Avoid the Checkpoints

Entering California from any major highway you are likely to encounter an Agricultural Checkpoint. California uses these checkpoints to keep out agricultural pests. And in the warp land of California - ferrets are classified as an agricultural pest. If you go through these checkpoints, which have been mostly closed these past couple of years because of budgets woes, keep your ferret out of sight. But if you wish to completely avoid the checkpoints, use these maps to get off the major freeways and bypass them.

July 23, 2006 - these maps are starting to show their age. I've had a few comments that they aren't accurate. I've posted one below.

• I-10 from Blythe
• I-15 from Las Vegas
• I-5 from Oregon
• I-40 from Needles
• I-80 from Reno
• I-8 from Yuma

just wanted to let you know that there's a bit of information that's incorrect on one of the maps (I-80 from reno, nv). As depicted in this map the exit from the fwy is #185, and the one to get back onto the fwy is #184. We recently took this route and #194 is approximately 5 miles prior

Update - April 23, 2008

On the website where you have the "avoid the checkpoint" info, we ran into a huge problem a few months back when we went up to Reno to get a new baby to keep our first fuzzy company.  There is a new, large agriculture checkpoint on I-80 coming in from Reno.  There doesn't appear to be any easy way around the new checkpoint so we improvised.  It added some extra time to the drive, but it was worth it.  I am pretty familiar with Truckee, I used to always take the route you have listed, even when I didn't have "contraband" in the car just bc it was easier than going through the checkpoint.  We tested the NEW checkpoint once before we picked up the baby, and they did not even stop us, just waved us through - but we figured they probably check ever "10th" car for example, so we didn't want to chance it.  The checkpoint at Truckee is no longer being used.  I didn't think to write down the exact details on the checkpoint - mainly bc it really caught us off guard, but I think I can at least give a summary of what we did (used google maps for the distances) if you'd like to update the site.  Or at least put up a warning.

1.  Take 395 S out of Reno
3. Take exit 56 to merge onto Mt Rose Hwy/NV-431 toward No. Lake Tahoe/Mt. Rose - 24.2 mi
4. Turn right at NV-28/Tahoe Blvd  Continue to follow NV-28 Entering California - 2.8 mi
5. Continue on CA-28 - 1.7 mi
6. Turn right at North Shore Blvd - 10.3 mi
7. Turn left at Brockway Rd - 0.3 mi
8. At the traffic circle, take the 1st exit and stay on Brockway Rd - 1.3 mi
9. Turn left at Donner Pass Rd. 0.5 mi
10. Follow Donner Pass Rd. until you can get back on 80

Hopefully that helps.