State Scenic Highway 40 40
State Scenic Highway 40 is a scenic drive in California. Within California it covers roughly 290 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 40 with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
State Scenic Highway 40 runs alongside Interstate 40 across the Mojave Desert from Barstow to Needles in San Bernardino County. It's eligible for California's scenic highway program but has not been officially designated by Caltrans. The corridor closely parallels the historic National Old Trails Highway and old U.S. Route 66, which the Federal Highway Administration separately designated the California Historic Route 66 Needles to Barstow National Scenic Byway in 2021, a 178-mile route through desert towns like Goffs, Amboy, Ludlow, Newberry Springs, and Daggett. Traveling this stretch means crossing wide open desert basins and the Clipper Mountains, with the Colorado River and the Arizona line marking the route's eastern end near Needles.
- Barstow to Needles, Mojave Desert
- parallels historic Route 66
- overlaps the Route 66 National Scenic Byway (2021)
- desert towns: Amboy, Ludlow, Daggett
- eligible, not officially designated
Plan a drive on State Scenic Highway 40 →
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 40
No campgrounds are listed close to State Scenic Highway 40 yet, but there are rooms near the route.
Campsite, lodging, RV rental and membership 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.