| San Francisquito Pass | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 3,655 feet (1,114 m) |
| Traversed by | San Francisquito Canyon Road |
| Location | Los Angeles County, California |
| Range | Sierra Pelona Mountains |
| Coordinates | 34°38′22.74″N118°22′50.34″W / 34.6396500°N 118.3806500°W /34.6396500; -118.3806500 |
| Topo map | Lake Hughes, CA |
San Francisquito Pass is amountain pass in theSierra Pelona Mountains, located northeast ofGreen Valley andSanta Clarita, in northernLos Angeles County,California.
.jpg)
The pass, at the elevation 3,655 feet (1,114 m), is at the head ofSan Francisquito Canyon. San Francisquito Canyon Road, crossing over the Sierra Pelonas here, leads toElizabeth Lake in theLeona Valley to the north, andSaugus to the south.
San Francisquito Pass was on theEl Camino Viejo, an alternate land route to theEl Camino Real for reaching northern Spanish and Mexican colonialAlta California. It connected thePueblo of Los Angeles andSan Fernando Valley with theSan Joaquin Valley. The El Camino Viejo horse and wagon trail next crossed theTehachapi Mountains into the San Joaquin Valley atOld Tejón Pass.[1]
The route's successor, theStockton - Los Angeles Road, used San Francisquito Pass andFort Tejon Pass (west of Old Tejón Pass). TheButterfield Overland Mail route (1857-1861) followed the Stockton—Los Angeles Road between the San Fernando and San Joaquin Valleys, and used both passes. It had a stagecoach stops atKing's Station (southern canyon) andWidow Smith's Station (near pass) in San Francisquito Canyon.
San Francisquito Pass was used by the major inland north-south routes until the opening of theRidge Route in 1915.
The pass continues to be used by San Francisquito Canyon Road, which crosses it for local and scenic use in the present day.[2] The pass and a section of the road are within the northwesternAngeles National Forest.
Los Angeles County realigned most of the upper part of San Francisquito Canyon Road in the 2000s. The original narrowest and curviest segment remains.[3] The bypassed old section is a hiking route alongSan Francisquito Creek, passing through the historicSt. Francis Dam site and ruins.
