Highway 58 and Detours:

Tehachapi to the Antelope Plain and Shell Creek

Story and photos by Lara Hartley

all images are "click to enlarge," and all images copyright Lara Hartley

Highway 58 bypasses Mojave now, but it is worth leaving the main road behind for a few minutes to explore another historic desert town with vintage motels, mining districts and eateries.

One of those steps-into-the-past that are fast disappearing from the American landscape. You won’t find a Starbucks here, but you can eat at Denny’s. Founded in 1953, Denny’s is an American institution.

TRAIN ART: An artist's rendition of the famous Tehachapi Loop is painted on the side of an Ace Hardware store in the town of Tehachapi.

TRAIN ART: An artist's rendition of the famous Tehachapi Loop is painted on the side
of an Ace Hardware store in the town of Tehachapi.

 

Leaving Mojave, the road winds its way into the Tehachapi Mountains with its forest of more than 5,000 wind turbines. You can get off the freeway before you get to Tehachapi and wend your way through the hills to see the giant turbines up close. The Pacific Crest Hiking Trail also crosses through this area.

The world famous Tehachapi Loop is located off the Keene exit. This engineering marvel, as well as the rest of the line from Bakersfield to the Tehachapi summit, was completed in 1876. The loop was constructed to overcome an 80-foot increase in elevation that was unattainable using typical design methods. It is common to see a train passing over itself while making its way up the grade.

One of my favorite detours off Highway 58 is before Bakersfield at the Caliente exit. About one mile to the north and along Caliente-Bodfish Road is the Bealville district.

From Wikipedia: “It is named for Edward Fitzgerald Beale who served in the US Army, and also as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for California and Nevada. He was also appointed as US Surveyor General of California. Beale established a home in this area about 1855. The location is commemorated by a State Historic Landmark plaque along Caliente-Bodfish Road.”

RAILROADS:On Bodfish/Bena road near Caliente, Calif. three BNSF engines head up the grade toward the Tehachapi Mountains summit. BNSF and Union Pacific share the line that crosses the mountains.

RAILROADS: On Bodfish/Bena road near Caliente, Calif. three BNSF engines head up the
grade toward the Tehachapi Mountains summit. BNSF and Union Pacific share the line
that crosses the mountains.

 

The community of Caliente is along the Union Pacific Railway line and here and there among the disintegrating houses are the homes of folks who live within the sound of the trains.

Because of this proximity, this route is very popular with rail fans, folks who love trains and follow them along, making photographs and taking notes about engines, railcars and such.

Disintegrating house in Caliente.

Disintegrating house in Caliente.

You can follow Caliente-Bodfish Road to the northeast, a route that will take you the back way into Lake Isabella, or you can go west along the railroad until you get to Bena Road, Edison Road and then back onto Highway 58. This is the best way to go to see wildflowers in the spring and summer and to see trains all year round.

OIL: Alien-looking oil pumps crowd the oil fields outside Bakersfield.

OIL: Alien-looking oil pumps crowd the oil fields outside Bakersfield.

I generally skip Bakersfield because I seem to be rushing to get somewhere else. But it does have some nice museums and restaurants. It is not a cultural wasteland.

Highway 58 transits the giant oil fields of the Antelope Plain west of Bakersfield with hundreds if not thousands of pumps looking like donkeys or aliens from another planet. Some are even painted to look like giant bugs. California is the fourth largest oil producer in the U.S.

 

As it leaves Bakersfield as a surface road, not a freeway, Highway 58 has many local names. The Rosedale, McKittrick and Carissa Highways take you across the low-lying Temblor Range -- named after the Spanish name for earthquake -- into California Valley and the Carrizo Plain. Hills and plains can be covered with wildflowers for miles when winter and spring rains are just right.

DAISIES: Hillsides are carpeted with monolopia and fiddlenecks along the highway in the Temblor Range of Kern County.

DAISIES: Hillsides are carpeted with monolopia and fiddlenecks along the highway in the Temblor Range of Kern County.

The road is very nearly flat as it crosses the normally arid grassy plain of California Valley, bordered to the west by mountains and to the east by the San Andreas Fault. Immediately south of California Valley is Soda Lake, which is part of the Carrizo Plain National Monument. In wet winter months, Soda Lake can be home to several thousand sandhill cranes, which put the plain on the ornithological map. This protected country is also home to many breeding raptor species.

For bird and wildflower enthusiasts, this is paradise.

The California Highway Patrol infrequently patrols Highway 58 through the valley. There are no medical services or gas stations nearby.

Make sure, as you cross the valley, that you are well stocked in case of an emergency.

NO GAS: An abandoned gas station in the desolate California Valley points up the fact that there are no service stations in the area.

NO GAS: An abandoned gas station in the desolate California Valley points up the fact that there are no service stations in the area.

The book that we mentioned at the beginning, “Route 58: A Cross-Section of California,”covers the road all the way to Santa Margarita, with plenty of interesting locations and background information.

But Shell Creek is our last stop on our trip. It is one of those places flower photographers flock to in good spring weather, hoping for that once in a lifetime photo of wildflower carpets blossoming amongst the oak trees along the creek.

TILTED VIEW: Shell Creek provided a colourful last stop on my Highway 58 road trip.

TILTED VIEW: Shell Creek provided a colourful last stop on my Highway 58 road trip.

Although the drive on Highway 58 can be done in one day, take several and enjoy the various nooks and crannies of this splendid road. There are the typical motels in towns and cities and a campground in the Carrizo Plain National Monument. County roads crossing 58 lead to San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, both large wine-grape farming communities with splendid lodgings and wine tasting.

*Route 58: A Cross-Section of California (a free pdf from the folks at the Center for Land Use Interpretation is available for download here) offers a glimpse at historical sites and hidden gems along this 210-mile highway.

For more information, consider:

Carrizo Plain: The Guy L. Goodwin Education Center: Open seasonally from the beginning of December to the end of May. Visit: www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bakersfield/Programs/ carrizo/goodwin.html

Earthquakes tour: A self-guided, interpretive trail has been constructed at Wallace Creek and along a portion of the San Andreas Fault. Brochures are available at the trail head or at the Education Center. Signs and a detailed brochure provide information about the San Andreas and aid visitors in identifying features along this famous fault. Visit: www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bakersfield/Programs/carrizo.htm

Bakersfield: www.VisitBakersfield.com

Barstow: www.barstowca.org

Mojave: www.mojave.ca.us/new_site/Mojave_chamber_members.htm

Tehachapi: www.tehachapicityhall.com

The Center for Land Use Interpretation has two other books that could be of interest to High Desert dwellers: “Hinterland” and “Points of Interest in the California Desert Region.” These books and “Route 58: A Cross-Section of California,” can be ordered from www.clui.org. (Note: A free pdf of the Route 58 book from the folks at the Center for Land Use Interpretation is available for download here.)

back to beginning of article

Related pages

Barstow
Road Trip - Laughlin - Route 66 Oatman

Other Photo-Stories by Lara Hartley
Birthday Road Trip: Route 66
Ludlow for Lunch
Intimate Landscapes

 

 

Share this page on Facebook:


DesertUSA Newsletter -- We send articles on hiking, camping and places to explore, as well as animals, wildflower reports, plant information and much more. Sign up below or read more about the DesertUSA newsletter here. (It's Free.)

The Desert Environment
The North American Deserts
Desert Geological Terms

SEARCH THIS SITE
FREE DESERTUSA NEWSLETTER

Enter Email:


Shop desert store

 

Catnip





 
 
 
Copyright © 1996- DesertUSA.com and Digital West Media, Inc. - -