The Old Ridge Route, south or Reservoir Summit, has lots of spots that have been repaved recently. This particular stretch was done between November of 2018 and August of 2019, according to Google Earth’s imagery. The road is constantly being fixed but I’m not sure who’s maintaining it. Possibly Angeles National Forest as an access road for firefighters? Maybe Edison to have a clear pathway to the powerlines along the Old Ridge Route? Regardless, the spots that were once super rough have been smoothed out.
As for the section north of Reservoir Summit, most of it appears to still be original. Getting equipment through the open section of the north end would be quite a task as that section of road is the roughest. So it looks like they jump on the Old Ridge Route from Templin Highway. Not long ago, I ran into restoration trucks on the north section and they had been working up there to clear a boulder around Swede’s Cut. So that’s the most up-to-date information that I have.
How can I see these repaved sections?
Well…. here’s the disclaimer: The Old Ridge Route is not open to vehicles (other than the work trucks that maintain it and the utilities along the road) so we have to find another way around. The road is part of the Angeles National Forest, therefore public land. You can go there! You can see it! But there are rules.
So here are possible ways to see the road:
- Hiking
- bicycle
- unicycle
- skateboard
- horseback
- jetpack? No wheels on the road but possibly a fire hazard? Gotta get back to y’all on this one!
- scooter
- Ironman suit (ok, not sure on this one either – falls under the same category as jetpack)
- flying saucer
- teleporting
- riding a camel
- horse-drawn carriage
- skydiving?
Ok, well maybe the first half are the most practical…. still trying to find someone to teleport me to the Old Ridge Route. I have been doing 8-10 miles of walking a day so we’re getting closer to being able to hike the whole road! I’ll have to get up there soon and check on it to see if they’ve fixed any more sections.