If you’ve ever driven up to Central or Northern California, you’ve most likely taken the Grapevine, the 40-mile stretch of the 5 Freeway between Castaic and Kern County.
But before it was the Grapevine that we know today, there was another road known as the Old Ridge Route.
The Ridge Route was built in 1915 as automobiles became the dominant mode of transportation. It was a treacherous road that hugged the mountains, and although certain sections of the pass have been closed over safety concerns, curious drivers can still travel parts of the Old Ridge Route today.
Building the Old Ridge Route
Prior to the Ridge Route, there was the Stockton Los Angeles Route, built for stagecoaches to pass through, but it wasn’t as long of a stretch. So, rather than using this existing road for cars, the Old Ridge Route was carved out of the mountains to create a more direct route.
