OverviewSan Gorgonio Pass (el. 2,600 ft. / 792 m) cuts between the San Bernardino Mountains on the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. Like the Cajon Pass to the northwest, it was also created by the San Andreas Fault. The San Gorgonio Pass provides the main link between the Los Angeles Basin and the Coachella Valley and points further east. The pass itself is not as steep as the Cajon Pass or the Tejon Pass (the Grapevine), but it is still one of the deepest mountain passes in the 48 contiguous states, with the mountains to either side rising almost 9,000 ft. (2,750 m.) above the pass. Mount San Gorgonio is at the pass's northern end, peaking at 11,502 feet (3,506 m), and Mount San Jacinto is at the pass's southern end, peaking at 10,834 feet (3,302 metres). Mount San Jacinto also has the fifth-largest rock wall in North America and the peak is only six miles south of Interstate 10.
Interstate 10 and State Route 60 intersect at the western end of the pass in Beaumont and it climbs through Banning before reaching Cabazon, where it begins its descent towards the Coachella Valley. The eastern end of the pass is at the junction of Interstate 10 and State Route 111 near Whitewater Canyon. Union Pacific has tracks through the pass as well (laid down in 1875),
A unique sight on San Gorgonio Pass is the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm on its eastern slope, as it marks the gateway into the Coachella Valley. The pass is one of the windiest places in Southern California. The San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs hosts the third largest concentration of wind turbines in California. There are more than 3,500 wind turbines located in the pass, many massed on the floor of the Whitewater Wash (an ephemeral stream) against the dramatic backdrop of Mount San Jacinto. In late fall and winter the Santa Ana winds maintain a pretty good spin on the wind mills.
Only two hours east of Hollywood, the wind turbines near Palm Springs have appeared in several movies, including Rain Man, Alpha Dog.
Especially in winter it is very nice to go for hikes in the valley. The temperature is not in the extremes and you can choose a little hill, climb up on it for a nice picnic, while looking at the desert below, and the snow peaked mountains above.
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