State Scenic Highway 173 173
State Scenic Highway 173 is a scenic drive in California. Within California it covers roughly 24 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along State Scenic Highway 173 with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
State Scenic Highway 173 links Silverwood Lake to Lake Arrowhead through the San Bernardino Mountains in two disconnected paved sections. It runs from State Route 138 near Silverwood Lake to State Route 18 near Lake Arrowhead, separated by a stretch that remains unpaved; the northern section climbs from the Mojave-facing side of the range toward Lake Arrowhead, while the southern section resumes near Cedar Glen and parallels the Lake Arrowhead shoreline before reaching the resort community itself and its junction with Route 189. The mountain lake setting, with pine forest closing in around the road and glimpses of the lake through the trees, has earned the corridor a place on California's list of highways eligible for scenic-highway status. It has not received official designation, which would require San Bernardino County and the surrounding jurisdictions to adopt a corridor protection plan limiting development along the shoreline.
- Silverwood Lake to Lake Arrowhead
- unpaved gap between two paved sections
- Lake Arrowhead shoreline drive
- San Bernardino Mountains pine forest
- eligible for state scenic highway status
Plan a drive on State Scenic Highway 173 →
About this drive
This is a scenic drive — a road worth taking for the views and the journey itself rather than the quickest line between two points.
Where to Stay along State Scenic Highway 173
5 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of State Scenic Highway 173.
Campsite and lodging links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.