Through the Mojave Desert

- Red Rock Canyon State Park

View of the 1959 bridge. Looking south.

South along canyon narrows, below the Red Rock Canyon Bridge.

One of the many scenic cliffs in Red Rock Canyon.

Abbott Drive: Pre-1959 alignment.

C-Block along the 1930's alignment.

Portion of 1941 roadbed looking towards 1959 Red Rock Canyon bridge.

Red Rock Canyon State Park was created in 1968 to help preserve this beautiful canyon. There used to be a small town here called Ricardo. It is now gone but the name still remains as the name of the geological formation here - the Ricardo Formation. The original alignment followed the creek bed and was washed out many times by flash floods. In 1941, a new highway was built on a higher alignment but would still be subject to flooding during the winter. No bridges were built over the creek at this time. In 1959, a complete bypass of the old alignment, now known as Abbott Drive, was completed. This high-speed four lane roadway completely eliminated all of the creek bed crossings by the construction of two bridges and many culverts. Large cuts were dug in the canyon narrows and guard railing was installed along the edge. Few improvements have been made to the roadway since then, even the Red Rock Canyon bridge retains its old railing.

Go East on US 6 to Bishop

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