Route 152--Pacheco Pass Road 152

Pacheco Pass Road, California Route 152, is a State Scenic Highway crossing the Diablo Range between Gilroy and Merced County on a route with roots in 19th-century overland mail. The Butterfield Overland Mail ran stagecoaches through the pass from 1858 to 1861, and from 1857 to 1878 a private toll road carried traffic over the summit before Merced and Santa Clara counties jointly bought it and converted it to a free public highway. The road joined California's state highway system in 1915, and the state finished a third, straighter alignment through the pass in 1923, though it still carried numerous curves and steep grades; a further realignment in 1934 widened about three miles east of the summit. Today's officially designated scenic segment runs from the Merced-Santa Clara county line to Interstate 5, passing through open agricultural land and alongside San Luis Reservoir State Recreational Area, a large reservoir that breaks up the drive's otherwise dry, rolling hill scenery. Local lore has also attached a haunted reputation to the pass over the years, adding some folklore to a route that has carried travelers over this stretch of the Diablo Range for more than 160 years.

• State Route 152
• Gilroy to Merced County
• Butterfield Overland Mail (1858-61)
• toll road 1857-1878
• State Scenic Highway (Merced-Santa Clara line to I-5)
• San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area
• Diablo Range