{"id":2601,"date":"2012-08-25T01:07:31","date_gmt":"2012-08-25T01:07:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/?p=2601"},"modified":"2022-11-14T00:32:59","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T00:32:59","slug":"route-66-cajon-pass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/route-66-cajon-pass\/","title":{"rendered":"Route 66 through the Cajon Pass"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Before Route 66 reaches the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, it has one last\u00a0obstacle\u00a0to\u00a0negotiate\u00a0– the Cajon Pass.<\/strong> Other than a small mountain pass east of\u00a0Albuquerque and the high summits near Flagstaff, the Cajon Pass is the most\u00a0significant\u00a0mountain pass along\u00a0the entire length of Route 66.<\/p>

Our virtual video tour will show the alignment that Route 66 followed through the Cajon Pass from north to south since its inception in 1926. \u00a0Unfortunately, when I-15 was built in the late 1960s, the northern half of the old alignment was either erased or I-15 was built on top of it. \u00a0Our tour will show some old pictures and compare them to current-day pictures of the same area to give you a sense of where these old alignments used to exist. \u00a0You’ll also see the southern half of the Cajon Pass where much of the alignment is still drivable today.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Although there doesn\u2019t seem to be much to see in the Cajon Pass, there actually is\u00a0quite a bit. \u00a0Whether you enjoy history, a train buff, looking at geology or you\u2019re a Route 66 fan, the Cajon Pass has a lot to offer. \u00a0Today, the pass is traversed by a lot of roads, making for easy access.<\/p>

History<\/h3>

The Cajon Pass has a long history when it comes to transportation. \u00a0For travelers and pioneers of the 1800s coming from the east, there were only three ways to enter that ever growing and popular region that we now\u00a0know as the Greater Los Angeles Area. \u00a0The northern half of the L.A. Area is surrounded by the 10,000 foot (3,000 m) high San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains. \u00a0There is only one significant opening through this barrier \u2013 the Cajon Pass.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n Location of the Cajon Pass <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n
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Settlers coming into the area began using the Cajon beginning around 1830. \u00a0The first two long-distance roads or trails that passed through the pass were the Old Spanish Trail and the Mormon Road. \u00a0The Old Spanish Trail, which originated in Santa Fe, New Mexico, was established first. \u00a0The Mormon Road, established in the 1840s,\u00a0originated\u00a0in Salt Lake City. \u00a0Both roads used near-identical alignments through the Cajon.<\/p>\n

Traffic through the Cajon began to increase in the 1850s. \u00a0In 1861, an\u00a0entrepreneur named John Brown built a wagon toll road through the Cajon Pass which would influence later roads through the Cajon. \u00a0Read more about this part of Cajon history on our Forgotten Path of Route 66<\/strong> tour.<\/p>\n

Santa Fe Railroad\u00a0(AT&SF \u2013 now BNSF) built the first railroad through the Cajon Pass in the early 1880s. \u00a0Over the decades, additional railroad lines were built; the last one was just built in 2005. \u00a0It would be the AT&SF\u00a0line, from Chicago to Los Angeles, that Route 66 would eventually follow.<\/p>\n

The first automobile route through the Cajon was established in 1914. \u00a0In 1926, along with other route numbers U.S. 91 and 395, it was designated U.S. 66. \u00a0In 1930, the alignment through the northern half of the pass was modified by digging large road cuts, which was quite a feat in those days. \u00a0The two lane road was upgraded to four lanes (two lanes in each direction) in 1950. \u00a0Finally, with the age of Interstate highways, the eight lane I-15 freeway was built around 1967.<\/p>\n

Most of the old four lane portion of Route 66 was erased in the northern half of the pass as the new freeway was built on top of it. \u00a0However, most of the four lane portion is still intact and drivable in the southern half of the pass.<\/p>\n

Northern Half of the Cajon<\/h3>\n

As mentioned, most of Route 66\u2019s old alignment was erased when I-15 was built. \u00a0 This fact continues north from the Cajon Summit\u00a0and into Victorville. \u00a0It isn\u2019t until the Palmdale Road exit in Victorville where the old alignment of 66 can be found as it follows 7th Street into downtown.<\/p>\n

As you\u2019ll see in the virtual tour, small portions of the two-lane Route 66 can be seen at the summit\u00a0between the southbound and northbound lanes of I-15. \u00a0It is now a service road that leads to several radio towers. \u00a0After the towers, the road was completely obliterated when the larger road cuts were dug for I-15\u2019s southbound lanes.<\/p>\n

Traces of the old alignment can faintly be seen along the right side of I-15\u2019s southbound lanes as it makes its large sweeping turn to the south before the runaway truck ramp. \u00a0Route 66\u2019s alignment took a much longer sweep or arc then I-15 and then snaked back again to take advantage of an even gentler sloop then what I-15 uses today. \u00a0Pictures on the virtual tour point out the old alignment.<\/p>\n

Just north of where the north and southbound lanes of I-15 rejoin near the runaway truck ramp is where the old road crossed and headed toward the first (most northern) railroad bridge. \u00a0The dirt road that goes beneath the three railroad bridges was where Route 66\u2019s alignment used to be. \u00a0See the historical picture of one of the bridges in the virtual tour.<\/p>\n

Accessing the northern half of the Cajon Pass to find these old alignments requires a 4WD or high-clearance vehicle. \u00a0The easiest way to access the area is from the S.R. 138 and I-15 intersection. \u00a0From S.R. 138, just to the right of the northbound I-15 on-ramp, there is a dirt road. \u00a0Take this road heading north. \u00a0It will parallel I-15 and pass underneath the aforementioned railroad bridges. \u00a0At this point, the dirt road sits on top of the old Route 66 roadbed. \u00a0Continue heading north and the road will then pass underneath both sets of lanes of I-15. \u00a0A few hundred feet beyond the second set of lanes is where you can find the old pavement of Route 66, but it is hard to locate because it is hidden in thick brush. \u00a0If you plan on driving this dirt road, be aware that it is popular with dirt bikes so be prepared to encounter fast moving small motorcycles.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Scroll-Comparison: Then & Now of Gish Underpass<\/h3>\n
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Click and move mouse back and forth to see a 1955 to 2011 comparison of the Gish Underpass, which is the first railroad bridge north along I-15 from S.R. 138.<\/p>

Highway 138 Intersection<\/h3>

The intersection of I-15 and S.R. 138 roughly marks the halfway point through the Cajon Pass. \u00a0Here is where you can begin driving sections of the old Route 66 alignment.<\/p>

On S.R. 138 just east of I-15 is a road named Wagon Train Road\u00a0that parallels I-15 and leads south to a\u00a0McDonalds and\u00a0a gas station. \u00a0This road was the two-lane alignment of Route 66. \u00a0Across the street from the gas station is where several businesses that used to service Route 66 travelers starting in the 1930s. \u00a0The last building, a cafe, was razed in the late 1990s.<\/p>

At the end of this road is a monument to several old wagon roads that passed by here, plus the alignment of the first automobile route exits a narrow canyon.\u00a0 Here, Route 66 roughly crossed where I-15 sits now and connects with roads that still exist on the other side.<\/p>

Below is another comparison between the site of the Meeker Garage\u00a0(across the street from the gas station) as it looked in 2012.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Scroll-Comparison: Then & Now of Meeker Garage<\/h3>\n
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Shop for Route 66<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0items<\/h3>

Scroll down to see and shop for items related to Route 66 from Amazon.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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