Angeles Crest Highway

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The Angeles Crest Highway winds through the mountains. The clouds in the distance cover Los Angeles.

The Angeles Crest Highway is a two-lane (one lane of travel in each direction) segment of California State Route 2. The road is 66 miles in length, with its western terminus at the intersection at Foothill Boulevard in La Cañada Flintridge and its eastern terminus at California State Route 138 northeast of Wrightwood. The majority of the route passes through the mountainous terrain located north of the Los Angeles basin. Its alignment passes through the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains. Segments of the road reach altitudes above 7,000 feet, with a summit of 7,903 feet at the Dawson Saddle, which makes this road one of the highest in Southern California.

The route is best described as mountain-rural. Because the route passes through the protected Angeles National Forest, development is very limited. There are not many buildings between La Cañada Flintridge and Wrightwood save for Newcomb's Ranch, campgrounds, and visitor centers. Other points of interest along the route include the Mountain High ski resort and Mount Wilson (and its corresponding observatory and various radio/television transmitters). Depending on the local weather, i.e. no clouds or fog, impressive views of the Los Angeles basin are possible from the vicinity of Mount Wilson - the most significant limit of what can be seen is the density of the smog and/or marine layer covering the basin.

Cell phone reception can be sporadic and, when available, signal strength and clarity is poor. Although the surrounding mountainous terrain is the primary reason for this, the limited presence of, and/or proximity to, cellular communication antennas (cell towers) to receive and transmit signals along the route contributes to the problem.

The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act passed in December of 2004, protects the Angeles National Forest. Although anyone can park at the side of the road and access the wilderness along the side of the road, doing so for extended periods of time, such as camping or hiking, requires a National Forest Adventure Pass available for a $5.00 fee.

The westernmost segment of the highway, combined with Angeles Forest Highway, is heavily travelled by southbound traffic in the morning (and corresponding northbound traffic in the afternoon) that is comprised of commuters who live in the Antelope Valley and work in the Greater Los Angeles area. The route is a convenient alternative to the Antelope Valley Freeway (California State Route 14) and the Golden State Freeway (Interstate 5), both located to the west, to reach the Foothill Freeway (Interstate 210). Because the road is a two-lane highway, its vehicle capacity is significantly lower than either of the two freeways.

In contrast, the remainder of the Angeles Crest Highway is lightly travelled. Typically, this traffic is composed of vacationers, sightseers, and locals. Several snow ski resorts are located in Wrightwood, and surrounding mountain villages, so during the winter snow skiing/snow enthusiasts use this road as well.

Intersections with other roads are few which can be problematic in the event of road closures due to acts of nature such as landslides and fires. At about the midpoint of the highway is the junction with the north terminus of California State Route 39. However, access to State Route 39 is not possible as it is closed indefinitely to automobile traffic because of persistent landslides along its route. Therefore, travelers to the Angeles National Forest preferring the Angeles Crest Highway corridor should expect to be on the Angeles Crest Highway throughout much of its length, use available alternate routing where possible, or be willing to turnaround and 're-trace' their trip, at any point along its route if necessary.

History

Construction for Angeles Crest Highway began in 1929. It was originally intended to be a fire access road. In 1941 construction stopped because of World War II. In 1946, after the war, construction resumed; the completed highway eventually opened in 1956.

Roads in the San Gabriel Mountains have a high number of single-vehicle auto and motorcycle accidents. As an example, in the predawn hours of December 8, 2004, [[n:NASA van rolls off California mountain|a van plunged off the side of Angeles Forest Highway]] at about 1 mile north of its junction with the Angeles Crest Highway, killing 3 of the 10 people in the van. The van was a carpool carrying workers of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from the Antelope Valley to work in La Cañada Flintridge. It was determined upon investigation by the CHP that the driver fell asleep at the wheel of the van. The Angeles Crest Highway and Angeles Forest Highway have figured in various murders, not as scenes of the murder but as drop off points for the dead victims, including Linda Sobek, a model kidnapped and found dead in the area in 1994.

External links

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