In early and mid-February 2024, we went on a field survey trip over the Ridge Route to assess damage. We took a lot of videos and put together an overview of what we saw.
Come join us on our journey over the Ridge Route.
Category: Angeles National Forest
Pothole Project Approved!
The Ridge Route Preservation Organization was cleared by the Angeles National Forest to repair potholes along the north section of the Old Ridge Route from the 138 to the Tumble Inn.
The intent is to preserve the road and make it more accessible to the public as well as emergency services. Filling the potholes can reinforce crumbling sections of the road as well as prevent further damage to the original road surface.
The Ridge Route Pothole Project will begin in spring of 2024.
These improvements don’t only serve to protect the history of the Ridge Route, the repairs will also serve everyone who passes through the area. It’s a large stretch of open land that provides recreation for hikers, cyclists and hunters as well as being a heavy fire danger area. It’s important that emergency vehicles have quick and easy access when mere seconds matter.
A donation of $15 buys a 50 pound bag of asphalt cold patch.
For volunteer and donation info visit our Project website at https://ridgeroute.org/pothole-project.
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RRPO Updates
From Michael F Ballard – RRPO President
Greetings All!
Some good news for the road. It looks like we will be getting approval for our pothole repair project from the USFS in the very near future. As winter is approaching, we intend to do this project when weather permits, likely early next year. We are also working with the USFS on gate repair and landslide mitigation. The latter, regarding the landslide on the south end of the roadway, will take a while but we will prevail as we have in the past. More updates will be posted soon, so make sure to subscribe to our site if you haven’t already. We need your support to keep these projects going!
On another note, we will be needing a new RRPO Board Secretary. Our current secretary, Richard Schwartz, is retiring from his position and has served the RRPO well during his tenure. If you’d like to apply for this position, please contact us and we can talk. We can use your help!
Thank you all for your help and support.
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November / December 2022 Newsletter
Ridge Route Preservation Organization Accomplishments
What have we done? Why donate to us? Why join us?
The Ridge Route Preservation Organization has accomplished quite a bit so far. We can’t do it without your support. We have a lot more to do!
Here is a short list of some of those.
- Created the 501(c)3 Non-Profit Public Benefit Ridge Route Preservation Organization in January 2001.
- Placed the Historic Ridge Route onto the National Register with the help of Angeles National Forest Archaeologist Michael J. McIntyre September 25, 1997
- Established a Memorandum of Understanding (Now a Volunteer Service Agreement) with the Angeles National Forest which allowed our organization to clear minor landslides and fill potholes.
- Reservoir Summit was the mutual agreed location where we deposited dirt cleared from the road that it created a small mountain known as “Scotty’s Mountain”.
- Initiated the CUTRR “Clean Up The Ridge Route” program that met monthly to clean out the drains on the road.
- Identified all drains on the road and marked and numbered each one with a state approved marker.
- Stepped in to complete posting Picture Placards on concrete monuments provided by a non-profit organization that went out of business. Photo posted at each historic site from the Harrison I. Scott archives.
- Contacted the Federal Highway Administration in Colorado (the nearest office) and offered to fly them out at our expense to examine the major landslides on the Ridge Route from the January 2005 “one -hundred – year rainstorm”. The Federal Highway Administration repaired the road working with Angeles National Forest.
- Replaced the steps at the Tumble Inn historic site that were being damaged by off road motorcyclists in cooperation with late Ranger Bob Blount.
- Former President, Harrison I. Scott brought further attention to the historic Ridge Route by doing two over the road television programs. First, a one – hour program going over the road with Huell Howser in a 1915 Model T. A one – half hour program going over the road in Jay Leno’s 1915 Franklin.
There is a lot more we need to do. We are still working, albeit slowly, on getting the roadway reopened. We need your help with our Ridge Route Management Plan, which we will submit to the Angeles National Forest as a part of the opening plan. We will be holding Zoom meetings again soon regarding this plan and more. Make sure to subscribe to our website to learn more.
RRPO Board Update – Treasurer Needed
Our current Treasurer, Richard Valot, will be resigning by the end of the 2022. We wish to thank him for his many years of service and wish him well! We are looking for a new person to fill the position and help us move forward. If you are interested in learning more about the position or are interested in applying, please contact us!
Ridge Route Mapping Update
Our mapping project is nearly complete! Our base map is done and now we are working on adding other features. Once it is available, we will make an announcement on the site where it can be viewed.
RRPO YouTube Channel
Did you know we have a YouTube channel with videos on the history of the Ridge Route and various aspects of the current status of the roadway? We’ve posted a few videos recently showcasing some of the unique history of the roadway. Check it out and subscribe!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSVYTEajHIx-G4jewzHlvxg
Upcoming Articles – We Want to Hear from You!
Would you like to write an article for our newsletter? We are looking for stories about the road, experiences you’ve had, or information about the history. Perhaps something about the things you can see alongside the roadway, such as the plants and geology. Let us know! We’d love to hear about it!
Featured Photo
From our archives – a 1921 Automobile Club of Southern California strip map showing the Ridge Route from Los Angeles to State 138. Some things to note are modern Quail Lake being named Crane Lake, Castaic being shown further south (train station was located at current Castaic Junction), the Newhall Tunnel still in place, and the option of going via Cahuenga Pass instead of along current San Fernando Road.
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September-October 2022 Newsletter
Ridge Route Update
It has been a while since our last update. I’ve been busy with a move and house remodeling, which has taken me away from things. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot to report. We are still working with the USFS to get the roadway open and develop a management plan for the roadway.
Over the weekend of August 20, I was able to take a trip over the Ridge Route to survey the roadway. For the most part, there was good news. The roadway is still in pretty good shape. Earlier this year, utility crews cleared large portions of the road from Serpentine Drive to near Sandberg. That work has helped to keep the roadway in better shape over the summer and hopefully into the coming winter. Only small rockslides were found at Swede’s Cut and below Reservoir Summit on the north side of the summit.
In early August, a small fire occurred at the north end of the Ridge Route where it meets State 138. The fire, known as the Sam Fire, was held at 150 acres and didn’t cause any damage to the Ridge Route. It did burn along State 138 from the Ridge Route to the California Aqueduct and partially up Bald Mountain. An additional fire started on August 31, known as the Route Fire, near the southern end of the Ridge Route along northbound I-5. It is not known at this time if the Ridge Route is affected though it has progressed to the Callahan Line Change site as of 1600 on August 31.
The roadway is still closed at this time even though there have been reports of the gates being left open. Keep in mind, the gates can be closed and locked behind you, so please do not travel beyond them by motor vehicle. Travel is still allowed via walking, horseback, and bicycling.
RRPO Update
Our current Treasurer, Richard Valot, will be resigning by the end of the 2022. We wish to thank him for his many years of service and wish him well! We are looking for a new person to fill the position and help us move forward. If you are interested in learning more about the position or are interested in applying, please contact us!
Ridge Route Mapping Update
We are working on a comprehensive map of the Historic Ridge Route using the Google API. We are hoping to have this available in the near future. If you are interested in learning more or would like to help contribute, let us know.
RRPO YouTube Channel
Did you know we have a YouTube channel with videos on the history of the Ridge Route and various aspects of the current status of the roadway? We’ve posted a few videos recently showcasing some of the unique history of the roadway. Check it out and subscribe!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSVYTEajHIx-G4jewzHlvxg
Reporting Problems on the Ridge Route
With all the recent fire activity as well as other events such as January 26 when big rigs tried to travel the Ridge Route, we thought it was a good idea to have a place to report things. If you see something wrong on the Ridge Route, be it a developing washout, large vehicles traversing the roadway, or things out-of-the-ordinary, we have have set up a web page to help you report things on the road. We will pass the information along to the appropriate agencies as needed.
To Report Problems or other issues on the Ridge Route, please use the website below. The web page is also located under our “Current Roadway Conditions” page in the menu.
Upcoming Articles
Would you like to write an article for our newsletter? We are looking for stories about the road, experiences you’ve had, or information about the history. Perhaps something about the things you can see alongside the roadway, such as the plants and geology. Let us know! We’d love to hear about it!
Featured Photo
This month’s photo comes to us from Caltrans and shows the town of Gorman as it was in 1958. The Ridge Route proper can be seen in the distance to the right. In the foreground near the bottom of the photo, a short section of original 1917 paving can be seen as a small diagonal roadway ending near the Gorman Motel site. This was realigned in June 1933 when the Ridge Route Alternate was under construction. While gated, the roadway remains today and can still be seen off of Gorman Post Road just south of Gorman School Road.
