freeways, countless differing mountain ranges, agricultural lined valleys, inland wetlands, and even deserts.
Of course as a Highway webpage Gribblenation primarily focuses on roads and their many stories. That said we aren't exclusively road enthusiasts and often the roads we take are a vehicle to an endless array of adventure. Within the Highway articles and stand alone features below there are stories of; towns, ghost towns, railroads, infrastructure, public works projects, National Parks, State Parks, National Forests, State Forests, hiking, and many other topics to be found related to California.
Version information and updates
- Version 1; 6/30/20: Simply put Version 1 is simply just piling everything we have related to California into this directory. Likely updates will come to this page on a monthly basis as California articles are published. Short term I would like to inventory what State Highways we have articles for and what remains.
US Routes, California State Highways, and the Interstates
State Highway Historical Information
California's Rogue Sign State Routes
California State Routes
Paper Highways; California State Route 1 through the Lost Coast
California State Route 1; the Cabrillo Highway through Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula
Historic Highway Alignments in Castroville (CA 1, CA 156, and CA 183)
California State Route 1 from Interstate 10 in Santa Monica to San Luis Obispo
California State Route 1 through the Tom Lantos Tunnels and the Devil's Slide
California State Route 1 in Big Sur; Mud Creek reopens
California State Route 1 Big Sur Closure Signs
California State Route 1; exploring Point Lobos and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Challenger Coast Range Adventures Part 2; California State Route 1 from Sign County Route G16 to the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road
California State Route 1; the new Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge opens
California State Route 1; prelude to Pfeiffer Canyon Reopening
California State Route 1; Ragged Point Closure south to San Luis Obispo
California State Route 1; I-280 south CA 17
California State Route 2 on the Glendale Freeway
California State Route 2 on the Angeles Crest Highway
California State Route 4; west from I-5 through the San Joaquin River Delta and Diablo Range to I-80
Trans-Sierra Highways; California State Route 4 over Pacific Grade Summit and Ebbetts Pass
Interstate 5; the West Side Freeway
Interstate 5; Southern San Diego to CA 99 in Wheeler Ridge
The western terminus of US Route 6, Laws Depot, and Carson & Colorado Railway
Former California State Route 109 on current Interstate 8 west of I-5
California State Route 9
Califoooornia! (Interstate 10 west from CA 86 over San Gorgonio to CA 60 in the Moreno Valley Badlands)
The Paper Highways north of San Francisco Bay; CA 12, CA 17, CA 37, CA 181, CA 251, and CA 281
California State Route 12 and the drive to stay alive in the Sacramento River Delta
California State Route 13
California State Route 14 on the Antelope Valley Freeway
Legacy of California State Route 17; CA 13 (i), CA 17, the Nimitz Freeway, I-880 and the San Rafael-Richmond Bridge
California State Route 18; Rim of the World to the Mojave Desert
California State Route 20; from Emigrant Gap/I-80 west to CA 49
California State Route 23; Canyons, Surface Streets, and Freeways
California State Route 24
California State Route 25; the Airline Highway
California State Route 26
California State Route 27
Lake Tahoe Circle Tour Part 2; California State Route 28 and Nevada State Route 28
California State Route 32
California State Route 33
California State Route 34
California State Route 35; the Goat Trail
California State Route 35; CA 9/Saratoga Gap to Great Highway
California State Route 37; the Blood Alley of San Pablo Bay
Long closed California State Route 39 at Islip Saddle
The original alignment of US Route 40 over the Martinez-Benicia Ferry and Carquinez Scenic Drive
Highways in and around Old Sacramento; US 40, US 99W, CA 16, CA 24, CA 70, CA 99, CA 275, and more
Old US Route 40 on Donner Pass Road
1889 Lanes Bridge Location (Old California State Route 41)
California State Route 41; CA 46 north to CA 180/CA 168
Old California State Route 41 in Fresno County and the expressway that never was
California State Route 41; Madera County Line to Yosemite National Park
Proto-California State Route 41 on Road 425B
1906 North Fork Road Bridge Ruins (Old California State Route 41)
1941 Lanes Bridge Renovations (Old California State Route 41)
Old California State Route 41 (Kings County)
California State Route 43; into the foggy void
California State Route 43/Lacey Boulevard roundabout build
California State Route 45
Hunting the early Lincoln Highway and US Route 48 from French Camp west to Altamont Pass
Paper Highways of the Mojave Desert and San Gabriel Mountains; CA 48 (ii), CA 122, CA 196, and CA 249
California State Route 49; the Golden Chain Highway Part 1
California State Route 49; the Golden Chain Highway Part 2
Lake Tahoe Circle Tour Part 3; US Route 50 and Cave Rock
US Route 50 over Echo Summit
California State Route 51; failed Interstate 80 on the Capitol City Freeway and the present I-80 Business Loop
California State Route 52
California State Route 58/Old California State Route 178 west of CA 43
California State Route 58 from CA 99 east to US 395
Westside Parkway and Centennial Corridor; Future California State Route 58
California State Route 59/Sign County Route J59
California State Route 60/Former US 60/70 through the Moreno Valley Badlands
Box Canyon Road (former US 60/70 and the second CA 195)
Old US Route 60/70 through Hell (Chuckwalla Valley Road and Ragsdale Road)
California State Routes 112, 61, and 260 (a functional CA 61)
California State Route 62 and US Route 95 retrospective
California State Route 63
Former California State Route 63 on Boyd Drive
Paper Highways; California State Route 64 and the unbuilt Malibu Canyon-Whitnall Freeway
Old California State Route 65 on Famoso-Porterville Highway, Sign County Routes J35/J22/J29
California State Route 65 south segment
The Arroyo Seco Parkway and early US Route 66 terminus points in downtown Los Angeles
Challenger versus US Route 66
Cajon Pass; Cajon Pass Toll Road, National Old Trails Road, US 66/91/395, and Interstate 15
Return to California and US Route 66
Return to US Route 66 in Barstow
Route 66 Wednesday; Santa Monica to Pasadena
Route 66 Wednesday; Pasadena to Cajon Pass
Route 66 Wednesday; Cajon Pass through the Mojave Desert to Arizona
California State Route 68
California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway
California State Route 74; the Pines-to-Palms Highway
California State Route 75
California State Route 77; the real 'Shortest Signed" State Highway
California State Route 79
Interstate 80 west over the Carquinez Bridge to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
Interstate 80 over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
Donner Pass; from 30,000 feet
California State Route 82/Old US Route 101 on El Camino Real from I-280 to I-380
The mystery of the original California State Route 83
California State Route 84 west from I-280 over the Santa Cruz Mountains to CA 1
California State Route 84 west from I-880 over the Dumbarton Bridge
California State Route 85
California State Route 86
California State Route 87
California State Route 88; the Carson Pass Highway
Lassen Park Highway; implied California State Route 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lake Tahoe Circle Tour Part 1; CA 89 through Emerald Bay, former CA 188 to Fallen Leaf Lake, and the Fanny Bridge
California State Route 89 through Luther Pass
Trans-Sierra Highways; California State Route 89 over Monitor Pass
California State Route 89 (Lassen Volcanic National Park to South Lake Tahoe)
The Vague Original Southern Terminus of US Route 91 in Mojave Desert
California State Route 92
Paper Highways; Unbuilt California State Route 93
Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway; US Route 97, California State Route 161, and Lavabeds National Monument
US Route 99 to Visalia?
Former US Route 99, US Route 466, and California State Route 65 through Famoso
Former US Routes 99/60/70 on the 1923 Whitewater Bridge
The original US Route 99 alignment on Sign County Route J9/French Camp Road
Old US Route 99 through Herndon
US Route 99 and the 1929 Van Ness Arch
California State Route 99/Old US Route 99 from CA 51/US 50 south to CA 145
California State Route 99/Old US Route 99 from I-5 north to CA 145
Legend of the Ridge Route; a history of crossing the mountains between Los Angeles Basin and San Joaquin Valley from wagon trails to Interstates
Hunting for forgotten history; Old US Route 99 in Fresno
Paper Highways; unbuilt California State Route 100 in Santa Cruz
Former US Route 101 on Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway
Old US Route 101 in King City and the 1903 Southern Pacific Depot
Old US Route 101 in Salinas
Railroad Square Historic District; US Route 101, California State Route 12; Santa Rosa, California
History of Transportation in Cuesta Pass; El Camino Real, Southern Pacific Railroad, and US Route 101
Hyde Street Pier and the original alignment of US Route 101 in San Francisco
Challenger Coast Range Adventures Part 1; getting to Monterey and Old US 101 on the San Juan Grade
Downtown San Francisco; Lombard Street and former US 101 on Hyde Street Pier
El Camino Real Relics in Santa Barbra
Old US 101 on the San Juan Grade
Mission San Juan Bautista and El Camino Real
California State Route 104
Trans-Sierra Highways; California State Route 108 over Sonora Pass
California State Route 109
California State Route 111 in Coachella Valley
California State Route 113; a little bit of vintage US 40, US 40A, US 99W, and CA 24
California State Route 114
California State Route 116
California State Route 118
California State Route 119; a US Route 399 story
Old California State Route 120 and 140 entrances to Yosemite National Park
California State Route 120 from US 6 west to US 395
The Tioga Pass Road (California State Route 120)
California State Routes 37, 121, 128, and unbuilt CA 179
California State Route 123/San Pablo Avenue; a trip down Old US Route 40 and thel terminus points of US Routes in Oakland
California State Route 124
California State Route 126; from CA 23 east to I-5
California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373
California State Route 129
California State Route 130 and the Lick Observatory
California State Route 131
California State Route 132/Sign County Route J132
California State Route 134
California State Route 135
California State Route 136
California State Route 137
California State Route 138
California State Route 140 and El Portal Road
Sign County Route J18 and early California State Route 140
California State Route 144
California State Route 145
Pinnacles National Park and California State Route 146
Pinnacles National Park West and California State Route 146 West
California State Route 146 East
California State Route 147
California State Route 149
California State Route 150 family of highways (CA 246, CA 154, CA 192, and CA 150)
California State Route 152
California State Route 153; the supposedly shortest State Highway
California State Route 155
Old California State Route 155 between Bakersfield and Woody
California State Route 156
Paper Highways of San Diego; Unbuilt California State Routes 157, 171, and 252
California State Route 158; the June Lake Loop
California State Route 160; the legacy of US Routes 40/50/99/99W/99E, the Lincoln Highway, Victory Highway, CA 24
California State Route 160 and Sign County Route J11
California State Route 162 to the Bidwell's Bar Bridge (both the 1965 and 1856 variants)
California State Route 163; Old US Routes 80/395 on the Cabrillo Freeway
California State Route 165
California State Route 166
California State Route 167
Tale of CA 168 West, the failure of the Piute Pass Highway, Big Creek, and The Climb to Kaiser
California State Route 168 road work update and Friant Dam
Paper Highways; modern California State Route 169 the unfinished California State 96
The Hollywood Freeway; CA 170, US 101, former US 66, and CA 2
California State Route 172 (old CA 36)
California State Route 173; former CA 2 and the last stand of the dirt State Highway
California State Route 174 and the Empire Mine
Former California State Route 176
California State Route 177
California State Route 178; west from CA 14 to CA 184
The Panamint Gap in California State Route 178
Old California State Route 178, Leglisative Route 137, and the 1914 Salinas River Bridge
Unbuilt California State Route 179
California State Route 180 Kings Canyon Expressway expansion opening (Minkler and Centerville bypass)
California State Route 180 Kings Canyon Road Expressway and Sequoia-Kings Canyon Freeway
California State Route 180 (CA 99 west to CA 33)
Old California State Route 180 and 41 surface alignments in Fresno
Sign County Route J1 and former California State Route 180 on Panoche Road
California State Route 180 east Fresno to Cedar Grove (Kings Canyon Highway)
Old California State Route 180 on Dunlap Road
California State Route 183
California State Route 184; the Weedpatch Highway
California State Route 185
California State Route 189
California State Route 190; a Trans-Sierra Highway that could have been
California State Route 191
California State Route 193
Former California State Route 194 from Downieville to Saddleback Mountain
California State Route 197
California State Route 198
Challenger Coast Range Adventures Part 4; CA 198 from US 101 to I-5
Old California State Route 198 in Kings County
US Route 199
Winnemucca to the Sea Highway (US Route 199)
California State Route 200
California State Route 201
California State Route 202
California State Route 203; the road that could have been a Trans-Sierra Highway
California State Route 204; Old US Route 99 in Bakersfield
Interstate 205
California State Route 207 I & II
Cabrillo National Monument and former California State Route 209
Interstate 210 and California State Route 210 on the Foothill Freeway
Interstate 215/former I-15E/former CA 194
California State Route 216
California State Route 217
California State Route 218
California State Route 219
California Ferry Routes; CA 84 over the Real McCoy II and CA 220 over the J-Mack Ferry
California State Route 221
California State Route 223; Bear Mountain Boulevard
Former California State Route 224
California State Route 225; the zombie highway of Santa Barbra
California State Route 227
California State Route 231
California State Route 232
California State Route 233
Unbuilt California State Route 235
California State Route 236
California State Route 237; South Bay Freeway
Interstate 238; the Interstate numbering abomination
Unbuilt California State Route 239 and Signed County Route J4
California State Route 242
California State Route 243
California State Route 244 and the unbuilt highway of Metro Sacramento (CA 65, CA 102, CA 143, and CA 148)
California State Route 245
California State Route 247
California State Route 259; TO I-215/CA 210
California State Route 262
California State Route 267
Mulholland Drive; Cahuenga Pass west to Sepulveda Pass (and unbuilt CA 268)
California State Route 269
California State Route 270 to Bodie
Mineral King Road, the White Chief Mine, and unbuilt California State Route 276
Interstate 280
California State Route 282
Paper Highways; California State Route 284 and California State Route 285
Adventure US Route 299; CA 299 from US 101 east to I-5
California State Route 371
Interstate 380
US Route 395; Nevada State Line south to CA 14 (Adventure on El Camino Sierra)
Where the hell is Hill Valley? (US 395 east/US 8 south)
US Route 395 south of Kramer Junction to I-15 (former CA 95)
Interstate 405; Carmageddon on the San Diego Freeway
Legacy of US Route 466 Part 1; California State Route 46
Legacy of US Route 466 Part 2; Tehachapi to Bakersfield
Legacy of US Route 466 Part 3; Morro Bay to Shandon (California State Routes 41 and 229)
The Embarcadero and history of Interstate 480/California State Route 480 on the Embarcadero Freeway
Interstate 505; a trace of I-5W
Interstate 580 from I-5 west to CA 13
Interstate 580 San Rafael-Richmond Bridge
Interstate 680 over the Benicia-Martinez Ferry and the Legacy of CA 21
Interstate 780 and former California State Route 141
Interstate 805
Interstate 980
Legislative Routes that never had a Sign State Highway
Old Highway; Mariposa County (former Legislative Route 18)
Chisholm Ferry/Bridge Location and early Legislative Route 10
Sign County Routes
Sign County Route E15 to Copperopolis
Sign County Route G1
Sign County Route G9
Sign County Route G13
Sign County Route G14
Sign County Route G16
Sign County Route G17
Sign County Route G20
Sign County Route J1 and former California State Route 180 on Panoche Road
Sign County Route J2 over Corral Hollow Pass (El Camino Viejo)
Signed County Route J4 and unbuilt CA 239
Planes, Trains, Automobiles on Sign County Route J7
The original US Route 99 alignment on Sign County Route J9/French Camp Road
California State Route 160 and Sign County Route J11
Sign County Route J16
Sign County Route J18 and early California State Route 140
Sign County Route J21
Old California State Route 65 on Famoso-Porterville Highway, Sign County Routes J35/J29/J22
Sign County Route J28
Sign County Route J37; the last Sign County Route in Tulare County and legacy of the Lone Pine-Porterville High Sierra Road
Trans-Sierra Highways; Sherman Pass Road and Sign County Route J41
Sign County Route N2
California State Route 243 (formerly R1)
Auto Trail stand alone articles
Old Stage Road; the 'real" El Camino Real and predecessor route to US 101 on the San Juan Grade
Donner Pass; hunting from the Dutch Flat & Donner Lake Road (North Lincoln Highway and the Central Pacific Railroad Tunnels))
Other Roads
Bitterwater Road and Bitterwater Valley Road to Blackwell's Corner
Elwood Road; Fresno County
Sand Creek Road
Brown Material Road
Return to Parkfield; Parkfield Grade, Parkfield-Coalinga Road, and Cholame Road/Cholame Valley Road
Lonoak Road
La Gloria Road and Gloria Road; descending the ridge of the Gabilan Range to Salinas Valley
Auberry Road and the Wildflower Trail
Lodi Mission Arch
Ben Hur Road/Road 613 to Raymond
2nd Street and 3rd Street Tunnel in Los Angeles
Patterson Pass Road
Ice Cream Grade
Felton Covered Bridge
1885 Firebaugh Drawbridge
Parkfield Grade/Parkfield-Coalinga Road
Los Gatos Creek Road/Coalinga Road
China Alley; Hanford, CA
Nacimiento-Fergusson Road
Challenger Coast Range Adventures Part 3; Nacimiento-Fergusson Road
La Brea Tar Pits; Wilshire Boulevard
1916 Elkhorn Avenue Concrete Pony Truss Bridge
Caliente-Bodfish Road
Panamint Valley and Trona-Wildrose Road
Fulton Street reconstruction project in Fresno
Court Street; Hanford, CA
Cat Canyon Road
Cannery Row and Monterey Bay (2018 versus 1993)
Fresno County Blossom Trail
North Fork Road/Road 200
Christmas Tree Lane; Fresno, CA
Monterey Bay Sunset Drive
Firebaugh's Ferry
Cannery Road Monterey
Old Creek Road
Road 222/Powerhouse Road
Faultline Friday; the back roads between CA 25 and CA 46 on the San Andreas Fault
Yokohl Valley Drive
Bitterwater Road
National Parks/National Forests
Yosemite National Park
Hetch Hetchy Valley; Hetch Hetchy Railroad, abandoned Lake Eleanor Road, and the Wapama Fall Bridge
The Old Coulterville Road; the first highway to Yosemite
Old California State Route 140 and 120 entrances to Yosemite National Park
History of the Big Oak Flat Road
History of the Wawona Road
Yosemite Fall Season
The Tioga Pass Road (California State Route 120)
California State Route 140 and El Portal Road
Redwood National Park and State Parks
Former US Route 101 on Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lassen Park Highway; implied California State Route 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park
California State Route 89 (Lassen Volcanic National Park to South Lake Tahoe)
Joshua Tree National Park
Pinto Basin road and Cottonwood Springs Road
Ghost Town Tuesday; Lost Horse Mine (Joshua Tree National Park)
Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks
The Generals Highway; connecting Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park
The Colony Mill Road to the Giant Forest
Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park (Spring Season)
Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park (Fall Season)
Return to Sequoia National Park and the Generals Highway
Channel Islands National Park
Channel Islands National Park and Anacapa Island
Death Valley National Park
Nevada State Route 374, Rhyolite, and Hell's Gate
Dante's View Road
Death Valley Winter
Pinnacles National Park
Pinnacles National Park
Pinnacles National Park West and California State Route 146 West
California State Route 146 East
National Forests
McKinley Grove Road to the Wishon Resevoir, Courtright Way to the Courtright Reservoir, and a dog named Dinkey
The road to Stevenson Creek Falls; the San Joaquin & Eastern Railroad, Italian Bar Road, and Million Dollar Road
1938 Dinkey Creek Bridge
Redinger Lake Road (Road 235)
Italian Bar Road (Road 225) east through the Geographic Center of California to the 1925 Italian Bar Bridge
Sierra Vista Scenic Byway Part 1; Sierra National Forest Route 10
Sierra Vista Scenic Byway Part 2; a bumpy ride on Sierra National Forest Route 7
Sierra Vista Scenic Byway Part 3; Sierra National Forest Route 81 and the failed plans for the Minaret Summit Highway
The Sierran Death Highway; Blackrock Road
National Monuments and other NPS Units
Soda Lake Road and Carrizo Plain National Monument
Kelbaker Road, Kelso Depot, and the Mojave National Preserve
Marin Headlands; Golden Gate National Recreational Area
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Point Reyes National Seashore
Muir Woods Road/National Monument and Panoramic Highway
1908 Toro Creek Bridge; Fort Ord National Monument
Ghost Town stand alone articles
Locans, California ghost town site
Lone Star Ghost Town Site and the Visalia District Railroad
Millerton and the Stockton-Los Angeles Road
Garlock ghost town
Nexus of the Universe; Butler Ghost Town Site
Conejo, CA; ghost town on the rails
Rice, CA and the bomb
Calico, CA
Ford Ord 2nd Avenue abandoned barracks
Kingston and the Kingston Grade
Minkler and Centerville
Ghost Post; the ruins of Fort Ord
Railroad stand alone articles
San Juan Pacific Railway
Monterey Branch Railroad
Minarets & Western Railroad
Kerman Branch Railroad (Southern Pacific Railroad)
A Streetcar Named Fresno Traction; the history of streetcar service in Fresno
1897 Hanford Station
1882 Fowler Rail Depot
1899 Fresno Station
Riverdale Branch Railroad Ruins
Interesting Places
Tower Theatre; Fulton Street, Fresno
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
March Air Reserve and the SR-71A Blackbird
Spreckels
Old Fresno Water Tower
1855 Point Pinos Lighthouse
Knight's Ferry
El Adobe de Los Robles Rancho
San Juan Bautista and El Camino Real
Mount Diablo State Park
Adventure San Francisco
