Tehachapi Pass

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title: "Tehachapi Pass" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["tehachapi-mountains", "historic-trails-and-roads-in-california", "landforms-of-kern-county,-california", "mountain-passes-of-the-sierra-nevada-(united-states)", "rail-mountain-passes-of-the-united-states", "transportation-in-kern-county,-california", "tehachapi,-california", "mojave-desert", "san-joaquin-valley", "mountain-passes-of-california"] description: "Route in the Transverse Ranges" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehachapi_Pass" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Route in the Transverse Ranges ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain pass"]

Field	Value
name	Tehachapi Pass
photo	Tehachapi wind farm 1.jpg
photo_caption	The Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm, as seen from California State Route 58
map	USA California Southern##California
map_caption	Location in California
map_relief	yes
elevation_ft	3771
elevation_ref
traversed
Union Pacific Railroad
Future California High-Speed Rail
Future (if converted to Interstate standards)
location	Kern County, California
range	Tehachapi Mountains / Sierra Nevada
coordinates
::

| name = Tehachapi Pass | photo = Tehachapi wind farm 1.jpg | photo_caption = The Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm, as seen from California State Route 58 | map = USA California Southern##California | map_caption = Location in California | map_relief = yes | elevation_ft = 3771 | elevation_ref = | traversed = Union Pacific Railroad Future California High-Speed Rail Future (if converted to Interstate standards)

| location = Kern County, California | range = Tehachapi Mountains / Sierra Nevada | coordinates = | topo =

Tehachapi Pass is a mountain pass crossing the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, California. Traditionally, the pass marks the northeast end of the Tehachapis and the south end of the Sierra Nevada range.

The route is a principal connector between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. The Native American Kitanemuk people used the pass as a trade route before the American settlement of the region in the 19th century. The main line of the former Southern Pacific Railroad opened though the pass in 1876; the tracks are now owned by the Union Pacific Railroad and shared with BNSF Railway as the Mojave Subdivision. U.S. Route 466 was built in the 1930s, and the road is now State Route 58. The pass is also the route of the planned California High-Speed Rail line.

The Tehachapi Mountains are also crossed by Tejon Pass at the southwest end of the range.

Name

The precise meaning of the name Tehachapi Pass is often a source of confusion. Technically (i.e., as noted on USGS topographic maps), the name refers to the narrowest part of the canyon on the eastern approach to the summit (as at San Gorgonio Pass), where the elevation is about 3771 ft. The actual high point is just east of the town of Tehachapi, at an elevation (on the railroad next to Tehachapi Boulevard) of 4031 ft. The highway sign refers to this location as Tehachapi Summit. However, the term Tehachapi Pass is routinely used to refer to both this location and the approaches on either side.

Features

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Crossing_of_the_Sierra_Nevadas,California;'Tehachapa_Pass,'1,720_miles_west_of_Missouri_River.(Boston_Public_Library).jpg" caption="The [[Tehachapi Mountains]] and Tehachapi Pass in 1869"] ::

The mountain pass acts as a venturi effect to air moving between ocean and desert, increasing wind speed.

The area east and south of the pass is home to the Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm, and to the west is Alta Wind Energy Center, some of California's larger wind farms.

The railroad landmark known as the Tehachapi Loop is about 18 mi west of the summit. The pass is also a proposed route for the California High-Speed Rail line between Palmdale and Bakersfield.

Notes

References

References

1. "USGS 7.5 minute topographic map". [[United States Geological Survey.
2. (2017-05-18). "Visitor Guide: What does 'Tehachapi' mean?".
3. Mathews, Joe. (2016-02-11). "Meet the Toughest Mountains in California {{!}} Connecting California".
4. "Tehachapi Pass Railroad Line". [[American Society of Civil Engineers]].
5. "Why Tehachapi Pass? / Pioneers of the Wind / Hike A Mile or Two - Thousand Historical Marker".
6. (29 February 2020). "Bullet train plan for Tehachapi passage would cost $18.1 billion over 82 miles".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::