highway ca 198, california

I grew up in the area and my mom would take us kids out to see everything out there spring is the best time to go everything is so Beautiful at that time of year.

My GPS took me through here as I went from Monterey to Tulare at night and boy was it a white knuckle ride. My journey through this mountain range took about an hour and a half it was full of sharp twists and turns, ups and downs, cliffs and rock slide warnings. It started as a spectacular scenic route from the town of Salinas and gradually turned into a roller-coaster ride I wished would end as my wife and aunt nearly soiled their pants in the car with me. I recommend a solid vehicle if you're going to attempt this drive and go during the day time. Don't count on it as a fast short cut get from the coast to central Cali.

I have traveled 198 for 50 years hauling hay,cattle, and grain. The best time is in the spring because of all the wild flowers and the creeks are running. You cross Hwy 25 at the famous Mee Ranch one of Californias historic old ranches. You drive through Priest Valley which has a history dating back to the Mission Days. Its windy, but if you have time to kill and need to get to 101 or I-5 this in a very scenic highway.

Plan on spending all day there. It is larger than it looks. Great effort in preserving heritage! It is volunteer manned so they may be at lunch at noon.

The drive from Fresno to King City along Hy 198 is one of those unrecognized gems of a drive that abound throughout California. It is a drive to be taen in the spring when wild flowers and just planted fields are at their best.

Alone in your car, the blue sky above you and the road that unrolls on the hills of grass burnt by the sun, in the silence and peace of the fields far from centers. And then suddenly the green trees, the white rocks. And then again the golden grass. That sense of cosmic merger with nature, which I believe is the true spirit of the United States, I have discovered along this road far from the main tourist tours.

I had just visited the Sequoia National Park and had one entire day to return to Los Angeles. Therefore I looked for alternative roads and on the map I spotted a thin line cutting across California from Visalia (a little South of Fresno) and San Lucas where it merged into the National Highway 101. For the first 10 km after Visalia it seemed just another road like many others crossing the deserts of North California but then it suddenly changed and road become one of the most fascinating I have ever seen.How to describe it? In general, based on my experience, in the USA scenic roads are only those which run on the edge of mountains, with large openings of the view on sharpcuts edges. 198 is nothing like this. It is a wonderful unpretentious road which unrolls through hills of ever changing geology, vegetation and human landscape. It starts from oil fields with old rusty pumps which pump slowly without bothering the cows and the life of the farms in which they are located, then it moves across gentle hills divided in huge parcels of land used for cattling. By the way: look for the gates of the farms which are shaped in forms and colors reminding us about the origins and the early history of the local settlements. Then the roads crosses a valley passing from mild vegetation to almost desert and than again to mild vegetation and finally after a long stretch across woods, it reaches 101 in San Lucas. The most charming aspect of 198 is in the fact that local businessmen seem to have not understood how beautiful the place is, and therefore they do not show any inclination to please touristic needs. For instance, the only place where we could have lunch was the small "priest valley tavern". A family run business where we where the only customers, had to adapt to the little which was available (the best hamburger ever) and to share the place with the family (as a further indication: in the toilet (outside) we found a spray against scorpions...)In other words: 198 is an unique route which gives you the most precious scenery: the feeling of a different time and of a different way of life. In my opinion it is a must for everyone who loves the USA as much as I do and wants to capture a different scent of this magnificent country.

Rientrando da Carmel verso Santa Monica ci avevano detto di prendere la seconda congiunzione per la I5 ma noi non li abbiamo ascoltati e abbiamo preso la prima e ci siamo trovati sulla H198, 90km in mezzo al nulla più totale, ma forse, proprio per questo un'esperienza unicaTra colline che raggiungono anche gli 850mt di altezza si snoda questa strada a due corsie, una sriscia nera di asfalto che scorre tra colline per chilomentri e chilometri, nessun distributore di benzina, solo vecchi ranch alcuni appartenenti ai tempi delle missioniUna strada unica nel suo genere che termina con la cittadina di CoalingaEsperienza diversa dal solito