Category: Wildfire

January / February 2023 Newsletter

Let’s talk Ridge Route and rain!

Near Ridge Road Garage. Courtesy – Sydney Croasmun

From one of our members – Sydney Croasmun:

There was a real problem with roadways washing out leading up to the construction of the 1915 Old Ridge Route. That ended up being the deciding factor for the placement of the road. When surveying locally, there were pre existing options that could have been used in place of the  section we now know as the Ridge Route.

So why would they choose to essentially start from scratch instead of using a well known road as one of the first California highways? 

One by one, the pre existing options were disqualified by Division VII Highway Engineer, W. Lewis Clark. San Francisquito Canyon was deemed “a steep, narrow, dangerous way that crosses a creek too often”. Soledad Canyon had a history of constant washouts. Bouquet Canyon, known at the time as “Deadman’s Canyon Road”, was disqualified on account of “sharp turns, steep pitches and threatening drainage problems; no way of joy”. Finally Mint Canyon was deemed excessive in length among other problems. 

The Ridge Route was part of the Inland Route – one of two “Trunk Roads” running north and south through California. A sister road to Highway 1. It was of great importance that this road stay open and functional – rain or shine. With the existing roads disqualified, W. Lewis Clark set out with a few pack mules to find a new, suitable route. 

The Ridge Route was a type of road new to America. Inspired by European engineers, they set out to build this new route on the tops of the mountains – when it was common practice to build in canyons. This avoided river and creek crossings and eliminated the need for bridges. Preventing many of the nasty washouts that happened regularly on canyon roads. 

That’s why the Ridge Route was built along the ridges!

Road Conditions Update

The storms of December 2022 and January 2023 have hit the roadway hard. Damage is fairly widespread with mudslides and rockslides being the order of the day. Reports given to us by members and the public have shown sections to be impassible by a standard automobile in many locations. From the Tumble Inn to Sandberg, there are numerous areas with flooding, mud, and rockslides. A few larger slides have been noted near Swede’s Cut and Serpentine Drive as well. At this time, it is not known if further damage has occurred between the Tumble Inn site and Swede’s Cut. It does not appear that the roadway has suffered similar damage to that of 2005, which saw the loss of three major sections of roadway. Weather permitting, we will be conducting a survey of the roadway over the weekend of February 4. As this winter is not yet over, further damage may still occur, likely in the form of landslides. We are hoping none are catastrophic, but years of minimal maintenance are taking their toll. CUTRR events will be scheduled later this year after this winter and spring calm down. Right now, we have a few targets for work regarding clearing drainages to prevent or mitigate flooding and sedimentation on the roadway. Stay tuned to our CUTRR pages for updates on those events.

It is also imperative that no travel other than emergency or essential work be taken over the Ridge Route during this period. Permanent damage to the roadway can be done if care is not taken. Do not travel beyond the gates if they are open. Those gates are locked by default and you can get stuck!

Ridge Route Mapping Update

Our mapping project is in its final phase! The base map and basic features are nearly done. Photos and additional information are being added at this time. 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!

Contact Information

Featured Photo

Near Martin’s. Courtesy – Michael F Ballard

The Route Fire burned a section of the Ridge Route (hence the name) from Callahan’s to just south of Templin Highway. Thankfully, the fire didn’t destroy the last remaining Ridge Route structure, Martin’s Garage. It did expose quite a few sections of the roadway that were bypassed and buried long ago. This section, just above Martin’s, is nearly completely buried by debris. Only patches of paving and a lone c-monument remain visible today. Scenes like this could be commonplace should a fire strike the rest of the roadway, something we very much want to avoid.

Route Fire – Updated 1730

Another wildfire has started at the south end of the Ridge Route in Marple Canyon along the 5. This fire, known as the Route Fire, has so far burned 250 acres and is not contained. The fire has burned across the old Ridge Route at the Callahan Line Change location, about 2 miles north of Castaic. Evacuations are underway as far north as Templin Highway. The fire has burned as far north as Martin’s, south of Templin Highway. It is not known if the structure survived.

At this time, I-5 is closed from State 138 to Castaic. The Ridge Route is also closed to through travel from Castaic to State 138 as the gates are closed. Do not use any portion of the Ridge Route as a bypass for I-5 at any time as it is not built for heavy traffic. Big rigs have attempted this in the past and got stuck, blocking others in.

For further information regarding road closures and detours, we strongly recommend Caltrans Quickmap at https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ which has detailed information and updated traffic conditions.

We will post updates, as needed, if the Ridge Route itself or historic structures are damaged or in danger. After the fire is out and things have settled down, we will assess any damage to the roadway and post a report.

Sam Fire – 8/10/2022

There was a fire today at the north end of the Ridge Route. It burned along State 138 south of Quail Lake to the Ridge Route. So far, it seems to be contained at around 150 acres and hasn’t affected any historical features along the roadway. State 138 was closed through the area between Gorman Post Road and 170th St West. The Ridge Route is closed from State 138 to at least Pine Canyon Road at this time. Further details will be posted if more develop.

https://www.kget.com/news/sam-fire-burns-in-la-county-closes-parts-of-hwy-138/

#EmigrantFire Update

As of 1615 on September 17, the fire is at 220 acres and 5% contained per USFS. Some good news to report however. The fire appears to be focused only on the ridge between West Fork Liebre Gulch and Liebre Gulch. This ridge heads NNE toward Bald Mountain near Sandberg. While not a large distance away from the Ridge Route (average about 1.25 miles), it is enough to keep the Ridge Route safe for now. Winds have so far carried the fire only along that ridge. Our Twitter account has been a great resource for information during events like these. The feed can also be seen on the right-hand side of our website, for desktop users.

Fires like this show that we need to continue to keep the Ridge Route in good condition. Working with the USFS and other agencies as we have, we can make sure the road is in good repair not only for its preservation, but to assist with fire suppression along the roadway. Activities such as our CUTRR events go a long ways toward that goal. In August, we removed a major rockslide which could have hampered crews. Next month we will remove or at least mitigate debris on the roadway which makes travel more difficult. We need your support in this effort. Last month, we had 15 enthusiastic volunteers. You can RSVP for our October 23 event and help us continue these efforts.

October CUTRR Event

Another Fire near the Ridge Route

It appears yet another fire has begun near the Ridge Route. This time, closer to Reservoir Summit along I-5 at the Vista Del Lago exit. It is moving east and is, at this time, still out-of-control. The #EmigrantFire has the potential to burn the area along the Ridge Route between Reservoir Summit and Kelly’s Halfway Inn. We are hoping this fire doesn’t do any of that for many reasons. A “worst case” scenario for this fire would bring it into Liebre Gulch, which the Ridge Route runs alongside from Reservoir Summit to Sandberg.

Our Twitter account, @ridgeroute99, and our website will again be kept updated as this fire progresses.