Amazing Places To See Along Highway 395, Highly Recommended | California Road Trip | TRAVEL GUIDE

[Music] hello everyone i hope you're all doing fantastic in this video we are sharing our top favorite places along highway 395 that we highly recommend visiting when you are in the area highway 395 is probably one of the most interesting highways in the united states of america as it provides access to some of the amazing adventures you can find in california number one on our list is no other than alabama hills from the heart of lone pine along highway 395 go west and drive for 2.7 miles on whitney portal road then you will see this amazing place we camped and visited alabama hills a couple of times and we can only say good prices about this place this is a free recreation area located in lone pine just under the shadow of the majestic mount whitney throughout the century alabama hills have been featured in hundreds of movies including star trek and iron man when visiting here you will be amazed with surrounding mountains sweeping deserts and tons of different looking rocks everywhere these geologic features were shaped by the same uplifting occurring 100 million years ago there are tons of things he can do in alabama hills including dispersed camping hiking rock climbing photography stargazing at night visiting movie locations and exploring natural arches alabama hills is fun for the whole family and can be explored in an hour or weeks whatever you decide alabama hills can get really hot in summer days or really cold during winter but it's worth visiting whatever the weather when visiting during summer make sure you bring lots of water [Music] number two on our list is one's in our national historic site this place is located about 15 minutes north of lone pine and alabama hills it is very easy to spot this place as this is right along highway 395. the monster internment camp represents a dark spot in the u.s history in the central california area this place is one of the 10 incarceration centers operated during world war ii by the war relocation authority to detain japanese americans it opened as a temporary reception center in march of 1942 and closed its doors in november of 1945. ten thousand japanese americans both adults and children were forced to leave here during world war ii the lives of those who were sent to manzanor were altered forever and not because of their character but because of their ethnicity visiting here was quite emotional but very educational as well we get to learn a lot of things in our history that has not been discussed in most schools in the us it is a good thing that one scenario has been added as part of the national park system as it allows people like us to come and learn about this ugly chapter of our history may this painful chapter continuously remind us that during wars the civilians and those who are in the front lines are the ones that pay the highest price we highly recommend visiting this area if you are into historical places visiting here is completely free number three on the list is curly lake columns we visited this place a couple of years ago and the moment we laid our eyes on these columns we were smitten you would think that some engineers created these but nope these columns are spectacular products of a natural experiment in the physics of hydrothermal convection according to some researchers these columns were created by a cataclysmic explosion that happened more than seven hundred thousand years ago there are about five thousand columns exist within two to three square mile area east of crowley lake they appear in clusters and are diverse in size and shape some are small and not defined while others are 20 feet tall surprisingly not a lot of people know this place if you ever plan to visit this place we highly recommend driving a four-wheel drive as there were massive potholes in the road a few steep sections of sand and even some rocks jutting out of the road make sure to check weather conditions also as the water level can be very high during rainy season and might hinder your access to see the columns up close number four on our list is wild willis hot spring this place is one of the many hot springs in long valley caldera south of mammoth lakes which is home to one of california's highest concentrations of geothermal surface water wild willy's hot spring is beautiful but can get really crowded during the day but that is not surprising as this area is made up of two hot spring pools surrounded by a dramatic backdrop the eastern slope of the sharon nevada to the west and the glass mountain bridge to the east during our visit we went there at 5 am and at 6 am the place started to get busy already the water temperature ranges between 95 and 105 degrees varying slightly from day to day the larger pool is the main draw being deeper and able to hold a handful of people comfortably well the smaller pool is slightly warmer and shallower and pretty much maxed out with two soakers or maybe a family you can smell sulfur while soaking in the pools but it is still wearable the pools have a natural appearance around them although both have been reinforced with cement and slightly built up if you decide to visit here get there as early as you can as the parking is small and gets filled up easily when visiting please be respectful and help keep the area clean and stay in the boardwalk that helps to preserve the fragile desert plane ecosystem [Music] number five on our list is hot creek geological park located just less than five miles from wild willis hot spring you'll find this beautiful spot which is much like what you would see in yellowstone but in a much smaller scale this area is a result of the volcanic explosion that happened 700 thousand years ago the landscape here is always changing and evolving molten magma deep within the earth rises through cracks and vents creating this unique and wobbly hot greek according to forest service the steam you see along the hot greek drainage is created when water percolates deep into the ground and enters a complex underground plumbing system the water is then heated and pressurized before it rises to the earth's surface it is believed that this journey takes around 1 000 years which is really amazing the hot creek is open to visitors from sunrise to sunset year round crossing the fence perimeter and entering the water here is strictly prohibited because water temperatures can reach over 400 degrees fahrenheit swimming is illegal at this location due to the rapid fluctuation in water temperatures as changes of 200 degrees fahrenheit over mere seconds have been recorded within the stream there were over a dozen of people that have been severally burnt or killed in recent decades sheet crossing more barriers or entering the water especially at night that is why it's very important to read and follow warning signs this is a nice area to explore and it's completely free number six on our list is another amazing geological formation the devil's postponed national monument devil's postball which used to be a part of yosemite is a collection of massive wrecks that seemingly shut out of the earth's surface and it is one of the most unique natural wonders in california current studies suggests that the postpone was formed less than 100 000 years ago when a cooling lava flowed crack into multi-sided columns although we must go back million years ago to fully understand how everything was formed the postpass columns averaged two feet in diameter and the largest being 3.5 feet and mainly are up to six feet long together they look like a tall post stuck in a pile hence the feature's name if the lava had cooled off perfectly evenly all the columns would be expected to be hexagonal but some of the columns have different polygonal cross sections due to variations in cooling you can see the shapes of the top of the columns if you continue hiking to the top it's a short hike and it's totally worth it the top view of these columns is just as crazy as the bottom to get to the dallas post file you will need to ride a shuttle to get into the monument but if you arrive before 7 am you are allowed to drive up all the way to the trailhead if you are driving along highway 395 or visiting mammoth lakes this should be on your list there are not many other places in the world where formations like this exist number seven in our list is rainbow falls this fall is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in california you can access this fall by continuing the trail from the devil's post pile or take the easy 1.7 mile round trip trail from the rainbow falls trailhead at the end of the radsmeta road we recently visited this fall and we fall in love with it rainbow falls is the highest waterfall on the metal fork of the san wiking river in the eastern chiron nevada mountains of california plunging 101 feet at the turbulent water below the falls are named for the rainwood that appears in their mist and sunny summer days although we didn't see the rainbow during our visit to seeing the falls make the whole hike worth it the trail going to the falls is heavily trafficked as it is an extremely popular trail that enters the journey wild wilderness if you visit here make sure you bring enough water as the weather can change from cool to hot quickly the trailhead for this fall is usually just accessible via shuttle service just like the devil's post pile but if you arrive at the gate before 7 am you are allowed to drive your own vehicle up to the trail head but you must be 10 on your way out number eight on the list is mono lake tufa state national reserve to be honest there are a few places in california that can make you think you might just be on mars and mono lake is definitely one of them mono lake is a majestic body of water covering about 65 square miles with its extreme high salinity and alkalinity it has created a rare ecosystem for some organisms estimated to be more than a million years old moana is one of the oldest lakes in north america what makes this ancient lake extra amazing are the ghost-like towering too far surrounding the edges of the lake these formations are beautiful and they are also important habitat from nesting sites for wild birds to underwater habitat for alkali flies though tufa towers are rock formations they are fragile if you ever decide to visit here help preserve and protect these unusual formations by not stepping or climbing on it number nine on the list is body ghost town the ghost town of bodhi is one of california's most historic and well-preserved ghost towns in the 1800s bodhi was a bustling town with more than 10 000 residents and produced more than 35 million in gold and silver today what's left in this town are about 200 abandoned wooden decaying buildings that visitors can explore and get photographs with visitors can peek in the windows of the buildings including a church schoolhouse barbershop and saloon where relics remain visiting bodhi ghost town is like being transported back in time seeing the real life setting of the california gold rush dated way back in the 1800s you can get there by exiting highway 270 from highway 395 which will lead you to the long winding road to beauty the road continues to climb for 15 minutes before it becomes a two-lane dirt road for the remaining three miles if you are looking for places to explore along 395 we highly recommend visiting this place number 10 on the list is the red rock canyon state park this place features scenic desert cliffs buttes and spectacular rock formations the colorful badlands cliffs and canyons of this state park provide more than just a pretty scenery and a backyard for movies for almost a century paleontologists have been combing through these layers and making important discoveries about the history of mammalian life in these parts when driving along 395 you can stop here for photos or spend days to explore the area and those are our top favorite places along highway 395 that we highly recommend visiting when you are in the area if you have any suggestions or recommendations of the places that we should visit within california or the usa feel free to leave a comment down below and maybe we can check those places out for you thank you again for watching our video we truly appreciate you all please do not forget to like this video subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell so you get notified when we have a new video thank you again until next time take care and god bless [Music] you

Channel: The World Cruisers

Views: 116,832

Keywords: highway 395, road trip, mammoth lakes california, Alabama Hills, lone pine california, manzanar internment camp, Crowley Lake Columns, wild willys hot springs, hot creek geological site, devils postpile national monument, Rainbow Falls, Bodie Ghost Town, Mono Lake, Mono Lake South Tufa, Red Rock Canyon State Park, California Road Trip, Top things to do along Highway 395, Must visit places in Highway 395, hwy 395, highway 395 california, mammoth lakes, highway 395 road trip

Id: cnzc9HCD__o

Length: 13min 2sec (782 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 17 2021