L A T E R A L G - RIDGE ROUTE RD.





#14 RIDGE ROUTE RD. Date reviewed - 4/05 _________________________________ Fun . . . . . . . . 4 Difficulty . . . . .High Traffic . . . . . . None Driveways . . . .None Condition . . . . VERY Poor Length . . . . . .24 miles _________________________________ Ridge Route Rd. was the primary path of travel over the southern section of the pass between the Los Angeles basin and the San Joaquin Valley (commonly referred to as the Grapevine) until the modern version of the 5 freeway was completed. The portion discussed here was originally built in 1915 and the condition of some of the remaining concrete sections should shame Caltrans today. 2/6/2006 Due to the rains and floods of winter 2004/2005 Ridge Route Rd. is closed. Anyone caught passing the barricades will be subject to a fine of $5,000 and up to 6 months in jail; the Sheriff and Rangers are enforcing these laws and the construction crews in the area will report violators. For a very detailed site concerning history and information for this road see RidgeRoute.com. I've driven Ridge Route Rd. several times but never in my car or on my motorcycle. Both times I used my 4x4 work truck and had no problems. To my surprise, on my first trip I passed two minivans and a Honda Civic on the northern section so when the road is open you can make it through if you don't like your car too much. This road has been listed here not so much as a high speed run (although WRX's and Evo's may be able to play up here), but it is a very interesting and scenic alternative to the 5 freeway and not many people are aware of it's existence. Sections can be seen from the freeway but it is pretty rare to actually see any vehicles up there. In addition to the north and south ends of the road (see maps to right for directions), it is also possible to access Ridge Route Rd. from Templin Highway, which has it's own exit off the 5 freeway just north of where the freeway "splits" for the southern grade. The section south of Templin Hwy. is in better shape than the northern section (excluding recent storm damage) but is much shorter. North of Templin Hwy. the road is a combination of dirt and broken concrete. In many places it isn't much wider than a single lane and large potholes are frequent. For a truck, all-purpose motorcycle, or rally-inspired car this can be a fun, if longer, way up the pass. - Back to LA Foothills - Back to LA / OC Region		Purple: Ridge Route Rd. Red: Lake Hughes Rd. Cyan: San Francisquito Canyon Rd. Orange: Elizabeth Lake Rd. A lot more fun, if not quite as fast, as the 5. Not much traffic up here. Storm damage from 2004/2005 winter rains. Photo from RidgeRoute.com The southern end is easy to find, exit Lake Huges Rd./Ridge Route Rd. from the 5 freeway. This offramp is approximately 3.5-miles north of Highway 126. The northern end is 2.2-miles up Pine Canyon Rd., which is 4.3 miles east of the 5 freeway on Highway 138 (Lancaster Rd.) Highway 138 is approximately 4 miles south of Gorman.