| Tehachapi Pass | |
|---|---|
 The Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm, as seen from California State Route 58 | |
| Elevation | 3,771 ft (1,149 m)[1] |
| Traversed by |  SR 58Union Pacific Railroad FutureCalifornia High-Speed Rail Future  I-40 (if converted to Interstate standards) |
| Location | Kern County, California |
| Range | Tehachapi Mountains /Sierra Nevada |
| Coordinates | 35°06′08″N118°16′58″W / 35.10222°N 118.28278°W /35.10222; -118.28278 |
  Tehachapi Pass (California) Show map of California | |
Tehachapi Pass[a] is amountain pass crossing theTehachapi Mountains inKern County, California. Traditionally, the pass marks the northeast end of the Tehachapis and the south end of theSierra Nevada range.
The route is a principal connector between theSan Joaquin Valley and theMojave Desert. The Native AmericanKitanemuk people used the pass as a trade route before the American settlement of the region in the 19th century. The main line of the formerSouthern Pacific Railroad opened though the pass in 1876;[4] the tracks are now owned by theUnion Pacific Railroad and shared withBNSF Railway as theMojave Subdivision.U.S. Route 466 was built in the 1930s, and the road is nowState Route 58. The pass is also the route of the plannedCalifornia High-Speed Rail line.
The Tehachapi Mountains are also crossed byTejon Pass at the southwest end of the range.
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 atSan Gorgonio Pass), where the elevation is about 3,771 feet (1,149 m).[1] The actual high point is just east of the town ofTehachapi, at an elevation (on the railroad next to Tehachapi Boulevard) of 4,031 feet (1,229 m).[1] 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.
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The mountain pass acts as aventuri effect to air moving between ocean and desert, increasing wind speed.[5]
The area east and south of the pass is home to theTehachapi Pass Wind Farm, and to the west isAlta Wind Energy Center, some of California's largerwind farms.
The railroad landmark known as theTehachapi Loop is about 18 miles (29 km) west of the summit. The pass is also a proposed route for theCalifornia High-Speed Rail line betweenPalmdale andBakersfield.[6]
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