Former US 60/US 70/CA 195 on Box Canyon Road

[Max Rockatansky]

Shifting away from boring talk on Neo-Urbanism, Nanobots and Climate Change to something more fun (at least I think so), former US 60/US 70/CA 195 on Box Canyon Road.

Recently while in Riverside County I drove almost all of my numerous wish-list road items that I had lost my photos from in a hard drive crash back in 2013.  One of the biggest losses was former US 60/US 70/CA 195 in the Mecca Hills between I-10 and Coachella Valley on Box Canyon Road.  Box Canyon Road has origins as a Native American route of travel which became part of the Bradshaw Trail which was a wagon route to Arizona.  Box Canyon Road was added to the State Highway System in 1919 during the Third State Highway Bond Act as Legislative Route 64.  In 1931 Legislative Route 64 was extended to the Arizona State Line which brought US 60 into California the following year.  The initial alignment of US 60 on Box Canyon Road and was joined by US 70 when it was extended into California in 1934.  By June of 1935 the new Indio Cut-Off route west of Chiriaco Summit was opened which sliced 9 miles off the route of US 60/US 70. 

Interestingly Box Canyon Road remained a spur of Legislative Route 64 which was signed as the second CA 195 starting in 1940 when US 95 absorbed most of the original route along the Colorado River.  CA 195 lasted as a State Highway on Box Canyon Road until 1972 when the highway was truncated to CA 86 and CA 111.  I was actually able to find some Department of Public Works Guides for this blog which illustrate the construction of the Indio Cut-Off and replacement of Box Canyon Road.  Box Canyon Road was washed out in late 2018 and has been recently repaved.  The road through Box Canyon Road is aligned through canyons and washes which illustrate the seismic uplift occurring in the Mecca Hills, really it is a top notch scenic drive in the Sonoran Desert.

https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/10/box-canyon-road-former-us-60-us-70-and.html

[skluth]

I drove Box Canyon Road not long after it reopened. It's in good shape and it was fun to zip around the curves. It would be even more fun in a sports car instead of my Camry. There's very little traffic between the Coachella Canal and I-10, and not even much traffic on the west access along 66th Avenue. You are right that it's a top notch scenic drive. There's a very Radiator Springs vibe to the road.

[Max Rockatansky]

I drove Box Canyon Road not long after it reopened. It's in good shape and it was fun to zip around the curves. It would be even more fun in a sports car instead of my Camry. There's very little traffic between the Coachella Canal and I-10, and not even much traffic on the west access along 66th Avenue. You are right that it's a top notch scenic drive. There's a very Radiator Springs vibe to the road.

Some of the early US 60 alignments are pretty distinct which makes me kind of surprised they aren't more popular.  Box Canyon Road is highly accessible and is a really easy detour now than CA 86 is an expressway.  Jack Rabbit Trail has a mini-Ridge Route vibe in the Moreno Valley Badlands but can be an incredibly difficult drive given it hasn't been maintained in decades.  Obviously we talked about the 1923 Whitewater Bridge on the Palm Springs Roads thread but there is even stuff like Chuckwalla Valley Road east of Desert Center still lurking out in the Sonoran Desert which are worth seeing. 

[Exit58]

I drove Box Canyon Road not long after it reopened. It's in good shape and it was fun to zip around the curves. It would be even more fun in a sports car instead of my Camry. There's very little traffic between the Coachella Canal and I-10, and not even much traffic on the west access along 66th Avenue. You are right that it's a top notch scenic drive. There's a very Radiator Springs vibe to the road.

Some of the early US 60 alignments are pretty distinct which makes me kind of surprised they aren't more popular.  Box Canyon Road is highly accessible and is a really easy detour now than CA 86 is an expressway.  Jack Rabbit Trail has a mini-Ridge Route vibe in the Moreno Valley Badlands but can be an incredibly difficult drive given it hasn't been maintained in decades.  Obviously we talked about the 1923 Whitewater Bridge on the Palm Springs Roads thread but there is even stuff like Chuckwalla Valley Road east of Desert Center still lurking out in the Sonoran Desert which are worth seeing.

Last time I went out to Chuckwalla Valley Road hoping to see my first 'C' block in person, the road was closed due to bridge washouts (I think?). Has it reopened? If so it may be time for me to revisit the Indio area and knock out Box Canyon and Chuckwalla.

[Max Rockatansky]

I drove Box Canyon Road not long after it reopened. It's in good shape and it was fun to zip around the curves. It would be even more fun in a sports car instead of my Camry. There's very little traffic between the Coachella Canal and I-10, and not even much traffic on the west access along 66th Avenue. You are right that it's a top notch scenic drive. There's a very Radiator Springs vibe to the road.

Some of the early US 60 alignments are pretty distinct which makes me kind of surprised they aren't more popular.  Box Canyon Road is highly accessible and is a really easy detour now than CA 86 is an expressway.  Jack Rabbit Trail has a mini-Ridge Route vibe in the Moreno Valley Badlands but can be an incredibly difficult drive given it hasn't been maintained in decades.  Obviously we talked about the 1923 Whitewater Bridge on the Palm Springs Roads thread but there is even stuff like Chuckwalla Valley Road east of Desert Center still lurking out in the Sonoran Desert which are worth seeing.

Last time I went out to Chuckwalla Valley Road hoping to see my first 'C' block in person, the road was closed due to bridge washouts (I think?). Has it reopened? If so it may be time for me to revisit the Indio area and knock out Box Canyon and Chuckwalla.

The last time I checked it out was in late 2016 and it was closed still. 

[Exit58]

I drove Box Canyon Road not long after it reopened. It's in good shape and it was fun to zip around the curves. It would be even more fun in a sports car instead of my Camry. There's very little traffic between the Coachella Canal and I-10, and not even much traffic on the west access along 66th Avenue. You are right that it's a top notch scenic drive. There's a very Radiator Springs vibe to the road.

Some of the early US 60 alignments are pretty distinct which makes me kind of surprised they aren't more popular.  Box Canyon Road is highly accessible and is a really easy detour now than CA 86 is an expressway.  Jack Rabbit Trail has a mini-Ridge Route vibe in the Moreno Valley Badlands but can be an incredibly difficult drive given it hasn't been maintained in decades.  Obviously we talked about the 1923 Whitewater Bridge on the Palm Springs Roads thread but there is even stuff like Chuckwalla Valley Road east of Desert Center still lurking out in the Sonoran Desert which are worth seeing.

Last time I went out to Chuckwalla Valley Road hoping to see my first 'C' block in person, the road was closed due to bridge washouts (I think?). Has it reopened? If so it may be time for me to revisit the Indio area and knock out Box Canyon and Chuckwalla.

The last time I checked it out was in late 2016 and it was closed still.

Yeah that's about when I was last out there too. I don't think Riverside County really cares about that road, and I can't blame them. There are no businesses or homes out there AFAIK and only acts as a bypass of I-10 for maybe 10 miles or so. Interesting that they took the time and money to deal with Box Canyon though. I had no idea it was ever closed.

[Max Rockatansky]

I drove Box Canyon Road not long after it reopened. It's in good shape and it was fun to zip around the curves. It would be even more fun in a sports car instead of my Camry. There's very little traffic between the Coachella Canal and I-10, and not even much traffic on the west access along 66th Avenue. You are right that it's a top notch scenic drive. There's a very Radiator Springs vibe to the road.

Some of the early US 60 alignments are pretty distinct which makes me kind of surprised they aren't more popular.  Box Canyon Road is highly accessible and is a really easy detour now than CA 86 is an expressway.  Jack Rabbit Trail has a mini-Ridge Route vibe in the Moreno Valley Badlands but can be an incredibly difficult drive given it hasn't been maintained in decades.  Obviously we talked about the 1923 Whitewater Bridge on the Palm Springs Roads thread but there is even stuff like Chuckwalla Valley Road east of Desert Center still lurking out in the Sonoran Desert which are worth seeing.

Last time I went out to Chuckwalla Valley Road hoping to see my first 'C' block in person, the road was closed due to bridge washouts (I think?). Has it reopened? If so it may be time for me to revisit the Indio area and knock out Box Canyon and Chuckwalla.

The last time I checked it out was in late 2016 and it was closed still.

Yeah that's about when I was last out there too. I don't think Riverside County really cares about that road, and I can't blame them. There are no businesses or homes out there AFAIK and only acts as a bypass of I-10 for maybe 10 miles or so. Interesting that they took the time and money to deal with Box Canyon though. I had no idea it was ever closed.

It makes me think Box Canyon was on the short list to be repaired anyways given the pavement was pretty bad.  Box Canyon provides a fairly important cut off for Mecca Area traffic.  I believe all the private land parcels on Chuckwalla Valley Road dried up decades which doesn't give the County really any incentive to fix it since it is just a loop of I-10. 

[nexus73]

Strange to think an original old highway would have nut-n-honey on it.  Over here in Oregon the original routings is where settling in occurred, even if it was just ranches and farms while the new routings can be rather sparse in terms of seeing development. 

Being SoCal, if the land is flat and there's a road, someone will eventually develop it!

Rick

[Max Rockatansky]

Strange to think an original old highway would have nut-n-honey on it.  Over here in Oregon the original routings is where settling in occurred, even if it was just ranches and farms while the new routings can be rather sparse in terms of seeing development. 

Being SoCal, if the land is flat and there's a road, someone will eventually develop it!

Rick

That's some pretty inhospitable territory on Chuckwalla Valley Road.  I don't believe there are any really know natural wells which might encourage ranching.  The Bradshaw Trail largely stayed in the mountains since they had access to water and it wasn't until the 20th Century when much of the Sonoran Desert began developing modern roadways.  Even the early Spanish Routes Line El Camino Del Diablo stuck as close natural springs/wells as possible.  The Mojave Desert was definitely much easier to overcome with all the rail lines that ended up being built in the late 19th Century. 

[Exit58]

Strange to think an original old highway would have nut-n-honey on it.  Over here in Oregon the original routings is where settling in occurred, even if it was just ranches and farms while the new routings can be rather sparse in terms of seeing development. 

Being SoCal, if the land is flat and there's a road, someone will eventually develop it!

Rick

That's some pretty inhospitable territory on Chuckwalla Valley Road.  I don't believe there are any really know natural wells which might encourage ranching.  The Bradshaw Trail largely stayed in the mountains since they had access to water and it wasn't until the 20th Century when much of the Sonoran Desert began developing modern roadways.  Even the early Spanish Routes Line El Camino Del Diablo stuck as close natural springs/wells as possible.  The Mojave Desert was definitely much easier to overcome with all the rail lines that ended up being built in the late 19th Century.

Palm Springs and the related area (Indio, Palm Desert, etc) isn't even growing that fast so I don't see Chuckwalla becoming anything anytime soon. They keep talking how the LA and Phoenix area will eventually merge/meet/join, meanwhile they can't even get Tucson and Phoenix to merge/join.

[Max Rockatansky]

Strange to think an original old highway would have nut-n-honey on it.  Over here in Oregon the original routings is where settling in occurred, even if it was just ranches and farms while the new routings can be rather sparse in terms of seeing development. 

Being SoCal, if the land is flat and there's a road, someone will eventually develop it!

Rick

That's some pretty inhospitable territory on Chuckwalla Valley Road.  I don't believe there are any really know natural wells which might encourage ranching.  The Bradshaw Trail largely stayed in the mountains since they had access to water and it wasn't until the 20th Century when much of the Sonoran Desert began developing modern roadways.  Even the early Spanish Routes Line El Camino Del Diablo stuck as close natural springs/wells as possible.  The Mojave Desert was definitely much easier to overcome with all the rail lines that ended up being built in the late 19th Century.

Palm Springs and the related area (Indio, Palm Desert, etc) isn't even growing that fast so I don't see Chuckwalla becoming anything anytime soon. They keep talking how the LA and Phoenix area will eventually merge/meet/join, meanwhile they can't even get Tucson and Phoenix to merge/join.

Both Phoenix and Tucson are on land within the Gila River watershed.  Without all that access to tributaries like the Salt River neither community would have grown all that much from maybe a small rail siding born city.  The problem with most of the Sonoran Desert and urban development is the lack of access to water.  The Colorado River is probably the most active area in the Sonoran Desert for new development with places Havau, Bullhead City, Blythe and Yuma growing rapidly over the last couple decades.  Coachella Valley has grown a ton since the early 20th Century due to water diversions from the Colorado River.  Most of the Sonoran Desert is about as inhospitable as it gets for civilization which is why it took so long modern roadways to develop there.  Even early railroads avoided the heart of the Sonoran Desert for more favorable locales where it would be ideal to place sidings.  The Sonoran Desert can only support so much civilization and what parts that can are filling up fast.  That being the case I find it highly doubtful that any real use or work on Chuckwalla Valley Road will be happening any time soon.