California State Route 138
Encyclopedia
State Route 138 is an east–west state highway generally following the northern foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...

 of southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 from its junction with Interstate 5 south of Gorman
Gorman, California
Gorman, California, is an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County. As of 2005 it had just 15 homes and a few registered voters, but tens of thousands of motorists traveled through it daily on the Interstate 5 freeway....

 eastward to Mount Anderson Junction, its eastern junction with State Route 18 south of Crestline
Crestline, California
Crestline is a census-designated place in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, USA. The population was 10,770 at the 2010 census, up from 10,218 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crestline is located at ....

 in the San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...

. Except for the western two miles (3 km) of the route between Interstate 5 and just east of Gorman Post Road and a segment shared with State Route 14
California State Route 14
State Route 14 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, largely in the Mojave Desert. The southern portion of the highway is signed as the Antelope Valley Freeway. The route connects Interstate 5, or Golden State Freeway, near Santa Clarita and with U.S. Route 395 near...

 between Avenue D in Lancaster
Lancaster, California
Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley...

 and Palmdale Boulevard in Palmdale
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...

, it is all surface road, mostly undivided two-lane road. The remaining section of the Ridge Route
Ridge Route
The Ridge Route, officially the Castaic-Tejon Route, was a two-lane highway running between Los Angeles and Kern counties, California. Opened in 1915 and paved with concrete between 1917 and 1921, the road was the first paved highway directly linking the Los Angeles Basin with the San Joaquin...

, California's first highway connecting the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...

 to the Los Angeles Basin
Los Angeles Basin
The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal sediment-filled plain located between the Peninsular and Transverse ranges in southern California in the United States containing the central part of the city of Los Angeles as well as its southern and southeastern suburbs...

, ends at 138 in Gorman.

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System
California Freeway and Expressway System
The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It is defined by the Streets and Highways Code.-List of roads in the system:*State Route 1 *State Route 2...

 and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System
State Scenic Highway System (California)
The State Scenic Highway System is a list of highways, mainly state highways, that have been designated by the California Department of Transportation as scenic highways. The California State Legislature, primarily through Section 263 of the Streets and Highways Code, makes highways eligible for...

.

Route description

The western leg of State Route 138 traverses the Lancaster Freeway from Interstate 5 to Gorman Post Road, Lancaster Road from Gorman Post Road to 245th Street West near Neenach School, and Avenue D from 245th Street West to Route 138s north junction with State Route 14. The Lancaster Freeway has four lanes, two for each direction of travel. Both Lancaster Road and Avenue D are 2-lane conventional roads; Avenue D is on a straight alignment over its 22 miles (35.4 km) between 245th Street and State Route 14.

After its co-routing with the Antelope Valley Freeway (SR 14)
California State Route 14
State Route 14 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, largely in the Mojave Desert. The southern portion of the highway is signed as the Antelope Valley Freeway. The route connects Interstate 5, or Golden State Freeway, near Santa Clarita and with U.S. Route 395 near...

 through Lancaster
Lancaster, California
Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley...

 and Palmdale
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...

, it passes through Palmdales eastside as four-laned Palmdale Boulevard, 47th Street East, and Fort Tejon Road to Avenue T. At Avenue T it tapers to two lanes and continues straight ahead on Pearblossom Highway through Littlerock
Littlerock, California
Littlerock is a census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 1,377 at the 2010 census, down from 1,402 at the 2000 census...

, Pearblossom
Pearblossom, California
Pearblossom is an unincorporated town located in Los Angeles County, California. The town has a population of 2,435. The ZIP Code is 93553 and the community is inside area code 661.-Geography:...

, and Llano to its west junction with State Route 18. Route 18s western terminus siphons off Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

-bound travelers from 138. At its west junction with State Route 18, State Route 138 turns southeast on Antelope Highway to the Los Angeles
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...

/San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...

 line where it loses its alternative name, Antelope Highway.

Between the county line and Interstate 15, State Route 138 traverses very mountainous and scenic terrain and it connects with State Route 2 that leads to winter resort areas in the San Gabriel Mountains used largely by residents of greater Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 and greater San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

. State Route 138 then descends through the West Cajon Valley and crosses Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass is a moderate-elevation 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...

. From Interstate 15 to State Route 173, near the northwest corner of Silverwood Lake, traffic on State Route 138 is rather sparse. The remaining road past Silverwood Lake is mountainous, narrow, and twisting, and not a prime mountain route to the San Bernardino Mountain resorts. The entire segment from Interstate 15 to the eastern terminus of State Route 138 at Mount Anderson Junction is known the El Cajon-Skyline Forest Highway.

Because of its twisting, mountainous segments and overloaded traffic conditions on its eastern leg, State Route 138 east of Palmdale and west of Interstate 15 is the site of numerous serious auto accidents as of 2004, according to CHP
California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol is a law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and also acts as the state police....

 data. One of the chief contributors to accidents on Route 138 of late is drivers passing on the two-lane highway in unsafe conditions. A recent accident involved a vehicle leaving the roadway near the California Aqueduct
California Aqueduct
The Governor Edmund G. Brown California Aqueduct is a system of canals, tunnels, and pipelines that conveys water collected from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and valleys of Northern- and Central California to Southern California. The Department of Water Resources operates and maintains the...

, careering through the desert and crashing into the aqueduct.

Parts of the distinctive highway were used in the filming of the movie
The Long, Long Trailer
The Long, Long Trailer
The Long, Long Trailer is a novel by Clinton Twiss from the 1950s, about a couple who buy a new travel trailer home and spend a year traveling across the United States....

, a 1954 comedy with Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...

 and Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...

. Despite the rapid growth of Southern California in the ensuing fifty years, the segment shown in the movie is little changed since the movie was filmed.

David Hockney
David Hockney
David Hockney, CH, RA, is an English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer, who is based in Bridlington, Yorkshire and Kensington, London....

 composed the picturesque photographic collage Pearblossom Highway in 1986 off of the segment of Route 138 bearing that moniker. It may be viewed at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

.

Future

A proposed bypass to the north of downtown Palmdale has been studied by Caltrans. The bypass would be located east of the Antelope Valley Freeway and south of LA/Palmdale Regional Airport along Avenue P-8, reconnecting with the current SR 138 east of Palmdale.

Major intersections

Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.

{| class=wikitable
!County
!Location
!Postmile

!Exit
Exit number
An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....



!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=34|Los Angeles
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...


LA R0.00-74.97
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|R0.00
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|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
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|bgcolor=#ffdddd|R0.24
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|Quail Lake Road
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
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|colspan=5 align=center|East end of freeway
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|1.71
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|Gorman Post Road – Gorman
Gorman, California
Gorman, California, is an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County. As of 2005 it had just 15 homes and a few registered voters, but tens of thousands of motorists traveled through it daily on the Interstate 5 freeway....


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|4.11
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|Three Points Road – Three Points
Three Points, California
Three Points is a scenic, sparsely populated settlement at the northwestern edge of Los Angeles County in the western Antelope Valley. It is on the northern edge of the Angeles National Forest, on the east side of Oakgrove Canyon where it opens out into Pine Canyon, 17.5 miles north of Castaic. A...

, Lake Hughes
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|170th Street West – Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is a state-protected reserve of California, USA, harboring the most consistent blooms of California poppies, the state flower. The reserve is located in the rural westside of Antelope Valley in northern Los Angeles County, west of Lancaster. The reserve...


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|90th Street West – Antelope Acres
Antelope Acres, California
Antelope Acres is an unincorporated community in Los Angeles County, California. It lies at an elevation of 2425 feet .Antelope Acres is located in the Antelope Valley the high desert area of northern Los Angeles County and is located approximately 13 miles from Downtown Lancaster, California and...


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|bgcolor=#ddffdd|36.87
R74.00Indicates that the postmile represents the distance along SR 14
California State Route 14
State Route 14 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, largely in the Mojave Desert. The southern portion of the highway is signed as the Antelope Valley Freeway. The route connects Interstate 5, or Golden State Freeway, near Santa Clarita and with U.S. Route 395 near...

 rather than SR 138.

|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|Interchange; west end of SR 14 overlap
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|colspan=5 align=center|West end of freeway on SR 14
|-
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|R72.00
|47
|Avenue F
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|-
|rowspan=8|Lancaster
Lancaster, California
Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley...


|R70.99
|46
|Avenue G
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|R69.99
|45
|Avenue H
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|R68.97
|44
|Avenue I
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|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|R67.96
|43
|Avenue J (CR N5)
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|R67.39
|43
|20th Street West
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
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|R66.73
|42
|Avenue K
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|R65.68
|41
|Avenue L
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|rowspan=2|R64.68
|rowspan=2|40
|rowspan=2|Avenue M
|rowspan=2|Also known as Columbia Way
|-
|rowspan=10|Palmdale
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...


|-
|R63.67
|39
|Avenue N
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|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|R61.77
|37
|10th Street West
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; serves LA/Palmdale Regional Airport
|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|R61.37
|37
|Rancho Vista Boulevard (Avenue P)
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; serves LA/Palmdale Regional Airport
|-
|colspan=4 align=center|East end of freeway on SR 14
|-bgcolor=#ddffdd
|R59.80
43.42
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|Interchange; east end of SR 14 overlap
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|44.42
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|Sierra Highway
Sierra Highway
Sierra Highway or El Camino Sierra is a road in Southern California, United States. El Camino Sierra refers to the full length of a trail formed in the 19th century, rebuilt as highways in the early 20th century, that ran from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe following parts of modern State Route 14, U.S....


|Former US 6
U.S. Route 6 in California
U.S. Route 6, or US 6, is a transcontinental highway from the U.S. state of California to Massachusetts. In California, the highway lies in the eastern portion of the state from Bishop in the Owens Valley north to the Nevada state line in Esmeralda County...

 / SR 14
California State Route 14
State Route 14 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, largely in the Mojave Desert. The southern portion of the highway is signed as the Antelope Valley Freeway. The route connects Interstate 5, or Golden State Freeway, near Santa Clarita and with U.S. Route 395 near...


|-
|48.59
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|50th Street East, Palmdale Boulevard
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|Avenue S
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|51.41
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|Pearblossom Highway, Avenue T – Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...


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|106th Street East – Juniper Hills
Juniper Hills, California
Juniper Hills, California is an unincorporated town located in the foothills on the northern slope of the San Gabriel Mountains, facing the Antelope Valley, in Los Angeles County. The community is nestled between Littlerock and Pearblossom, occupying a smallish section of each and a swath of...


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|Pearblossom
Pearblossom, California
Pearblossom is an unincorporated town located in Los Angeles County, California. The town has a population of 2,435. The ZIP Code is 93553 and the community is inside area code 661.-Geography:...


|60.17
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|, Devil's Punchbowl
Devil's Punchbowl (California)
Devil's Punchbowl, elevation 4,750 ft , is a tilted sandstone formation in Los Angeles County. It is a county park within the Angeles National Forest on the northern slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains, near Littlerock, California. Short trails within the park showcase the geologic features along...

, Big Rock Camp
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|63.68
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|165th Street East – Lake Los Angeles
Lake Los Angeles, California
Lake Los Angeles is a census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 12,328 at the 2010 census, up from 11,523 at the 2000 census...

, Crystalaire, Valyermo
Valyermo, California
Valyermo is an unincorporated town located in the Mojave Desert, in Los Angeles County, California. The town has a population of about 450.- Geography :Valyermo is located about southeast of Palmdale in the Antelope Valley portion of Southern California...


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|rowspan=2|Llano
Llano, California
Llano is an unincorporated town located in Los Angeles County, California, near the San Bernardino Countyline. The town has a population of about 1200.- Geography :...


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|69.30
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|rowspan=7|San Bernardino
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...


SBD 0.00-R37.85
|Pinon Hills
Pinon Hills, California
Piñon Hills is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, near the Los Angeles Countyline. It is located along Pearblossom Highway, 28 miles east of Palmdale, and 15 miles west of the Cajon Pass where Pearblossom Highway meets Interstate 15. The town lies within 25 miles of...


|2.91
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|Phelan Road, Green Road – Phelan
Phelan, California
Phelan is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, in the Victor Valley of the Mojave Desert, north of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population was 14,304 in the 2010 census.-Geography:...

, Hesperia
Hesperia, California
Hesperia is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the Mojave Desert north of San Bernardino. The locals refer to the surrounding area as the High Desert...


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|bgcolor=#ffdddd|5.76
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|Sheep Creek Road – Phelan
Phelan, California
Phelan is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, in the Victor Valley of the Mojave Desert, north of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population was 14,304 in the 2010 census.-Geography:...


|bgcolor=#ffdddd|Interchange; westbound exit only
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|6.66
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|R15.20
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|Interchange
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|Hesperia
Hesperia, California
Hesperia is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the Mojave Desert north of San Bernardino. The locals refer to the surrounding area as the High Desert...


|R23.96
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|R28.48
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|Cleghorn Road – Silverwood Lake
Silverwood Lake
Silverwood Lake is a large reservoir in San Bernardino County, California, United States, located on the west fork of the Mojave River in the San Bernardino Mountains...


|Interchange
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|R37.85
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|Interchange

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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