[PHOTOS] The Old Ridge Route Comes to Life – San Diego & Orange County Model A Ford Club Tour

(Cover photo by Ryan Babroff)

On May 4th 2025, the rain broke just in time for a magical journey back in time along the Old Ridge Route. Eight Model A Fords traveled to Gorman to take a tour of the road, coming from San Diego and Orange County.

Photo by Zachary Svelling

The group of over 20 met in Gorman, starting off with a talk about road and it’s construction. RRPO President, Michael Ballard and Public Relations Director, Sydney Croasmun spoke and answered questions from the group, before lining up and heading down Gorman Post Road towards the Old Ridge Route.

Photo by: Scott Leland

Model A’s lined the road as we pulled into the first stop – the legendary Sandberg’s Summit Hotel. The tour talked about the 3 story log cabin, the people that lived there and the conspiracy theories that haunted it.

Photo: Austin Gebhardt

Next up is Liebre Summit – the highest point on the road. Visitors took in the stunning view and learned about the weather in the region and the importance of the Sandberg Weather Station. Even to this day, it’s a vital weather station for both land and air travel.

Want to support the Ridge Route Preservation Organization? Become a member!

Photo: Austin Gebhardt

At the Liebre Maintenance Camp, we discussed the people who built the road and the road building methods. Learning about the shift from railroad contractors to road building contractors and how this space is utilized in the modern day.

Photo by: Sydney Croasmun

Always a tradition – lining up all the cars up at the Tumble Inn for a photo! Visitors got to explore the ruins and listen to Michael Ballard speak about the road.

Photo by: Ryan Babroff

Now this is where things get fun – as our first tour to go past the gates, we continued down the road when we usually would end at the Tumble Inn

Photo by: Scott Leland

For the first time in 20 years, the tour made it’s way to Reservoir Summit! Here they are checking out the now empty reservoir, learning about the old restaurant, garage and fire lookout tower.

Photo by: Scott Leland

The tour concluded with a picnic at Swede’s Cut, overlooking Serpentine Drive. This was the largest cut on the road at 110ft deep!

We are so thankful to the San Diego Model A Club for setting this all up! It was great to meet so many wonderful people and see some beautiful cars

Photo by: Ryan Babroff

Want to support the Ridge Route Preservation Organization? Become a member!

VIDEO: Historic Old Ridge Route Gets Much-Needed Repairs Thanks to SoCalGas and Preservation Efforts

READ the full story here

A dive into the work happening up on the Old Ridge Route with RRPO board member, Sydney Croasmun and SoCalGas representative, Rob Duchow!

Get a glimpse of the roadwork, learn about the history and significance and see why this project is so important.

Thank you so much KHTS for a great video and report!

SoCal Gas Repairs Potholes on 6 Miles of the Old Ridge Route

We are so excited to announce that SoCal Gas has offered to repair potholes 6 miles of the Old Ridge Route. This includes the stretch off the 138 near Gorman, which is open to the public. This will greatly increase accessibility for the public, make access for pipeline maintenance easier and smoother access for emergency services such as fire and ambulances. 

This came to light after SoCal Gas had been doing maintenance on their pipeline. Part of the agreement when it comes to protecting this historic road is to lay heavy rubber mats along the edges of the concrete and areas where the road is crumbling. 

  • If you would like to send a thank you to the road crew and SoCal Gas, please do so here

I ran into their contracted construction manager while doing a sweep of the road and talked with him about the work they’ve been doing on the road and told him about our volunteer Pothole Project. He proposed that – instead of using the temporary fix – the rubber matting – they could help us with a permanent repair in those crumbling areas.  

The history of SoCal Gas and the Old Ridge Route are deeply intertwined. Construction started on their first pipeline through the area in 1912, under the name Midway Gas Company. The pipeline was operational in 1913 – the same year the Old Ridge Route was surveyed, meaning their first pipeline actually predates the road. This first pipeline ran from Taft to Glendale. 

I don’t think people fully realize how vital this corridor is when it comes to infrastructure. When the Old Ridge Route was dreamt up, California was on the verge of splitting into two states – this mountain range becoming the border. To get from Bakersfield to LA was nearly 24 hours in travel time, through rough stagecoach roads that often flooded, became muddy and developed ruts. It was a treacherous journey of roughly 180 miles and grades of 30%. That rough road cut off trade from north to south. In central CA, San Francisco merchants were preferred to LA merchants due to unpredictable travel times.

When the Ridge Route opened up in 1915, it changed the course of history. It allowed goods to be delivered from the port in Los Angeles to central California. It brought Central California’s food to Los Angeles, and opened up a much safer route for travel. This road is written into the history of so many Southern California families – just ask your grandparents about it. 

And while this road was so influential to the history of California, it is often forgotten. After it was bypassed in 1933, it remained largely unmaintained – left to the elements. When a disastrous rainy season hit  in 2005, causing a number of landslides making the road impassable, most of the road running through the Angeles National Forest was closed indefinitely – and still remains that way to this day. 

The Ridge Route Preservation Organization worked to have the landslides repaired. We hold regular volunteer work days and have been diligently working towards getting the road in good enough shape to re-open it. That’s where SoCal Gas comes in – to have such a large stretch of the road repaired is a big leap in the road’s preservation and towards getting this road reopened.

If you would like to send a thank you to the road crew and SoCal Gas, please do so here

PRESS RELEASE: Angeles National Forest still closed until Feb. 1, 2025

ARCADIA, Calif., January 23, 2025—The entire Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument are temporarily closed for public safety and the protection of natural resources through Friday, January 31, 2025. This means that the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument will not reopen until Saturday, February 1, 2025. This closure is tied to critical fire danger.

During this time, the following acts are prohibited within the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument: 

1. Going into or being upon the Angeles National Forest. 36 C.F.R. § 261.52(e).

2. Being on any National Forest System Road within the Angeles National Forest. 36 C.F.R. § 261.54(e).

3. Being on any National Forest System Trail within the Angeles National Forest. 36 C.F.R. § 261.55(a).

Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this order:

1. Any Federal, State or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or fire-fighting force in the performance of an official duty.

2. Persons with Forest Service Permit No. FS-7700-48 (Permit for Use of Roads, Trails, or Areas Restricted by Regulation or Order), specifically exempting them from this Order.


Persons with a valid California Campfire Permit are not exempt from the prohibitions listed above.

These prohibitions are in addition to the general prohibitions in 36 C.F.R. Part 261, Subpart A. A violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months or both 16 U.S.C. § 551, and 18 U.S.C. §§ 3559, 3571, and 3581

For more information about Forest Order No. 05-01-25-04, click here.

Editor’s Note: The Old Ridge Route falls within the Angeles National Forest and remains closed to all travel and visitation with the forest.

TOMORROW – Last Volunteer Day of the Year!

Saturday, December 7th is our last Clean Up the Ridge Route volunteer day of 2024!

We will be meeting in Gorman at the Carls Jr at 9AM. RSVP here so we know to look for you!

There are a handful of culverts between Liebre Maintenance Camp and Tumble Inn that are in need of attention. This area is always a rough one when it comes to rain and tends to get super muddy.

We will be working on the following culverts/drainage in the Liebre MC-Tumble Inn section:

19, 22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29

If you plan on attending, please bring closed toed shoes, gloves and warm clothes as it is currently supposed to be 65 degrees with wind up to 15mph. Snacks or a packed lunch and water are also musts!

We are planning to take a drive through the road to check conditions as well. Anyone who is volunteering is welcome to join! Expecting 2-3hrs of work and another 2 to drive through the road to Castaic.