San Bernardino County history: U.S. Route 395 – Welcome to San Bernardino County

"San Bernardino County Update", yellow arrowhead and "SBCounty.gov

A highway surrounded by tall electrical pylons and sparse vegetation. — *U.S. 395 looking south towards Kramer Junction in San Bernardino County. Courtesy of Bob Perry.*

Spanning more than 1,400 miles, U.S. Route 395 is a major north-south highway that begins in the Mojave Desert and runs through California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

Before it was commissioned as a U.S. numbered highway in 1926, the route was commonly known as El Camino Sierra. El Camino Sierra offered a trail that connected Los Angeles with the Lake Tahoe region and was commonly used by prospectors traveling through the area during the California Gold Rush and the Comstock Lode. By 1860, El Camino Sierra was an established trail that appeared on maps and in travel guides.

Both the northern and southern corridors of El Camino Sierra were used by railroads built in the 1880s branching from the first transcontinental railroad route in Nevada. As the mining rushes died down, the route was increasingly promoted for its scenic value. The Southern Pacific Railroad marketed it as a scenic side trip from its rail lines.

At its peak in the 1930s, the route was known as the “Three Flags Highway” because it connected the United States, Mexico and Canada. During World War II, U.S. Route 395 provided military convoys with a safer alternative to coastal roads, which were considered vulnerable to attack.

In 1972, U.S. Route 395 was redesignated as I-15 and I-215, and the portion of the roadway that once extended south toward San Diego was truncated at Hesperia, which became its southern terminus.

In 2008, the California Legislature unanimously designated Highway 395 as a historic route from San Diego to the Oregon state line. Legislators left it up to individual cities to pay for historic markers and promote the designation. Today, old Highway 395 markers can still be seen along or near Interstate 15 in many locations before the route branches off at Hesperia and heads north. Travelers continue to use Highway 395 to journey from the Los Angeles area to destinations such as Mammoth Lakes and Reno. Today, the highway is celebrated for its spectacular scenery, including towering mountain ranges, desert landscapes, rushing rivers, pine forests, ghost towns, crystal clear lakes and ancient volcanoes.

Additional County Update News – August 13, 2026