The U.S. State of California is home to many mountain ranges. As such, it has many mountain roads. While Bolivia’s “death road” is arguably the scariest mountain road in the world, California has its fair share of scary mountain roads.
Whether you are a thrill seeker planning your next expedition or simply want to navigate the roads safely, knowing the scariest mountain roads in California will benefit you.
In this post, we’ll reveal California’s scariest and most dangerous mountain roads. Read on to find out where you can get the thrills or showcase your driving dexterity.
Here are the top 7 scariest mountain roads in California:
1. Interstate 80 (I-80)
I-80 is a transcontinental freeway that crosses the U.S. It starts in California in the west and goes to New Jersey in the east.
In California, I-80 starts from San Francisco and runs northeast through the Sacramento Valley and the Sierra Nevada before entering the state of Nevada.
One of California’s scariest stretches of I-80 is the part around the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The elevation ranges from 300 – 3,000 ft.
Mountain roads are usually curvy, and this part of the I-80 is no exception. The winding I-80 road in the Sierras poses problems for motorists. The problems are more frequent in the winter because the roads are also wet and icy.
In winter, the fog around the Sierra also limits visibility, making the road even more dangerous.
2. Interstate 15 (I-15)
I-15 is an interstate highway that starts in San Diego County (near the Mexican border). It runs north, passing the states of Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and Montana to the US-Canada border.
In California, I-15 runs through the Southern parts, connecting San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties.
The I-15 has a reputation as one of the most dangerous roads in California. The deadliest parts of the highway are the parts along the Cajun Pass leading to Hesperia. The road is steep and winds around the mountain.
Also, the area around the Cajun Pass is usually foggy, reducing visibility. All these combine to cause lots of accidents on the I-15.
However, it is not only the mountain stretches of the I-15 that are scary and dangerous. Some dangerous parts of the I-15 in California are wide, flat, straight, and in areas with good visibility.
An example is the stretch of the road from Baker to Victorville. Because the road is wide and straight, drivers often raise their speed leading to costly accidents.
3. Interstate 5 (I-5)
Interstate 5 (I 5) is a major route of the U.S. interstate highway system. The road starts at the Mexican border (at San Ysidro), crosses the U.S., and ends at the Canadian border near Blaine.
I-5 transverse the length of California. It goes through San Diego, Los Angeles, and Sacramento and enters Oregon at Yreka. I-5 sees it all as it passes through rural areas, highly populated areas, and mountainous terrains.
The mountain passes of I-5 are scary as the road winds along the side of the large rocks. An example is a section along the Tejon Pass.
However, some of the most dangerous parts of I-5 are the parts that go through populated areas. These include:
- A 5-mile part in Sacramento that crosses I-80 and the American River
- A 5-mile part in Orange County that runs from Lincoln Avenue in Anaheim to Beach Boulevard in Buena Park
- A 5-mile part in San Diego that runs through Chula Vista
The traffic density in these parts of I-5 is the reason for most of the accidents recorded. Another reason is the truck traffic. I-5 is a favorite route for trucks crisscrossing the state to transport their cargo.
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4. US Route 199
US Route 199 is also called Redwood highway. The 80 miles road runs from northern California to Southern Oregon, and it is one of the original U.S. routes constructed in 1926.
The California part of US 199 is mostly the Smith River Scenic Byway, a famous tourist road. The road courses through a coastal forest featuring towering old-growth redwoods (with some as tall as a 35-story skyscraper).
The Redwood highway is narrow and twisting as it goes through the redwood forest, making it difficult for motorists to navigate. The sheer beauty of the scenic byway may also contribute to making this stretch of the US 199 dangerous. Seeing the spectacular setting up close is awe-inspiring but also distracting.
Many accidents on this part of US 199 come from vehicles veering off the road and hitting the trees.
5. California State Route 1 (SR 1)
State Route 1 is a state highway along most of the Pacific coastline of California. The road starts from the north at US route 101 in Mendocino County. It runs to the south, terminating at Interstate 5 (I-5), near Dana Point, Orange County.
SR 1 is 656 miles long, making it the longest state route in California. In the whole U.S., it is the second-longest state route.
However, SR 1 is not one of the scariest roads in California because of its length. It is a scary road because it narrows and twists as it hugs the cliffs along the Pacific coast.
Some of the scariest parts of SR-1 include the Mugu Rock region, Big Sur segments, and the Marin Hills area.
After leaving Los Angeles, SR-1 continues to the Point Mugu State Park area. At this point, the road narrows from the four-lane freeway that it was in Los Angeles to a two-lane road that blasts through the Mugu Rock, with large rock formations on either side of it.
The SR-1 gets scarier as it moves from the Central coast to the Big Sur region. The narrow winding road hugs the cliffs of the Big Sur and connects different mountainous areas using bridges.
The SR-1 is dangerous on the Marin County coast as it returns to a winding narrow two-lane road.
6. California State Route 138 (SR 138)
State Route 138 is a state highway along the San Gabriel Mountains’ foothills and the Mojave Desert’s west part. The road starts in the west of California, coming off Interstate 5 in Gorman. It runs east of California, terminating at State Route 18 in Sierra Pelora Mountains.
SR 138 traverses a lot of mountainous terrains, making it very twisty. The road is also predominantly two-lane. “Twisting” and “narrow” is the recipe to make any road dangerous and scary.
The section between the Cajun Pass and the summit is a scary and dangerous part of the road. The road now features dividers between opposing lanes of traffic. However, it still twists along the foot of the cliffs and features narrow shoulders.
State Route 138 is officially called Pearblossom Highway. However, because of the high number of accidents on the road, it is dubbed “blood alley.”
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7. California State Route 49 (SR 49)
SR 49 is a state highway coursing through traditional gold mine communities from the north to the south of California. The road starts at Oakhurst and moves northwards, connecting many counties until it terminates at State Route 70 in Vinton.
SR 49 has a lot of scary and dangerous spots as it weaves back and forth through the 1849 California Gold Rush communities. A particularly dangerous bend on the road is one 15-mile stretch around Merced County.
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Conclusion
California is home to some of the scariest and most dangerous mountain roads in the U.S. They include interstate highways that cross the golden state (like I-80, I-15, and I-5) and State routes (like SR 1, SR 138, and SR 49).
These scary roads feature narrow passes, twisting lanes, bends, etc., making navigating difficult. Knowing the scary roads and what makes them dangerous will help you navigate them better.
Even if you take the scary California mountain roads as part of a long road trip, you can minimize damage to your car.
