California State Route 88

State Route 88 marker
State Route 88
SR 88 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Caltrans
Length122 mi[1] (196 km)
Tourist
routes
Carson Pass Highway
Major junctions
West end SR 99 near Stockton
Major intersections
East end SR 88 at state line near Minden, NV
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountiesSan Joaquin, Amador, Alpine
Highway system
SR 87 SR 89

State Route 88 (SR 88), also known as the Carson Pass Highway,[2][3] is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It travels in an east–west direction from Stockton, in the San Joaquin Valley, to the Nevada state line, where it becomes Nevada State Route 88, eventually terminating at U.S. Route 395 (US 395). The highway is so named as it crests the Sierra Nevada at Carson Pass. The highway corridor predates the era of the automobile; the path over Carson pass was previously used for the California Trail and the Mormon Emigrant Trail. The mountainous portion of the route is included in the State Scenic Highway System.

SR 88 is one of the few trans-Sierra state routes that Caltrans attempts to keep open year-round. Caltrans has winter closures in effect for all Sierra Nevada highway passes between Carson Pass and Walker Pass (SR 178),[4] a span of over 200 miles (320 km). SR 88 follows a ridge to ascend most of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada.[5] The highway is occasionally used as a detour when U.S. Route 50, which follows the South Fork American River to ascend the Sierra Nevada, is flooded or otherwise closed.[6][7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference bridgelog was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Federal Highway Administration (n.d.). "Carson Pass Highway (Route 88)". America's Byways. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  3. ^ "Carson Pass Highway (Route 88)". America's Scenic Byways. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  4. ^ "Winter Driving Tips". Caltrans. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  5. ^ DeLorme (2011). California Atlas and Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. pp. 65–67, 73. ISBN 978-0899333830.
  6. ^ "Highway 50 closure: How to get to Tahoe, when will road reopen?". San Jose Mercury News. August 21, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  7. ^ "Update: Highway 50 open in both directions, Caltrans says". Tahoe Daily Tribune. March 4, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023.