California State Route 127
Encyclopedia
State Route 127 is a California
state highway
that connects Interstate 15 to Nevada State Route 373
, passing through Death Valley National Park
.
The entire length of the highway closely follows the central portion of the former Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
and loosely follows the Amargosa River
.
and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System
. However, it has not been designated by Caltrans as a scenic highway.
The highway begins at I-15 in the community of Baker
, the last town travelers from the Greater Los Angeles area
or the Las Vegas metropolitan area
see before making their trek across Death Valley. SR 127 travels through the town of Baker as Death Valley Road before turning slightly northwest and traveling along the edge of Silver Lake, a dry lake. The road parallels Salt Creek
and Silurian Lake as it crosses the Valjean Valley. SR 127 soon runs along the southeastern edge of Death Valley National Park
and cuts through the mountains
as it is entering Inyo County
.
After passing by the turnoff for Tecopa Hot Springs, SR 127 runs concurrently
with SR 178 through the community of Shoshone
. SR 127 continues along the eastern edge of Death Valley National Park, passing by Eagle Mountain
and the Amargosa River before intersecting SR 190 at Death Valley Junction
. The road ends at the California-Nevada border, where Nevada State Route 373
begins. It is the "Lost Highway" featured in David Lynch's
film Lost Highway.
{| class=wikitable
|-
!County
!Location
!Postmile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=3|San Bernardino
SBD L0.00-41.47
|rowspan=3|Baker
|L0.00
|Kelbaker Road
|Continuation beyond I-15
|-
|L0.00
| – Las Vegas
, Barstow
|Interchange
|-
|0.00
|Baker Boulevard (I-15 Bus.) – Las Vegas
, Barstow
|Former US 91 / US 466
|-
|rowspan=5|Inyo
INY 0.00-49.42
|
|6.51
|Old Spanish Trail Highway – Tecopa
, Hot Springs
|
|-
|Shoshone
| style="background:#dfd;"|14.75
| style="background:#dfd;"| – Pahrump
, Las Vegas
| style="background:#dfd;"|South end of SR 178 overlap
|-
|
| style="background:#dfd;"|16.25
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|North end of SR 178 overlap
|-
|Death Valley Junction
|42.15
|
|
|-
|
|49.42
|
|Continuation beyond the Nevada
state line
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
state highway
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
that connects Interstate 15 to Nevada State Route 373
Nevada State Route 373
State Route 373 is a state highway in Nye County, Nevada, USA. It is a highway connecting California State Route 127 to U.S. Route 95, providing southern Nye County access to the eastern areas of Death Valley National Park.-Route description:...
, passing through Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a national park in the U.S. states of California and Nevada located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. The park protects the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and contains a diverse desert environment of salt-flats, sand dunes,...
.
The entire length of the highway closely follows the central portion of the former Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, the T&T, was a class II railroad extending through remote reaches of the Mojave Desert from the Santa Fe Railway railhead at Ludlow, California, through Death Valley and Amargosa Valley, terminating at the Mining towns of Tonopah and Goldfield in the Great Basin...
and loosely follows the Amargosa River
Amargosa River
The Amargosa River is an intermittent waterway, long, in southern Nevada and eastern California in the United States. It drains a high desert region, the Amargosa Valley in the Amargosa Desert northwest of Las Vegas, into the Mojave Desert, and finally into Death Valley where it disappears into...
.
Route description
SR 127 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway SystemCalifornia Freeway and Expressway System
The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It is defined by the Streets and Highways Code.-List of roads in the system:*State Route 1 *State Route 2...
and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System
State Scenic Highway System (California)
The State Scenic Highway System is a list of highways, mainly state highways, that have been designated by the California Department of Transportation as scenic highways. The California State Legislature, primarily through Section 263 of the Streets and Highways Code, makes highways eligible for...
. However, it has not been designated by Caltrans as a scenic highway.
The highway begins at I-15 in the community of Baker
Baker, California
Baker is a census-designated place located in San Bernardino County, California, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 735.Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908,...
, the last town travelers from the Greater Los Angeles area
Greater Los Angeles Area
The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
or the Las Vegas metropolitan area
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
see before making their trek across Death Valley. SR 127 travels through the town of Baker as Death Valley Road before turning slightly northwest and traveling along the edge of Silver Lake, a dry lake. The road parallels Salt Creek
Salt Creek
Salt Creek may refer to:Streams*Salt Creek , California*Salt Creek , California*Salt Creek , Illinois*Salt Creek , Illinois...
and Silurian Lake as it crosses the Valjean Valley. SR 127 soon runs along the southeastern edge of Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a national park in the U.S. states of California and Nevada located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. The park protects the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and contains a diverse desert environment of salt-flats, sand dunes,...
and cuts through the mountains
Ibex Pass
Ibex Pass [el. ] is a mountain pass in the Sperry Hills of Central-Southern California in the United States.The pass is at the summit in a range of desert hills between the Baker area and the Shoshone area and is located on the border of Inyo County and San Bernardino County...
as it is entering Inyo County
Inyo County, California
-National protected areas:* Death Valley National Park * Inyo National Forest * Manzanar National Historic Site-Major highways:* U.S. Route 6* U.S. Route 395* State Route 127* State Route 136* State Route 168* State Route 178...
.
After passing by the turnoff for Tecopa Hot Springs, SR 127 runs concurrently
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with SR 178 through the community of Shoshone
Shoshone, California
Shoshone is a census-designated place in Inyo County, California, United States. Shoshone is located on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad east of Epaulet Peak, at an elevation of 1585 feet . The population was 31 at the 2010 census, down from 52 at the 2000 census.The town was founded in 1910...
. SR 127 continues along the eastern edge of Death Valley National Park, passing by Eagle Mountain
Eagle Mountain
-Summits:Canada*Eagle Mountain, British Columbia near CoquitlamUnited Kingdom*Eagle Mountain, a peak in the Mourne Mountains, Northern IrelandUnited States*Eagle Mountain *Eagle Mountain...
and the Amargosa River before intersecting SR 190 at Death Valley Junction
Death Valley Junction, California
Death Valley Junction is a tiny Mojave Desert community in unincorporated Inyo County, California, at the intersection of SR 190 and SR 127, just east of Death Valley National Park. The zip code is 92328, the elevation is , and the population fewer than 20. The city limits sign reports a...
. The road ends at the California-Nevada border, where Nevada State Route 373
Nevada State Route 373
State Route 373 is a state highway in Nye County, Nevada, USA. It is a highway connecting California State Route 127 to U.S. Route 95, providing southern Nye County access to the eastern areas of Death Valley National Park.-Route description:...
begins. It is the "Lost Highway" featured in David Lynch's
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
film Lost Highway.
Major intersections
- Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
{| class=wikitable
|-
!County
!Location
!Postmile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=3|San Bernardino
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
SBD L0.00-41.47
|rowspan=3|Baker
Baker, California
Baker is a census-designated place located in San Bernardino County, California, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 735.Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908,...
|L0.00
|Kelbaker Road
|Continuation beyond I-15
|-
|L0.00
| – Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Barstow
Barstow, California
Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....
|Interchange
|-
|0.00
|Baker Boulevard (I-15 Bus.) – Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Barstow
Barstow, California
Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....
|Former US 91 / US 466
|-
|rowspan=5|Inyo
Inyo County, California
-National protected areas:* Death Valley National Park * Inyo National Forest * Manzanar National Historic Site-Major highways:* U.S. Route 6* U.S. Route 395* State Route 127* State Route 136* State Route 168* State Route 178...
INY 0.00-49.42
|
|6.51
|Old Spanish Trail Highway – Tecopa
Tecopa, California
Tecopa is a census-designated place in the Mojave Desert, in Inyo County, California, United States. Tecopa is located south-southeast of Shoshone, at an elevation of . The population was 150 at the 2010 census, up from 99 at the 2000 census.One of Tecopa's popular features is its natural hot...
, Hot Springs
|
|-
|Shoshone
Shoshone, California
Shoshone is a census-designated place in Inyo County, California, United States. Shoshone is located on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad east of Epaulet Peak, at an elevation of 1585 feet . The population was 31 at the 2010 census, down from 52 at the 2000 census.The town was founded in 1910...
| style="background:#dfd;"|14.75
| style="background:#dfd;"| – Pahrump
Pahrump, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 24,631 people, 10,153 households, and 7,127 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 82.7 people per square mile . There were 11,651 housing units at an average density of 39.1 per square mile...
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
| style="background:#dfd;"|South end of SR 178 overlap
|-
|
| style="background:#dfd;"|16.25
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|North end of SR 178 overlap
|-
|Death Valley Junction
Death Valley Junction, California
Death Valley Junction is a tiny Mojave Desert community in unincorporated Inyo County, California, at the intersection of SR 190 and SR 127, just east of Death Valley National Park. The zip code is 92328, the elevation is , and the population fewer than 20. The city limits sign reports a...
|42.15
|
|
|-
|
|49.42
|
|Continuation beyond the Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
state line