State Route 266 (SR 266) is a state highway in the U.S. state of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The route traverses

Fish Lake Valley The Fish Lake Valley is a longNevada, DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, c 2010, p. 58-59. endorheic valley in southwest Nevada, one of many contiguous inward-draining basins collectively called the Great Basin. The alluvial valley lies just northwes ...

, which is part in California and part in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. The route connects two Nevada state routes that traverse the Nevada portion of the valley, SR 264 and SR 266. The only connection from SR 266 to the rest of California's road network is via SR 168 in the community of

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment auto trail The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on utility poles, the trails were intended to help travellers in t ...

era, forming part of the

Midland Trail The Midland Trail, also called the Roosevelt Midland Trail, was a national auto trail spanning the United States from Washington, D.C., west to Los Angeles, California and San Francisco, California ('' though the Lincoln Highway guide published ...

Route description

SR 266 begins at the western terminus of SR 266 at the Nevada state line. The route travels west-northwest, then turns to the west for another before approaching

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentSR 168, which serves as the gateway into the

Owens Valley Owens Valley (Mono language (California), Mono: ''Payahǖǖnadǖ'', meaning "place of flowing water") is an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States. It is located to the east of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra ...

from Nevada. Upon leaving Oasis, SR 266 continues to the west briefly, then turns north-northwest. Within the last , SR 266 slowly curves northwest as the route approaches the Nevada state line. The route ends at the state line at the southern terminus of SR 264. As the route has more connections to Nevada than the rest of California, the

California Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an Executive (government), executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the Government of California#State agencies, cabinet-level California State Tran ...

(Caltrans) and the

Nevada Department of Transportation The Nevada Department of Transportation (Nevada DOT or NDOT) is a government agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. NDOT is responsible for maintaining and improving Nevada's highway system, which includes U.S. highways and Interstate highways with ...

(NDOT) have entered into a joint agreement on snow removal and other short term maintenance duties for the route. The section of SR 266 from the western terminus to the junction with SR 168 is designated by the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

as eligible by law for the State Scenic Highway System; but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by Caltrans. The entire route, consisting of two lanes for two-way traffic, traverses on the flat land in the

east of the White Mountains, and it can serve as transportation of agricultural goods between California and Nevada via the route's only junction (SR 168). In the event that SR 168 is closed, SR 266 connects to SR 264, which intersects with U.S. Route 6 (US 6) in order to provide an alternate access to California.

History

The southern half of modern SR 266 (from Oasis to SR 266 near

Lida, Nevada Lida, Nevada is a small ghost town in Esmeralda County, Nevada, near the border with California. The GNIS classifies it as a populated place. It is located on State Route 266, north of Magruder Mountain. The first white settlers at Lida arrive ...

) predates the era of numbered highways and formed part of the

, one of the first

auto trail The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on utility poles, the trails were intended to help travellers in t ...

s crossing the entire country. Construction for a road from Oasis to the Nevada state line to be added to the State Highway System was authorized in 1931. This road was initially designated Legislative Route 63 and later signed as SR 168. In 1965, Route 266 was designated incorporating what is the northern half of modern SR 266 connecting with modern SR 264, using the alignment of an existing

Mono County Mono County ( ) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 13,195, making it the fourth-least populous county in California. The county seat is Bridg ...

road. In 1986, the definition of SR 266 was extended to its modern form, with both termini at the Nevada state line, absorbing what was previously a portion of SR 168. With this change Nevada and California routes 266 connected at the state line.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{CASR external links, SR, 266
California @ AARoads.com - State Route 266

266 __NOTOC__ Year 266 ( CCLXVI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gallienus and Sabinillus (or, less frequently, year 1019 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination ...

State Route 266

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links