US 99 – Whitaker Summit

Virtual Tour of US 99

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Whitaker Summit
Summit Elevation : 3000 ft.

Whitaker Summit - Looking north.
Whitaker Summit – Looking north.
Looking down Three Mile Grade from Whitaker Summit on May 19, 1949.
Looking down Three Mile Grade from Whitaker Summit on May 19, 1949.

Whitaker Summit divides Big Oak Flat and 3 Mile Grade. This summit is the highest point on US 99 before Tejon Pass. Now only two lanes of the road are used. Many movies have used the section of highway just beyond this. One recent movie called “Breakdown” used this highway. This segment was built in 1933 as a three lane road and widened to four lanes in 1949. The embankments along Three Mile Grade were trucked in from the Castaic area as the dirt here is unstable.

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