San Gorgonio Pass
| San Gorgonio Pass | |
|---|---|
 A small segment of the San Gorgonio Pass wind farm |
|
| Elevation | 1,591 ft (485 m) NGVD 29[1] |
| Traversed by | Interstate 10 |
| Location | |
| Location | Riverside County, California,  United States |
| Range | San Bernardino Mountains / San Jacinto Mountains |
| Coordinates | 33°55′0″N 116°45′03″W / 33.916667°N 116.75083°WCoordinates: 33°55′0″N 116°45′03″W / 33.916667°N 116.75083°W[1] |
| Topo map | Beaumont |
The San Gorgonio Pass el. 1,591 ft (485 m)[1] cuts between the San Bernardino Mountains on the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. Like the Cajon Pass to the northwest, it was also created by the San Andreas Fault. The pass is not as steep as the Cajon or the Tejon passes, but it is one of the deepest mountain passes in the 48 contiguous states, with the mountains to either side rising almost 9,000 ft (2,700 m) above the pass. San Gorgonio Mountain is at the pass's northern end, and Mount San Jacinto is at the southern end. Mount San Jacinto has the fifth-largest rock wall in North America. The peak is only six miles south of Interstate 10. Today the San Gorgonio Pass is used by commuters from the Greater San Bernardino Area to travel through the mountains to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, and points further east, all the way to Phoenix, Arizona.
[edit] Roads
Interstate 10 and State Route 60 (former U.S. Route 60) intersect at the western end of the pass in Beaumont and climbs through Banning at its peak before reaching down the town of Cabazon, where it begins to descend steeply towards the Coachella Valley. The eastern end of the pass is at the junction of Interstate 10 and State Route 111 near Whitewater Canyon. The Southern Pacific Railroad (now the Union Pacific) laid down tracks through the pass in 1875, and in 1952 an expressway was built through the pass, carrying U.S. Route 99 and U.S. Route 60. There are still portions of the old US 99 route between Whitewater Canyon and Cabazon. Main Street in Cabazon, Ramsey Street in Banning, 6th Street in Beaumont, and Roberts Road in Calimesa are all old sections of US 99.
The San Gorgonio Pass area tends to get snow at least once or twice during the winter months, although it rarely, if ever, sticks to hard surfaces, such as the freeway or city streets. The most famous sight on San Gorgonio Pass is the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm on its eastern slope, as it marks the gateway into the Coachella Valley. The pass is one of the windiest places in Southern California.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm |
