California State Route 88

State Route 88
SR 88 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Caltrans
Length	122 mi[1] (196 km)
Tourist routes	Carson Pass Highway
Major junctions
West end	SR 99 near Stockton
Major intersections	SR 12 from Lockeford to Clements SR 49 from Martell to Jackson SR 89 from Hope Valley to Woodfords
East end	SR 88 at state line near Minden, NV
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Counties	San Joaquin, Amador, Alpine
Highway system
State highways in California Interstate US State Scenic History Pre‑1964 Unconstructed Deleted Freeways
← 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]