Historians of Camp Cajon, a defunct motor camp along Route 66 in Cajon Pass, will offer rare guided hikes to historic trails and roads that went past the historic site in Southern California.
The hikes will be offered from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on March 22, reported Mark Landis for the San Bernardino County Sun.
More about the tours:
On March 22, tour attendees will be able to explore the relics at the revitalized Camp Cajon site. They include the 1917 Pioneer Monument, an original Camp Cajon picnic table, a replica of the Camp Cajon Monument, a California highway marker, a Route 66 directional sign, and an informational kiosk. The kiosk displays detailed information about the site, including photos, maps, and reproductions of historic road signs.
The tour program will begin with an introduction to Camp Cajon, and then attendees can take any of three walking tours.
Tour No. 1 includes the Camp Cajon facilities and the 1953 Route 66 alignment, about 800 feet total walking distance.
Tour No. 2 includes a half-mile round-trip hike up Crowder Canyon on National Old Trails Road, and the John Brown Toll Road.
Tour No. 3 includes a quarter-mile round-trip hike along the Pacific Crest Trail to view a section of the 1913 National Old Trails Road, and the Stoddard-Waite Monument. On this tour, participants will view the historic sites from the Pacific Crest Trail.
Camp Cajon is at 3355 Wagon Wheel Road in Phelan, California, about a half-mile south of the McDonalds in the Cajon Pass. Travelers should take Interstate 15 to Highway 138 east and turn south.
William Bristol originally opened Camp Cajon in 1919, a few years before the commissioning of U.S. 66. A flash flood essentially destroyed the camp in 1938, and it never reopened.
About 80 years later, several historic-minded groups built a replica of the camp’s original entrance monument, a stone’s throw from the original site.
The new monument was dedicated on July 4, 2019, which was exactly 100 years after the original camp’s opening.
More can be found on the Camp Cajon page on Facebook
(Image of new Camp Cajon monument and a Ford Model T from the Camp Cajon page on Facebook)
.