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35-724: The road is 66 miles (106 km) in length, with its western terminus at the intersection at Foothill Boulevard in La Cañada Flintridge and its eastern terminus at the Pearblossom Highway (State Route 138) northeast of Wrightwood . The majority of the route passes through the San Gabriel Mountains located north of the Greater Los Angeles Area . Segments of the road reach elevations above 7,000 feet (2,100 m), with

70-404: A National Forest Adventure Pass available for a $ 5.00 fee. During the 2009 wildfire season the large fire known as the " Station Fire " burned the mountains through which Route 2 travels. The fire damaged the signs, guardrails, and lane striping, as well as leaving large boulders and other debris all over the road. As a result, the highway was closed by Caltrans until November 30, 2009. It

105-542: A complete washout of a large section of roadway, further delaying the reopening of the highway. The long closure caused concern for the United States Forest Service and other emergency services agencies because it hindered access, particularly with firefighting efforts, and it hurt business in Wrightwood. After a four-and-a-half year closure, the highway reopened on May 20, 2009. Repairs included

140-696: A summit of 7,903 feet (2,409 m) at the Dawson Saddle , which makes this road one of the highest in Southern California. The segment from La Cañada Flintridge to the Los Angeles – San Bernardino county line is known as the Angeles Crest Scenic Byway , which is both a National Forest Scenic Byway and an officially designated California Scenic Highway . The route is best described as mountain-rural. Because

175-746: Is heavily travelled by southbound traffic in the morning (and corresponding northbound traffic in the afternoon) that comprises commuters who live in the Antelope Valley and work in the Greater Los Angeles Area . The route is a convenient alternative to the Antelope Valley Freeway (State Route 14) and the Golden State Freeway ( Interstate 5 ), both located to the west, for reaching the Foothill Freeway ( Interstate 210 ) and San Gabriel Valley . Because

210-599: Is operated by Glendale Transit line 3 and Metro Local lines 90 and 690. The western segment of Foothill Boulevard ends at Oak Grove Drive in Pasadena , where it heads southeast across the unsigned freeway alignment, with an interchange at Yucca Lane. To reach the second portion of Foothill Boulevard, one must head east on Oak Grove, where it becomes Woodbury Road, head south on Fair Oaks Avenue , and head east on Walnut Street, passing through Old Town Pasadena , where at Greenwood Avenue, Foothill Boulevard branches off. Until

245-547: Is sporadic and signal strength and clarity are poor, due to the terrain and distance from cellular communication antennas . The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act passed in December 2004, protects the Angeles National Forest. Although anyone can park at the side of the road and access the wilderness along the side of the road, doing so for extended periods of time, such as camping or hiking, requires

280-695: The Foothill Freeway , bypassing the city of San Fernando , entering Lake View Terrace south of the I-210/ SR 118 interchange. SR 118 formerly ran along Foothill Boulevard from the 210/118 interchange until Pasadena . In 1974, the current alignment of Interstate 210 was completed, and the only remaining portion of the Foothill Boulevard Freeway was the unsigned freeway over the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena. Foothill Boulevard leaves

315-719: The San Bernardino Mountains . There are US 66 signs within the cities of Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, and San Bernardino. Many other cities along the boulevard have posted "Historic Route 66" signage. California's legislature has relinquished state control of the segment from the Pomona–Claremont line east to the Fontana–Rialto line, and turned it over to local control. SR 66 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System , although it

350-619: The San Fernando Valley , passing through the Sunland and Tujunga neighborhoods in the northwestern Crescenta Valley . It then enters the Crescenta Highlands neighborhood of Glendale and serves as a main street in the north Glendale area. Then it enters the unincorporated area of La Crescenta-Montrose (known just as "La Crescenta" to locals), and it serves as the main street through the valley. Upon crossing

385-590: The Sylmar district of the city of Los Angeles at Sierra Highway near the southern terminus of the Antelope Valley Freeway ( SR 14 ). Foothill Boulevard is a two-lane road through Newhall Pass, paralleling the Interstate 5 truck lanes until its intersection with Balboa Boulevard , where it becomes a four-lane road for the remainder of its length. At the I-5 / I-210 interchange, Foothill Boulevard heads southeast along

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420-423: The 1960s, there was another segment of Foothill Boulevard that extended north into Altadena along the current route of Altadena Drive. This spur began at the current intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Altadena Drive in the eastern part of Pasadena—at that time, Foothill was named East Foothill Boulevard ; Altadena Drive north of Foothill was signed North Foothill Boulevard , while Altadena Drive south of Foothill

455-488: The Angeles Crest Highway throughout much of its length, use available alternate routing where possible, or be willing to turn around and retrace their trip at any point along its route if necessary. The Angeles Crest Highway is normally closed in the winter from Islip Saddle to Vincent Gap due to rockfall and avalanche hazards. The winter storms of 2004/05 caused several landslides and significant damage to

490-512: The County of Los Angeles both agreed to change the name of the spur north of Foothill to Altadena Drive; Santa Anita Avenue between Foothill and the southern city limit of Pasadena was also renamed Altadena Drive, though that name change did not occur until the early 1970s. Foothill Boulevard remains parallel to Interstate 210 until entering the Arcadia city limits, where it heads due east and

525-796: The San Bernardino city limits, where it retains its SR 66 signage, but changes into 5th Street and the route passes through downtown San Bernardino . At the interchange with Interstate 215 , the SR 66 designation ends (at downtown San Bernardino ), although old US 66 headed north on Mount Vernon Avenue (along old US 395 / US 91 ) before exiting the Inland Empire over the Cajon Pass . Fifth Street has an interchange with SR 210 in Highland before turning into Greenspot Road, where it ends in

560-720: The Verdugo Wash, it enters the city of La Cañada Flintridge and the northern terminus of the Glendale Freeway . Further east is the southern terminus of the Angeles Crest Highway ( SR 2 ). Note that although the Glendale Freeway and Angeles Crest Highway both end at Foothill Boulevard, Foothill itself does not intersect State Route 2, as SR 2's alignment heads east one mile (1.6 km) on Interstate 210 . This portion of Foothill Boulevard

595-470: The construction of a new bridge intended to allow landslides to pass underneath without damaging the road. The work cost $ 10.5 million. A moratorium on three-axles trucks was imposed in 2009 following the deaths of two people when a tractor trailer lost control and crashed into a La Cañada Flintridge business (other California highways have similar truck bans such as I-580 and SR 85 but have been implemented for different reasons). Cell phone reception

630-527: The event of road closures due to acts of nature such as landslides and fires. At about the midpoint of the highway is the junction with the north terminus of State Route 39 . However, access to State Route 39 is not possible as it is closed indefinitely to automobile traffic because of persistent landslides along its route. Therefore, travelers to the Angeles National Forest preferring the Angeles Crest Highway corridor should expect to be on

665-721: The freeway heads southeast. This section of Foothill Boulevard, which ends at Mountain Avenue in Monrovia , was also a part of US 66 until the late 1930s. Before Huntington Drive was built through Duarte, Foothill Boulevard ran along the current routing of Royal Oaks Drive between Shamrock Avenue in Monrovia just past Highland Avenue in Duarte, meeting the current end of Foothill Boulevard at the San Gabriel River bridge. Most of

700-532: The highway. Thus, the highway never reopened in the summer of 2005. Damage to the highway was estimated to be over $ 4 million as of November 2005. Terri Kasinga, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation, stated in November 2005 "It is definitely not going to open until next spring (of 2006)". However, a March 2006 storm caused even more extensive damage to the highway, including

735-475: The junction of Mount Wilson Road and Angeles Crest Highway. Depending on visibility conditions, impressive views of the Los Angeles Basin are possible from the vicinity of Mount Wilson. The most frequent hindrances of what can be seen are the smog and/or a marine layer covering the basin below. The westernmost segment of the highway, combined with Angeles Forest Highway to/from State Route 14 ,

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770-507: The middle of the road, next to his bike, the camera zooms in on Donnie, then loops around and shows a view of the valley seen from Angeles Crest Highway. The highway is also used later in the movie for other scenes. The Angeles Crest Highway is also used extensively in the motion picture The Love Bug for racing scenes, as well as in the sequel film Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo , where the highway doubles for "The French Alps". Intersections with other roads are few, which can be problematic in

805-470: The north end of Pomona and Claremont before entering San Bernardino County in the city of Upland . Foothill passes through residential areas before emerging in Rancho Cucamonga , where it intersects Interstate 15 . Foothill Boulevard continues east through the cities of Fontana (and such landmarks as Bono's Restaurant and Deli ), Rialto , and San Bernardino . Foothill Boulevard ends at

840-595: The old U.S. Route 66 to Amelia Avenue. In Azusa , east of Cerritos Avenue, Alosta Avenue (the old U.S. Route 66 ) forks southeast (the city of Glendora renamed Alosta Avenue "Route 66"), and at Amelia Avenue, it turns back into Foothill Boulevard. At the interchange with SR 210 near the San Dimas / La Verne city limits, Foothill Boulevard is defined as State Route 66 , although it is unsigned in Los Angeles County. Foothill Blvd (SR 66) passes through

875-562: The old route in eastern Duarte was removed during the housing boom in the 1940s. The third section of Foothill Boulevard is accessed by going south on Mountain and going east on Huntington Drive through the Los Angeles County cities of Monrovia and Duarte . Upon crossing the San Gabriel River into Irwindale , Huntington turns into Foothill Boulevard. Foothill passes through the city of Azusa , where it jogs north at Citrus Avenue. It continues through Glendora one block north of

910-547: The predawn hours of December 8, 2004, a van plunged off the side of Angeles Forest Highway at about 1-mile (1.6 km) north of its junction with the Angeles Crest Highway, killing 3 of the 10 people in the van. The van was a carpool carrying workers of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from the Antelope Valley to work in Pasadena. It was determined upon investigation by the CHP that the driver fell asleep at

945-898: The road became West Foothill Boulevard and came to a dead end about 1 ⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) west of Lincoln Avenue, a good mile away from the end of the western segment of Foothill in La Cañada Flintridge. It is not clear if the two segments were ever supposed to be connected, as the Arroyo Seco and Jet Propulsion Laboratory intervene; however, the changes in direction and duplicate street names were confusing—not only did North Foothill meet East Foothill, there were two East Foothill Boulevards (one in Pasadena and one in Altadena) and two Santa Anita Avenues (again, one in Pasadena and one in Altadena.) The city of Pasadena and

980-455: The road is a two-lane highway, its vehicle capacity is significantly lower than either of the two freeways. In contrast, the remainder of the Angeles Crest Highway is lightly traveled. Typically, this traffic is composed of vacationers, sightseers, and locals. The three areas comprising Mountain High ski resort are just west of Wrightwood . Construction of Angeles Crest Highway began in 1929. It

1015-575: The route passes through the protected San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and Angeles National Forest, development is very limited. There are not many buildings between La Cañada Flintridge and Wrightwood save for Newcomb's Ranch , and forest service campgrounds and visitor centers . Other points of interest along the route include the Mountain High and Mt. Waterman ski areas. Mount Wilson and its Mount Wilson Observatory and various radio/television transmitters are about 4.5 miles from

1050-575: The route. Like its name implies, Foothill Boulevard runs across the foothills of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains . For much of its length, Foothill Boulevard is the historic Route 66 , so many diners and other establishments along the road have been refurbished in a 1950s style, or otherwise trade on the Route 66 association. Foothill Boulevard starts off in Newhall Pass in

1085-456: The staff attended Chilao Mountain School, a one-room school; the school has been closed for several years. Angeles Crest Highway was originally planned to be upgraded to a freeway in the 1950s, but was later considered geographically improbable and the plans were abandoned. Roads in the San Gabriel Mountains have a high number of single-vehicle auto and motorcycle accidents. As an example, in

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1120-427: The wheel of the van. The Angeles Crest Highway and Angeles Forest Highway have figured in various murders, not as scenes of the murders but as drop-off points for the bodies of the victims, including that of Linda Sobek, a model kidnapped and found dead in the area in 1995. The motion picture Donnie Darko , released in 2001, was partially filmed on Angeles Crest Highway. In the opening scene with Donnie waking up in

1155-562: Was briefly re-opened until mud and rock slides in early 2010 forced a portion of the highway to be closed again from 2 miles east of the I-210 junction to 14 miles east of La Cañada Flintridge. It reopened on June 3, 2011. Foothill Boulevard (Los Angeles) Foothill Boulevard is a major road in the city and county of Los Angeles , as well as an arterial road in the city and county of San Bernardino , stretching well over 60 miles (97 km) in length, with some notable breaks along

1190-431: Was originally intended to be a fire access road . In 1941 construction stopped because of World War II . In 1946, after the war, construction resumed; the completed highway eventually opened in 1956. The road was constructed by prison labor from Camp 37, which has since been razed. Division of Highways (now known as CalTrans ) staff lived at a site called Cedar Springs. The staff is now located at Chilao Flats. Children of

1225-412: Was signed Santa Anita Avenue . North Foothill Boulevard ran north along the eastern part of Pasadena into the eastern extremity of Altadena, paralleling Eaton Canyon for about 1 ⁄ 2 mile (0.80 km). At Mendocino Lane in Altadena, the route became East Foothill Boulevard again and ran east–west through the central part of Altadena. At the intersection with Fair Oaks Avenue in west Altadena,

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