Cajon Pass | |
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I-15 passing over Cajon Summit in the Cajon Pass area
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Elevation | 3,777 ft (1,151 m) |
Traversed by |
I-15 Union Pacific Railroad/BNSF Railway |
Location | San Bernardino County, California, United States |
Range | San Bernardino Mountains/San Gabriel Mountains |
Coordinates | 34°19′33″N 117°25′42″W / 34.32583°N 117.42833°WCoordinates: 34°19′33″N 117°25′42″W / 34.32583°N 117.42833°W |
Cajon Pass (/kəˈhoʊn/; elevation 3,777 ft (1,151 m)) is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California in the United States. It was created by the movements of the San Andreas fault. Located in the Mojave Desert, the pass is an important link from the Greater San Bernardino Area to the Victor Valley, and northeast to Las Vegas.
Cajon Pass is at the head of Horsethief Canyon, traversed by California State Route 138 (SR 138) and railroad tracks owned by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. Railroad improvements in 1972 reduced its maximum elevation from about 3,829 feet (1,167 m) to 3,777 feet (1,151 m) while also reducing the curvature. Interstate 15 does not traverse Cajon Pass, but rather the nearby Cajon Summit, 34°20′58″N 117°26′47″W / 34.34944°N 117.44639°W, elevation 4,190 feet (1,280 m). However, the entire area including Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit is often collectively called Cajon Pass. Sometimes the entire area is called Cajon Pass, but a distinction is made between Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit in detail.