Tour 178 | 178 Corridor California Attractions | Carriage Inn, Ridgecrest, California

Find your adventure while exploring the 178 Corridor

Explore the 178 Corridor, a 95-mile corridor offering world class points of interest and attractions from the archaeological, astronomical, historical, geological ecological, biological, and geographical perspectives. Take a day, two or a week to see the most interesting place on the planet! ©

Whether you want to brave the rapids, try your hand at climbing, cycling, or fishing or are intent on pursuits of nature, culture, history, or geology, the best experiences in the world are to be found within reach of the corridor.

For detailed information, driving tours, and special articles, see the Highway 178 Website at www.tour178.com or www.visitdeserts.com
or www.ridgecrestchamber.com.

178 Corridor Highlights include:

World Class White Water Rafting (Class V's)
Wild & Scenic Kern North Fork
Greatest Number of Planet's Largest Trees
Giant Sequoia National Monument
Highest Plant Diversity (2000+ species)
Southern Sierra Nevada
Tallest Mountain in lower 48 states
(14,494 feet) - Mt. Whitney
Lowest elevation in western hemisphere
Badwater, Death Valley

Hottest temperature ever recorded
(134° in 1913) Furnace Creek, Death Valley
Longest Trail - (2,625 miles, Mexico to Canada) Pacific Crest Trail
Greatest Elevation Change
Badwater-Telescope Peak (Death Valley)
Greatest Variety of Sport Fishing in California - Kern River & Lake Isabella
World's Most Beautiful Fish
Golden Trout, Wild & Scenic Kern South Fork
World Class Rock Climbing
Among Earth's Best Kern River Canyon
Most Dry Lakes
Owens, Searles, China, Panamint, & Lake Manly
Biggest Beach (just kidding)
Largest Freshwater Lake in Southern California - Lake Isabella

Largest Cottonwood & Willow Riparian Forest In California - South Fork Valley Forest
Best Joshua Tree Forest
Walker Pass Area
World's Largest Red Willow Tree
Audubon's Kern River Preserve
Oldest Store in California
Onyx General Store (1851)
World Class Birding
Globally Important Bird Area - Kern River Valley
Over 330 bird species and counting
Kern River Valley
Greatest Number Nesting Bird Species (200) Kern River Valley

Best windsurfing - Lake Isabella
World Class Butterfly Spot
Kern River Valley
Steepest Highway
Wofford Heights to Greenhorn Summit
via CA Hwy. 155 (3500' in 8 mi.!)
Steepest Road Grade
Town Pass (ele 5,000') 3,625' @ ave 8% grade
Earth's Oldest Living Plant
Walker Pass Creosote Rings Off Hwy. 178 at Hwy 14

5 Top Birding Spots in the U.S. - All Accessed from 178 Corridor
Highest Mammal Diversity (115 species) in U.S./Canada - Southern Sierra Nevada
U.S. Naval Museum of Armament and Technology at China Lake
4th Largest Burro Adoption Facility in the U. S - BLM Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Facility - Ridgecrest
Largest Public Gem and Mineral Collection - Trona Gem-O-Rama
Lowest Golf Course in World-Death Valley
Greatest Concentration Of Petroglyphs (14,000) -China Lake's Coso Range
Sunniest Spot In the U.S. - Inyokern

Only Place where Five Major Bio-Regions meet and mix - Kern River watershed:

Sierran Forest
California Chapparal
Mojave Desert

Great Basin
Central Valley Grasslands

The Carriage Inn also recommends the following tours:

Tour 178™
Palace to the Pinnacles™
Highway 178 Bioregions Highway
Kern Tour

Economic History Tour
Tour of the Extremes™
Valley Wild Tour