Blue Cut Rest Area

Cajon Blvd., Cajon Junction, CA
Phone:

East < GO > West

The Blue Cut rest Area got its name from the color of the stone visible in the canyon walls. This wasn't always just a "rest area" where travelers could stop for a picnic of a nap. In the dustbowl and depression years of the 1930s people moving to California from other parts of the country were sometimes detained here while the authorities decided if they were going to be allowed to go farther or not. These involuntary stays apparently could last from a few days to a few weeks.

GPS: 34.266643, -117.459456

The remnants of an old truck scale can still be seen near the monument. The elevation of the rest area is about 2,600 feet and the Cajon Summit is about 4,200 feet. So coming down the hill in the old days, meaning before I-15 arrived traffic had dropped about 1,600 feet, so this was probably a good place to stop and let your brakes cool down. That would have been especially true for a fully loaded semi-truck.

There is a historical marker in he Blue Cut Rest Area that tells a bit of the history of the Cajon Pass. It's an interesting story dating back to before 1851 and well worth taking a few minutes to read. The marker doesn't actually say much about the rest area though.

Looking across the roadway you can see the Blue Slide area, the bluish color of the rock gave the rest stop its name. The color stands out more or less depending on the sunlight at the moment. The 1930s realignment of the road helped reduce damage and closings from landslides which routinely flowed onto the old roadway.

There is a 1931 stone wall here to help control erosion and to keep cars from plunging into the canyon below. The wall was built when the road was realigned a bit to straightened in the early 30s. Part of the wall was washed away in 2005 but has since been rebuilt. Another part of this realignment was moving the Canjon Creek into a channel at the bottom of the canyon thus eliminating two bridges.

This early 1930s project also eliminated 59 of 91 curves, making it a much safer road. In 1939 more of the hill was carved out to widen the road. I think that was the area opposite the stone wall. In the early 1950s two addition lanes were added beside the 1930 road making it a four lane road. Two lanes were alter abandoned after I-15 opened. The abandoned lanes are still in place for much of the way.

If you like trains this is a popular spot to watch them. The tracks you see in this photo are just one set, there are three more stes lower in the canyon, which you can see by looking over the stone wall.

Photo(s): 2015, 2017