State Route 62 (SR 62) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

that cuts across the

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 southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains through San Bernardino and ...

in Riverside and

San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

counties. Its western terminus is at

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

in unincorporated Riverside County outside the borders of

Whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

and

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

. Its eastern terminus is at the Arizona state line just east of

Parker, Arizona Parker (Mojave language, Mojave 'Amat Kuhwely, formerly 'Ahwe Nyava) is the county seat of La Paz County, Arizona, La Paz County, Arizona, United States, on the Colorado River in Parker Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

. The highway passes through the city of Twentynine Palms and along the northern boundary of the

Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, US National Park located in southeastern California, straddling north-central Riverside County, California, Riverside County and part of southern San Bernardino County, ...

Route description

The route cuts across the

along southern

San Bernardino County San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of th ...

. Route 62 begins at a

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

-to-freeway interchange with

at the eastern end of the

San Gorgonio Pass The San Gorgonio Pass, or Banning Pass, is a elevation Gap (landform), gap on the rim of the Great Basin between the San Bernardino Mountains to the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. The pass was formed by the San Andreas Faul ...

northwest of

Riverside County Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Unit ...

. It heads due north until its intersection with SR 247 in

Yucca Valley Yucca Valley is an incorporated town in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 21,738 as of the 2020 census. Yucca Valley lies north of Palm Springs, and east of San Bernardino. Bordered to the south by the Joshu ...

, and then it heads east through the unincorporated community of Joshua Tree and the city of 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

to meet

Arizona State Route 95 State Route 95 (SR 95) is a north–south state highway along the western edge of Arizona that is split into two sections. Route description The southern segment begins in Quartzsite at its junction with U.S. Route 95, traveli ...

. East of Twentynine Palms, there is a sign warning drivers that there are no services for until reaching Vidal Junction where SR 62 meets

US 95 U.S. Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south United States Highway in the western United States. It travels through the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, staying inland from the Pacific Coast. US 95 b ...

. 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 The Coachella Valley ( ) is an arid rift valley in the Colorado Desert of Southern California in Riverside County. The valley has been referred to as Greater Palm Springs and occasionally the Palm Springs Area due to the historic promine ...

and the river utilize that more desolate stretch as the fastest route to the resorts of the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

, accessing it via California State Route 177 in Desert Center. In 2014, the Palm Springs '' Desert Sun'' newspaper reported that a dozen

marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

from the

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), also known as 29 Palms, is the largest United States Marine Corps base. The base covers a total area of 1,102 square miles. It was a census-designated place (CDP) officially known as Twentynin ...

have been killed in accidents on Highway 62 since 2007 (out of a total of 33 vehicle-related deaths among personnel at the base); the paper attributed the problem in part to the base's unusually remote location, leaving personnel few options for entertainment. SR 62 is part of the

California 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 encompasses both state highways and federal highways in California. It was defined by Article 2 (comme ...

, and west of the military base is part of the National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

. SR 62 is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System, and is recognized by Caltrans as a scenic highway for from its western terminus at I-10 to the Riverside–San Bernardino county line, meaning that it is a substantial section of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community. SR 62 is designated as a

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, National Garden Clubs, Inc., started the progra ...

from Interstate 10 to Adobe Road in Twentynine Palms. SR 62 is known as the Twentynine Palms Highway from I-10 to SR 177.

History

The routing west of Twentynine Palms was added to the state highway system in phases, with the part from White Water to Morongo Valley added in 1935, and from Morongo Valley to Yucca Valley in 1959; both were designated as Route 187. From Yucca Valley to Twentynine Palms, Route 218 was added in 1961. In the 1964 state highway renumbering, SR 62 was designated from I-10 into the town of Twentynine Palms. The portion from Twentynine Palms to Arizona was added to SR 62 in 1970.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{CASR external links, SR, 62
California @ AARoads.com - State Route 62
062 State Route 062 State Route 062 Mojave Desert 062

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links