The Grapevine Grade

USA / California / Lebec /
When heading south on I-5, the road suddenly climbs off the unendingly-flat valley floor (about 400 feet above sea level) to a valley in the Tehachapi mountains (about 4000 feet). You will always see vehicles pulled off to the right that have overheated - but water is available.

When heading north on I-5, the winding mountain portion of the highway twists and turns until you reach the summit of the Tejon pass (4144 feet), then you fairly steeply (6% grade) drop down the mountain, but the short flat valley gives way as the highway drops again for a fairly long downhill stretch. There are two runaway truck ramps in this stretch - one on the right and one on the left. Speed picks up VERY quickly!!
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   34°55'10"N   118°55'36"W

Comments

  • The shoulder of The Grapevine IS open to bicycles. Legally. Done it myself. The one real hazard are the drain grates at the side of the road. The slots are wide enough to swallow most bike tires and are aligned with the direction of travel. So, instant disaster if you go over one.
  • The northbound stetch from LA to Bakersfield was always fun on the downhill stretch. If I was driving a manual stick vehicle (a pickup or a small sedan) I always liked to take it out of gear and into "neutral" so that I could coast downhill. Yes, the speed does pick up quickly. I've topped out at nearly 90 mph coasting down I-5 on this stretch. It also helps if you have a "tail-wind" when coasting in a vehicle.
  • Used to do the same thing when I was in the Air Force in California in the 1980s. I guess the roller coasters at Disneyland and Six Flags Magic Mountain, which I'd usually be visiting on my trips to LA, just weren't enough! The closest thing we have to the Grapevine in the South is probably the stretch of I-24 near Monteagle, Tennessee, but I don't think it has even half the elevation!
This article was last modified 16 years ago