Category Archives: Snow

Caltrans, District 7, Highways, I-5, Ridge Route, Roads, Snow, The Grapevine, Travel

I-5 Grapevine / Ridge Route Conditions

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Near Cherry Canyon on “The Grapevine”

I-5 between Santa Clarita and the San Joaquin Valley over Tejon Pass is known as “The Grapevine” and formerly known as “The Ridge Route”. It is an important corridor in California and has been so since 1915. Travel over the route can be quite treacherous in winter due to both rain and snow. Mudslides, rockfalls, and ice can all wreak havoc on travel. Collisions can mar traffic for miles. Caltrans, CHP, and the County of Los Angeles work together to ensure safe travel over the route. Sometimes this can result in a full closure of the pass.

To stay up-to-date on current conditions, we recommend the following sites:

Weather Forecasts from the National Weather Service:

Be safe out there and always use caution during winter months when traveling the “Grapevine”.

STATS:

Highest elevation – 4144′ at Tejon Pass

Normal Closure Points:

  • SOUTHBOUND at Grapevine (Exit 215)
  • NORTHBOUND at Castaic – Lake Hughes Road (Exit 176B)

ALTERNATE ROUTES:

If the 5 is closed, alternate adjacent routes such as Lake Hughes Road are not advisable as they may be in worse condition or be heavily congested. Depending on closures, the best alternative to I-5 is via State 14 (Antelope Valley Freeway) and State 58 over Tehachapi Pass. In times of heavy snow, your only option may well be US 101 to State 46 in Paso Robles. Check with Caltrans and CHP prior to travel to make sure these roads are open. DO NOT ALWAYS TRUST GOOGLE. It can lead you down bad or otherwise unsuitable roadways. In January 2021, multiple people including three big rigs were trapped on the Old Ridge Route during a snowstorm when they attempted to bypass a closed I-5. We don’t want you to end up on the news. Always be safe and always use caution on unfamiliar roads.

SPECIAL NOTE:

The Old Ridge Route (Ridge Route Road / 8N04) is NEVER an alternate to I-5 under any conditions and is not suitable for heavy traffic nor is it open to through traffic. It is closed to through travel from Castaic to Gorman (State 138).

California, Event, Snow, Southern California

Road Conditions

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Winter over the Ridge Route in Lebec. Courtesy – Caltrans

Important Road Conditions Links:

For local roadways, there are additional resources available on this site on our Southern California Highway Resources page.

Winter in southern California can be quite an adventure at times. Some storms leave few routes open out of the Los Angeles area to points north and northeast. Some of these storms can really hamper travel out of the area.

In late December 2019, a storm closed State 33, I-5, State 14, State 138, I-15 (in two sections), and many other roads in the region. What road is open? When will it open? Are chains required? All of these questions and more can be easily answered through Caltrans, the State Highway department. They have a really good phone app and website – Quickmap – which gives all this information in an easy format. Caltrans Quickmap has numerous layers that can be added such as traffic speeds, CHP Incident Reports (collisions, hazards, fire information), road closures, snowplow locations, lane closures, CMS messages, and more.

In addition to Quickmap, all the Caltrans traffic cameras are available online at Caltrans Video, some of which are streaming live. I strongly recommend these links to get you where you need to go. Another page, also from Caltrans, covers ALL their available data – Caltrans Commercial Wholesale Web Portal . I use Quickmap quite often even just for basic traffic needs.

District 7, Highways, Image, Los Angeles County, Roads, San Gabriel Mountains, San Gabriel River, Snow, Southern California, SR-39

Featured Image – 2/20/2020

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Looking up the canyon from the West Fork San Gabriel River Bridge (53-2244). Taken in 2016.

Looking toward South Mount Hawkins in the West Fork San Gabriel Canyon from State 39. This road was planned to be improved but landslides prevented this work from being completed. In the case of this area, almost all of the low lying areas not covered in snow are landslides in one form or another. Even Crystal Lake, where this roadway is headed, exists because of landslides.

District 6, District 7, Highways, History, I-5, Los Angeles County, Ridge Route, Snow

The Grapevine?

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Looking for traffic, roadway conditions, and detours? Use the link below:

Current Roadway Conditions and Detours

I-5 between Santa Clarita and the San Joaquin Valley is commonly referred to as “The Grapevine” by locals and traffic reporters. Most assume the name derives from the twisty nature of the original roadway – the Ridge Route. That road was indeed very twisty, much like a grapevine. However, that is still not the reason. The name Grapevine actually comes from Grapevine Canyon, where old US 99 and I-5 come down from the mountains and into the San Joaquin Valley. The canyon is called such as wild grapes grow along the canyon walls. It was formerly known as Canada De Las Uvas which is Spanish for Canyon of the Grapes. The name Tejon Pass is also a “new” addition to the area. The current Tejon Pass was known as Grapevine Pass or Badger Pass until the 1850’s. Old Tejon Pass, much farther to the east, was a very treacherous route. That pass was eventually abandoned in favor of the current Tejon Pass. The name was just shifted to the new route.

After the 1933 bypass of the original road to as late as the 1970’s, the roadway over the mountains was still referred to as “The Ridge Route”. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that the name “The Grapevine” was extended to the entire roadway. Why this was done is still unclear. Even Caltrans called it the “Ridge Route” when I-5 was completed. So, if you want to call it proper – call it Tejon Pass, when being specific to the actual pass, and the Ridge Route when referring to I-5 from Castaic to Grapevine. While you’re passing through Grapevine Canyon, be sure to spot the wild grapevines that still grow in the canyon. Names may change, but the name Ridge Route should live on. It applies to I-5 better than “The Grapevine” ever will.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

For more information about the history of the route and current conditions:

California, District 9, Highways, Image, Inyo County, Old Alignment, Roads, Sierra Nevada, Snow, US 395

Image of the Week – 10/26/2016

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Old US 395 and Wheeler Crest north of Bishop, CA.
Old US 395 and Wheeler Crest north of Bishop, CA in March 2009.