Virtual Tour of the Ridge Route

Virtual Tour
of
California’s Scenic and Historic
Ridge Route
Historic US Highway 99


Begin the Ridge Route Tour

Tour Index


Ridge Route Preservation Organization

Historic Highway 99 Association of California


Introduction

ridge_realigned

One of the first roads to be constructed under the 1909 Highway Bonds by the State of California was the “Castaic-Tejon Ridge Road”, known today as the “Ridge Route”. Hailed as a marvel of engineering in its time, it would last as the main road from Los Angeles to Bakersfield for 18 years. The roadway exists today in segments and is in part federally protected on the National Register of Historic Places. The Ridge Route was the first major highway project and first new mountain road project undertaken by the State.

Surveys began for the Ridge Route in 1912, mostly following a ridge line which ran from Castaic to Gorman. Construction commenced shortly after. Using mostly manual labor, consisting of picks, shovels, and Fresno scrapers, the highway was opened in October 1915. At first, the highway was only oiled and graded. Starting in 1917, the highway was closed while it paved with a 20′ wide slab of reinforced concrete. Paving was completed by early 1920.

Looking toward Frazier Mountain

As there was only a finite amount of money for the project, this route was used to keep costs down. Following the ridge kept costs down as no bridges were needed. Keeping costs down did have its problems though. The maximum grade allowed on the Ridge Route was 6%. To keep this gradient, many curves were added to the roadway. So many curves had to be used, in fact, that the total curvature added to over 110 complete circles in the 30 mile stretch. This fact would quickly make the highway a very dangerous and slow one. Collisions became commonplace. A speed limit of 15 mph was put into place along the entire road from Castaic to Gorman as a result of this.

ridge_route_speed_limit
Speed limit sign posted near Castaic.

Many sections of the road needed to be realigned for safety. Many of the cuts were “daylighted”, a process in which the hillside is cut back to increase visibility. In other places, the roadway was widened where it was possible. These realigned sections were paved with an early version of asphalt paving. Much of these early paving surfaces are still around today. By the late 1920’s, it was evident that this work was only a temporary measure. A new route had to be found. This option was both more economical and less disrupting to traffic. The new route, called the Ridge Route Alternate, was finally opened on October 29, 1933, completely bypassing the old Ridge Route. On October 2, 1934, the Ridge Route was officially relinquished to the County of Los Angeles by the Division of Highways. This bypass forever relegated the old road to a scenic side road traveled by few. In doing so, the Ridge Route was effectively preserved, almost like a time capsule, unlike any other roadway in the region.

On September 25, 1997, the Ridge Route from just north of Templin Highway to Sandberg, within the Angeles National Forest, was granted historic status on the National Register of Historic Places. This designation has helped with the preservation and restoration of this historic roadway, Under the ownership of the Angeles National Forest, the roadway is also known as 8N04, its forest road designation.

Smooth section of concrete just south of the Tumble Inn
Dedication plaque placed by the American Society of Civil Engineers at the Vista Del Lago Visitors Center in 2008.

1920’s Auto Club of Southern California Strip Maps showing the Ridge Route and US 99 from Los Angeles to Bakersfield



Current Status – 2022

The Ridge Route is closed to all motorized vehicles from just north of Templin Highway to the Tumble Inn. The gates may be open on occasion but that is not the default position. Always be aware that you may be locked in if you pass the gates as they are not guaranteed to remain open.

Initially, landslides, and oil pipeline breaks closed the roadway in January 2005. It has not fully reopened since and is in danger of not opening again due to right of way relinquishment by the Forest Service and the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works. These relinquishments have potentially put portions this public roadway at the south end into private hands, which don’t intend to open the road to the public again. This must be corrected before it is too late!

Please contact the Ridge Route Preservation Organization at Ridgeroute.org for more information about the roadway vacation problem, current conditions, and how you can help this historic roadway. They need your help and support!

Video from November 2015 showing the condition of the roadway from the Tumble Inn to State 138.

11 thoughts on “Virtual Tour of the Ridge Route”

  1. We’ve just driven the entire length as of June 4 2021. The gates are there, but were not closed.It was a wonderful drive with many historical highlights. We replicated most of the old photos found here and on other sites. Needless to say to drive the road you must be self reliant. Water, fuel, puncture kit and all the good stuff… There are no services and reception is poor.

    1. The gates are supposed to be closed at this time. If they were open, you were lucky and someone didn’t close them, likely the utility company. The Ridge Route Preservation Organization is working to keep the gates open but they are supposed to be closed at this time.

  2. We were going to take a day drive on the old ridge route. That would be fun. How far can we go…..I would live to go the full length

  3. My Dad drove us on a Sunday afternoon in the late 1950s along what was left of the Ridge Route going north. It’s been long enough that I don’t recognize anything from this video, but it’s good to have this record. I remember then it was so long that, excited as I was to drive on the old road, I was bored by the time we got to the end of it.

    1. Yes, though the realignment also destroyed a segment of the Ridge Route, despite its name. Castaic Lake Drive is still the Ridge Route, regardless of its current road name.

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