State Route 18 (SR 18) is a
state highway in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. It serves as a primary route into the
San Bernardino Mountains, both from the
Riverside–San Bernardino metropolitan area from the south and the
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...
from the north. SR 18 runs from
State Route 210 in
San Bernardino
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...
to
State Route 138 in
Llano. It has two discontinuities: one in
Big Bear Lake, the other in
Victorville
Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810.
History
In 1858, Aaron G. Lane came to what is now known as Victorville and founded a waystation called "Lane's Cro ...
.
Route description
![View_of_snow-capped_mountains_from_CA_Highway_18_east_of_Lake_Arrowhead_turnoff](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/View_of_snow-capped_mountains_from_CA_Highway_18_east_of_Lake_Arrowhead_turnoff.jpg)
The constructed portion of Route 18 begins at
State Route 210 and quickly enters the San Bernardino Mountains as a four-lane
expressway. SR 18 is known as Waterman Avenue in the city of
San Bernardino
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...
before turning into SR 18. The route climbs north at a gentle grade until it turns east, where it begins to offer panoramic views of San Bernardino. Hence, this portion of Route 18 is known as the Rim of the World Highway. After meeting
State Route 138 at Mount Anderson Junction south of
Crestline, the expressway reverts to a two-lane mountain road. It meets two other highways,
State Route 189 just east of Arrowhead Highlands and
State Route 173 in
Lake Arrowhead, before running over
State Route 330 in
Running Springs. SR 18 continues through several valleys and near
ski resorts
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In ...
before reaching a summit. At that point, Route 18 again runs along a lengthy mountain ridge, offering more spectacular scenery at an even higher
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...
. At its west junction with
State Route 38 near the west corner of
Big Bear Lake, Route 18 jogs across a dam and travels along the south shore of Big Bear Lake. After going through
the City of Big Bear Lake, it overlaps with SR 38 and moves from the south to the north side of Bear Valley east of both Big Bear Lake and the Big Bear City airport before it descends from the mountains to the desert on the northerly side of the mountains, first heading northeast, briefly north, and then northwest.
SR 18 at this point follows the cities on the north face of the San Bernardino Mountains in the Mojave Desert: In
Lucerne Valley
Lucerne Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) and valley landform in the southern Mojave Desert, in western San Bernardino County, California.
Geography
The geographic valley is defined by the surrounding Granite Mountains, Ord Mountains, ...
, it turns west for 21 miles with SR 247 1/8th of a mile north of the bend. It goes past the east terminus of Bear Valley Road (a major Victor Valley area cutoff) outside of Apple Valley town limits as it becomes an expressway (Happy Trails Highway, given for the High Desert's residency and final resting place of the legendary singing cowboy,
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...
) through
Apple Valley and
Victorville
Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810.
History
In 1858, Aaron G. Lane came to what is now known as Victorville and founded a waystation called "Lane's Cro ...
. It joins with
Interstate 15
Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Cana ...
inside of Victorville (this is considered a discontinuity, since the freeway entries refer to I-15 only and not State Route 18, which has partial route markings along the freeway, mainly on southbound I-15) for a few miles to the southeast and south before taking off west across the desert, reducing into a two-lane highway again outside of Victorville and meeting
U.S. Route 395
U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Laurier, where the road ...
in Adelanto, crosses into Los Angeles County as the beginning of county-named Pearblossom Highway and ending at
State Route 138 east of
Llano.
SR 18 thus takes an unusual path in the shape of a
question mark
The question mark (also known as interrogation point, query, or eroteme in journalism) is a punctuation mark that indicates an interrogative clause or phrase in many languages.
History
In the fifth century, Syriac Bible manuscripts used que ...
. On most of the signs of the highway, cardinal descriptions are not posted below the route markers, since it does not clearly go either west/east or north/south. Also notable is that State Route 18 and 138 cover each other in opposing termini, as SR 138 ends at its southmost point in Crestline with SR 18, while SR 18's northwest most endpoint is in Llano with SR 138.
SR 18 is part of the
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 encompasses both State highways and federal highways in California. It is defined by Article 2 (comme ...
,
and in Apple Valley and west of I-15 are part of the
National Highway System,
a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...
.
SR 18 is eligible to be included in the
State Scenic Highway System,
but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the
California Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the cabinet-level California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). Caltrans is headquartered in Sacr ...
.
SR 18 from SR 138 at Crestline to SR 38 at the westernmost point of Big Bear Lake, and the SR 18/38 overlap in the City of Big Bear Lake, are designated as part of the
Rim of the World Scenic Byway, a
National Forest Scenic Byway.
History
Much of SR 18 has been signed since 1917, with the portion north of Big Bear Lake dating from 1933. Since 1963, State Route 18 has generally been legislatively defined as from
Interstate 10 to
State Route 138 going through
San Bernardino
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...
through
Waterman Canyon and near
Big Bear Lake and
Victorville
Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810.
History
In 1858, Aaron G. Lane came to what is now known as Victorville and founded a waystation called "Lane's Cro ...
. However, the section from Interstate 10 to present-day
State Route 210 was never built, although it was designated as Legislative Route 26 in 1916 and Legislative Route 275 in 1959. In 1944, prior to the construction of I-10, the southern terminus of SR 18 began at the intersection of E Street and Colton Avenue. It proceeded northward along E Street to Highland Avenue, turned eastward to Sierra Avenue, and northward into the foothills. In 1964, SR 18 was rerouted from the northern side of
Big Bear Lake to the southern side along the former routing of SR 38 and lost its Legislative Route 43 designation. In 1984, the portion of SR 18 running concurrently with Interstate 15 in Victorville was removed from the legislative definition. In 1991, SR 18 was rerouted to Lakeview Drive and out of the downtown area of
Big Bear Lake city proper, and this is now a business route of SR 18.
Before 1964, SR 18 continued south of San Bernardino to
Lakewood, via La Cadena Drive, Magnolia Avenue, 6th Street, Pomona-Rincon Road, Santa Ana Canyon Road, Lincoln Avenue,
Carson Street and
Lakewood Boulevard. When freeways were constructed, SR 18 was routed on what is now
Interstate 215 and
State Route 91 as well as Lakewood Boulevard. SR 18 then ran concurrently with
State Route 19 to the western terminus of
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to P ...
in
Long Beach
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
.
Major intersections
See also
*
References
Further reading
*
External links
{{commonscat
California @ AARoads - State Route 18Caltrans: Route 18 highway conditionsRoute 18 Live Web Cam in Big Bear Lake's Boulder Bay
018
State Route 018
State Route 018
San Bernardino Mountains
Mojave Desert
Transportation in San Bernardino, California
Victorville, California