State Scenic Highway 78 78
State Scenic Highway 78 is a State Scenic Byway in California. Within California it covers roughly 55 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 78 with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
State Scenic Highway 78 descends Banner Grade from Julian into Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, officially scenic for its entire length inside the park. The grade itself, built around 1870 as the private Banner Toll Road and purchased by San Diego County in 1874, drops roughly 2,000 feet over about four miles of steep, twisting pavement before crossing the Pacific Crest Trail 12 miles east of Julian. In under two miles, the climate shifts from pine forest to true desert, one of the more abrupt ecological transitions found on any paved California road. Inside the park, the highway passes badlands, wind-carved rock formations, and, in a wet late winter, dramatic wildflower and cactus blooms across the desert floor. Julian itself, a former gold-mining town now known for apple orchards and pie shops, makes a fitting starting point before the road drops into one of the largest state parks in the contiguous United States.
- Julian to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
- Banner Grade (built 1870)
- officially designated state scenic highway
- Pacific Crest Trail crossing
- pine-to-desert transition
- wildflower blooms
Plan a drive on State Scenic Highway 78 →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.
Where to Stay along State Scenic Highway 78
1 campground or RV park sits within about 5 miles of State Scenic Highway 78.
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