California State Route 62
Encyclopedia
State Route 62 is a state highway in the U.S. state
of California
.
and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System
. It is also recognized by Caltrans as a scenic highway for its entire length.
SR 62 is designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway
from Interstate 10 to Adobe Road in Twentynine Palms. SR 62 is known as the CHP Officer Daniel J. Muehlhausen Memorial Highway from 5.4 mi (8.7 km) west of Route 177 to 4.6 mi (7.4 km) east of Route 177, and the Twentynine Palms Highway from I-10 to SR 177.
The route cuts across the Little San Bernardino Mountains
along southern San Bernardino County
. Route 62 begins at a freeway-to-freeway intersection with Interstate 10 at the eastern end of the San Gorgonio Pass
northwest of Palm Springs
in Riverside County
and heads due north until its intersection with SR 247
in Yucca Valley
, and then it heads east through Twentynine Palms
. In 1970, Route 62 ended at the eastern city limit of Twentynine Palms, but it was later extended along the northern boundary of the Joshua Tree National Park
to meet Arizona State Route 95 in Parker, Arizona
. East of Twentynine Palms, there is a sign warning drivers that there are no services for 100 miles/160 km until reaching Vidal Junction
where SR 62 meets US 95
. This is one of the most desolate stretches of highway in California, and consequently, the most heavily traveled portion is between I-10 and Twentynine Palms. Travelers between the eastern Coachella Valley
and the river utilize that more desolate stretch as the fastest route to the resorts of the Colorado River
, accessing it via California State Route 177 in Desert Center
.
{| class=wikitable
!County
!Location
!Postmile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=3|Riverside
RIV 0.00-9.24
|
|0.00
|
|Interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|
|R3.34
|Pierson Boulevard – Desert Hot Springs
|
|-
|
|R6.45
|North Indian Canyon Avenue
|Base of the Morongo Grade, a gentle, mountainous stretch of highway leading to the Morongo Basin
|-
|rowspan=5|San Bernardino
SBD 0.00-79.48
|Morongo Valley
|1.88
|East Drive – Big Morongo Canyon Preserve
, Covington Park
|
|-
|Yucca Valley
|12.40
|
|
|-
|Joshua Tree
|18.26
|Park Boulevard
|Serves Joshua Tree National Park
|-
|rowspan=2|Twentynine Palms
|33.21
|Adobe Road – Palms Base, Amboy
|
|-
|34.22
|Utah Trail – Amboy
|Serves Joshua Tree National Park
|-
|Riverside
RIV 79.48-90.20
|
|84.97
|
|
|-
|rowspan=4|San Bernardino
SBD 90.20-142.66
|Vidal Junction
|125.76
|
|
|-
|Earp
|
|Parker Dam Road – Parker Dam
|
|-
|
|142.66
|colspan=2 align=center|Arizona state line
|-
|
|142.66
|
|Continuation beyond the Arizona
state line
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Route description
This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway SystemCalifornia 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 is defined by the Streets and Highways Code.-List of roads in the system:*State Route 1 *State Route 2...
and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System
State Scenic Highway System (California)
The State Scenic Highway System is a list of highways, mainly state highways, that have been designated by the California Department of Transportation as scenic highways. The California State Legislature, primarily through Section 263 of the Streets and Highways Code, makes highways eligible for...
. It is also recognized by Caltrans as a scenic highway for its entire length.
SR 62 is designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway
Blue Star Memorial Highway
Blue Star Memorial Highways are highways in the United States that are marked to pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces. The National Council of State Garden Clubs, now known as National Garden Clubs, Inc., started the program in 1945 after World War II. The blue star was used on service flags to...
from Interstate 10 to Adobe Road in Twentynine Palms. SR 62 is known as the CHP Officer Daniel J. Muehlhausen Memorial Highway from 5.4 mi (8.7 km) west of Route 177 to 4.6 mi (7.4 km) east of Route 177, and the Twentynine Palms Highway from I-10 to SR 177.
The route cuts across the Little San Bernardino Mountains
Little San Bernardino Mountains
The Little San Bernardino Mountains are a short mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 40 mi southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains through San Bernardino and Riverside Counties to near the northeast...
along southern San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
. Route 62 begins at a freeway-to-freeway intersection with Interstate 10 at the eastern end of the San Gorgonio Pass
San Gorgonio Pass
The San Gorgonio Pass el. cuts between the San Bernardino Mountains on the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. Like the Cajon Pass to the northwest, it was also created by the San Andreas Fault...
northwest of Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
in Riverside County
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
and heads due north until its intersection with SR 247
California State Route 247
State Route 247 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in San Bernardino County.This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System.-Route description:...
in Yucca Valley
Yucca Valley, California
Yucca Valley is an incorporated town located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 20,700 at the 2010 census, up from 16,865 at the 2000 census...
, and then it heads east through Twentynine Palms
Twentynine Palms, California
Twentynine Palms is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It was previously called Twenty-Nine Palms...
. In 1970, Route 62 ended at the eastern city limit of Twentynine Palms, but it was later extended along the northern boundary of the Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...
to meet Arizona State Route 95 in Parker, Arizona
Parker, Arizona
Parker is a town in and the county seat of La Paz County, Arizona, United States, on the Colorado River in Parker Valley. The population was 3,140 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. East of Twentynine Palms, there is a sign warning drivers that there are no services for 100 miles/160 km until reaching Vidal Junction
Vidal Junction, California
Vidal Junction, California is a small town site in the Sonoran Desert in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, United States.The town is near the California/Arizona state line immediately west of Parker at the intersection of U.S. Route 95 and State Route 62 a short distance north of...
where SR 62 meets US 95
U.S. Route 95 in California
In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 95 traverses through the far eastern edges of both Riverside and San Bernardino counties. US 95 serves Blythe and Needles and junctions with SR 62 at Vidal Junction....
. This is one of the most desolate stretches of highway in California, and consequently, the most heavily traveled portion is between I-10 and Twentynine Palms. Travelers between the eastern Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
and the river utilize that more desolate stretch as the fastest route to the resorts of the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
, accessing it via California State Route 177 in Desert Center
Desert Center, California
-"Desert Steve" Ragsdale:The town was founded in 1921 by Stephen A. Ragsdale, also known as “Desert Steve”, and his wife, Lydia. Ragsdale was an itinerant preacher and cotton farmer, originally from Arkansas. In 1915, he left his farm in the Palo Verde Valley along the Colorado River to attend to...
.
Major intersections
- Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at some county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
{| class=wikitable
!County
!Location
!Postmile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=3|Riverside
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
RIV 0.00-9.24
|
|0.00
|
|Interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|
|R3.34
|Pierson Boulevard – Desert Hot Springs
Desert Hot Springs, California
Desert Hot Springs, also known as DHS, is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The city is located within the Coachella Valley geographic region, sometimes referred to as the Desert Empire. The population was 25,938 at the 2010 census, up from 16,582 at the 2000 United States...
|
|-
|
|R6.45
|North Indian Canyon Avenue
|Base of the Morongo Grade, a gentle, mountainous stretch of highway leading to the Morongo Basin
|-
|rowspan=5|San Bernardino
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
SBD 0.00-79.48
|Morongo Valley
Morongo Valley, California
Morongo Valley is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 3,552 at the 2010 census, up from 1,929 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:...
|1.88
|East Drive – Big Morongo Canyon Preserve
Big Morongo Canyon Preserve
The Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is a 31,000 acres native plants habitat and wildlife preserve located in the Little San Bernardino Mountains of the Transverse Ranges, in the transition zone between the higher Mojave Desert and lower elevation Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran...
, Covington Park
|
|-
|Yucca Valley
Yucca Valley, California
Yucca Valley is an incorporated town located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 20,700 at the 2010 census, up from 16,865 at the 2000 census...
|12.40
|
|
|-
|Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree, California
Joshua Tree is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 7,414 at the 2010 census, up from 4,207 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Joshua Tree is located in the Mojave Desert at ....
|18.26
|Park Boulevard
|Serves Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...
|-
|rowspan=2|Twentynine Palms
Twentynine Palms, California
Twentynine Palms is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It was previously called Twenty-Nine Palms...
|33.21
|Adobe Road – Palms Base, Amboy
Amboy, California
Amboy is an unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, in California's Mojave Desert, west of Needles and east of Ludlow on historic Route 66. It is roughly 60 miles northeast of Twentynine Palms.-Geography:...
|
|-
|34.22
|Utah Trail – Amboy
Amboy, California
Amboy is an unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, in California's Mojave Desert, west of Needles and east of Ludlow on historic Route 66. It is roughly 60 miles northeast of Twentynine Palms.-Geography:...
|Serves Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...
|-
|Riverside
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
RIV 79.48-90.20
|
|84.97
|
|
|-
|rowspan=4|San Bernardino
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
SBD 90.20-142.66
|Vidal Junction
Vidal Junction, California
Vidal Junction, California is a small town site in the Sonoran Desert in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, United States.The town is near the California/Arizona state line immediately west of Parker at the intersection of U.S. Route 95 and State Route 62 a short distance north of...
|125.76
|
|
|-
|Earp
Earp, California
Earp, California is an unincorporated townsite in San Bernardino County in the Sonoran Desert close to the California/Arizona state line at the Colorado River in Parker Valley....
|
|Parker Dam Road – Parker Dam
Parker Dam
Parker Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam that crosses the Colorado River downstream of Hoover Dam. Built between 1934 and 1938 by the Bureau of Reclamation, it is high, of which are below the riverbed, making it "the deepest dam in the world". The dam's primary functions are to create a...
|
|-
|
|142.66
|colspan=2 align=center|Arizona state line
|-
|
|142.66
|
|Continuation beyond the Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
state line