State Route 88 (SR 88), also known as the Carson Pass Highway, is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It travels in an east–west direction from Stockton, in the San Joaquin Valley, to the Nevada state line, where it becomes Nevada State Route 88, eventually terminating at U.S. Route 395 (US 395). The highway is so named as it crests the Sierra Nevada at Carson Pass. The highway corridor predates the era of the automobile; the path over Carson pass was previously used for the California Trail and the Mormon Emigrant Trail. The mountainous portion of the route is included in the State Scenic Highway System. SR 88 is one of the few trans-Sierra state routes that Caltrans attempts to keep open year-round. Caltrans has winter closures in effect for all Sierra Nevada highway passes between Carson Pass and Walker Pass (SR 178), a span of over . SR 88 follows a ridge to ascend most of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. The highway is occasionally used as a detour when U.S. Route 50, which follows the South Fork American River to ascend the Sierra Nevada, is flooded or otherwise closed. Route description SR 88 begins just outside Stockton as Waterloo Road, heading northeast towards Waterloo and Lockeford. After leaving the city, the route passes by several farms, vineyards and orchards, some of which have roadside stands and stores, in between the small towns in the San Joaquin Valley served by the route. The highway has a brief concurrency with SR 12 and enters Amador County shortly after the separation. Once in Amador County, the route begins an ascent up the foothills of the Sierra Nevada towards Jackson. Between Sunnybrook and Martell, the road runs adjacent the corridor of the Amador Central Railroad, an abandoned freight rail line, purchased and operated by the Amador County Historical Society and other heritage railway enthusiasts who sponsor occasional train rides along the route. The route enters Jackson, the largest town traversed in the Sierra foothills by the highway. The highway runs concurrent with SR 49 through the town. Many locations along SR 49, including Jackson, originated as settlements during the California Gold Rush of 1849, and have a rich gold mining history. Both routes 49 and 88 have been re-routed around the historic part of downtown and onto a four-lane road to the west of the historic district.