Frazier Mountain Park Road

[Max Rockatansky]

Frazier Mountain Park Road is an approximately 7.1-mile-long rural highway located Cuddy Canyon of Kern County.  This corridor begins at Interstate 5 Exit 205 and extends through the community of Frazier Park to the junction of Lockwood Valley Road and Cuddy Valley Road.  Frazier Mountain Park Road is presently maintained as Kern County Mountain Road 368.  Frazier Mountain Park Road essentially is a modernization of El Camino Viejo which had been in common use as early as 1780.

El Camino Viejo was the first European route from Los Angeles to San Joaquin Valley.  From Los Angeles the highway continued northward into San Fernando Valley and to Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana.  From San Fernando Valley the highway ascended into the Sierra Pelona Mountains.  El Camino Viejo entered San Francisquito Canyon to San Francisquito Pass where it emptied into Antelope Valley in the western flank of the Mojave Desert near Elizabeth Lake.

Upon entering Antelope Valley, the route of El Camino Viejo turned west along the San Andreas Fault to what is modern day Gorman where it intersected part of what would become the Ridge Route.  Unlike the Ridge Route (the original alignment of US Route 99) which turned north into Tejon Pass to reach San Joaquin Valley via Grapevine Canyon the course of El Camino Viejo continued west into Cuddy Valley.  El Camino Viejo passed through Cuddy Valley along the northern flank of Frazier Mountain and Mount Pinos into San Emigdio Mountains. 

Frazier Park was established in 1925 south of Frazier Mountain by Harry McBain.  The original road through the community was inherited from El Camino Viejo and came to be known as Frazier Mountain Park Road.  Frazier Mountain Park Road moved to a bypass in 1971 when a series of three bridges were constructed to the south over Cuddy Creek.  The original corridor in Frazier Park was subsequently renamed as Mount Pinos Way.

https://www.gribblenation.org/2026/04/frazier-mountain-park-road.html?m=1

[SeriesE]

That exit from I-5 gets closed frequently during winter

[pderocco]

That exit from I-5 gets closed frequently during winter

It does? I used to drive around there a lot, and I never saw that. I saw the road closed once west of Pine Mountain Club, but there are a lot of people who live out there, even in winter. I can imagine that exit closing only if I-5 closes, so that people can't get onto the freeway, not off it, but I-5 closures are pretty rare, and quite short.

Anyway, that entire road all the way to 33/166 is one of my favorites: Frazier Mountain Park Rd, Cuddy Valley Rd, Mil Potrero Hwy, and Hudson Ranch Rd (formerly Cerro Noroeste Rd). Lots of variety, nice views, nice wildflowers in the spring, and very little traffic past Pine Mountain Club.

[SeriesE]

That exit from I-5 gets closed frequently during winter

It does? I used to drive around there a lot, and I never saw that. I saw the road closed once west of Pine Mountain Club, but there are a lot of people who live out there, even in winter. I can imagine that exit closing only if I-5 closes, so that people can't get onto the freeway, not off it, but I-5 closures are pretty rare, and quite short.

Anyway, that entire road all the way to 33/166 is one of my favorites: Frazier Mountain Park Rd, Cuddy Valley Rd, Mil Potrero Hwy, and Hudson Ranch Rd (formerly Cerro Noroeste Rd). Lots of variety, nice views, nice wildflowers in the spring, and very little traffic past Pine Mountain Club.

The road is not closed at all; rather the exit to Frazier Mountain Park Road get closed. I'm guessing it's to prevent people getting off there to play with snow and causing congestion on the freeway?

[pderocco]

That exit from I-5 gets closed frequently during winter

It does? I used to drive around there a lot, and I never saw that. I saw the road closed once west of Pine Mountain Club, but there are a lot of people who live out there, even in winter. I can imagine that exit closing only if I-5 closes, so that people can't get onto the freeway, not off it, but I-5 closures are pretty rare, and quite short.

Anyway, that entire road all the way to 33/166 is one of my favorites: Frazier Mountain Park Rd, Cuddy Valley Rd, Mil Potrero Hwy, and Hudson Ranch Rd (formerly Cerro Noroeste Rd). Lots of variety, nice views, nice wildflowers in the spring, and very little traffic past Pine Mountain Club.

The road is not closed at all; rather the exit to Frazier Mountain Park Road get closed. I'm guessing it's to prevent people getting off there to play with snow and causing congestion on the freeway?

Gee, all they'd have to do is get off at Gorman, and go over the hill on what's now called Ralphs Ranch Rd (formerly Peace Valley Rd).

I do recall seeing a few people with pickup trucks visiting the area after a snowstorm, and filling them up with snow to bring home to suburbia. That sure seems odd to someone like me, who grew up with snow as a routine part of winter life.