Disaster Tourism Trip Part 5; Muir Woods Road and The Panoramic Highway

After exiting the Robin Williams Tunnel I took US 101/CA 1 north to where the latter split towards Stinson Beach.

The section of CA 1 between Tamalpais Valley and Stinson Beach was closed due to mudslides from the winter storms. In fact as of 11/30/17 when I'm writing this blog this section of CA 1 is partially closed until the 1st of February 2018. Given the closure on CA 1 I took the Panoramic Highway over the Marin Hills to get to Stinson Beach.

I haven't been to Muir Woods National Monument since 1993. Given that I was right on time for the Monument to open I took a turn south on Muir Woods Road.

The drop on Muir Woods Road is absolutely huge with almost sheer cliffs. I'm not sure what the grade was but it felt close to a good 10%. The roadway is extremely narrow, possibly too narrow to have a center stripe.

The Muir Woods National Monument dates all the way back to 1908. The land where the Muir Woods lies was once considered for a reservoir but was granted to the Federal Government in 1907 after eminent domain was threatened. Unfortunately the Monument wasn't open on time for some reason and I didn't feel like sitting behind a bunch of angry Bay Area residents so I made my way back up Muir Woods Road back to the Panoramic Highway.

The Panoramic Highway is a 11 mile route over the Marin Hills that loops to/from CA 1. The Panoramic Highway opened as a Marin County toll road in 1933 and appears on the 1935 Division of Highways Marin County Map.

1935 Marin County Map

The San Francisco Gate covered the history of the Panoramic Highway along with it's high rate of crashes back in 1995.

San Francisco Gate on the Panoramic Highway

The route of Panoramic Highway east of Mount Tamalpais follows the generalized path of the Mount Tamalpais-Muir Woods Railroad which ran slightly to the north of the modern roadway. The Mount Tamalpais-Muir Woods Railroad was a 8.2 mile standard gauge which ran from Mill Valley west to Mount Tamalpais from 1896 to a fire destroyed it in 1930. The Mount-Tamalpais-Muir Woods Railroad was reportedly one of the most crooked railroads in the world at the time in it as in operation.

As for the Panoramic Highway itself, the name certainly is fitting considering how many vistas of the ocean it has high up in the Marin Hills.

Really the best view along the Panoramic Highway is of Stinson Beach and the Bolinas Lagoon west of Mount Tamalpais.

The western terminus of the Panoramic Highway is where I picked up CA 1 again to continue north towards Point Reyes.

Comments

Dillon Road

Dillon Road is a 34.2-mile highway located in northern Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California. Dillon Road begins at Avenue 48 on the outskirts of Indio and ends to the west at California State Route 62 near San Gorgonio Pass. Dillon Road was developed the 1930s as a construction road for the Colorado River Aqueduct. Dillon Road serves as a northern bypass to much of the development of Coachella Valley. Dillon Road is known for it's frequent dips and spectacular views of San Gorgonio Pass. Part 1; the history of Dillon Road Dillon Road was constructed as a haul road for the Colorado River Aqueduct through Coachella Valley. The Colorado River Aqueduct spans 242 miles from Parker Dam on the Colorado River west to Lake Mathews near Corona. Construction of the Colorado River Aqueduct began during January 1933 near Thousand Palms and was made functional on January 7, 1939. West of Berdoo Canyon Road the alignment of Dillon Road is largely concurrent with the Colorado

Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road

Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road is an approximately 21-mile highway located in southeast Kern County. Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road begins at Tehachapi Boulevard (former US Route 466) in Tehachapi and crosses the Tehachapi Mountains via the 4,820-foot-high Oak Creek Pass. Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road enters Antelope Valley of the wider Mojave Desert and passes by the historic stage station of Willow Springs to a southern terminus at Rosamond Boulevard. Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road has historic ties to the Havilah-Los Angeles Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road due to the once reliable presence of water at Willow Springs. Part 1; the history of Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road Oak Creek Pass and Willow Springs were known to the local tribes of the Tehachapi Mountains for generations. The first documented European crossing of Oak Creek Pass was during 1776 as part of an expedition by Francisco Garces. Oak Creek Pass is as used again by John C. Fremont during an 1844-1845 expedition to e

The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge

The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge is a derelict structure located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Placer County, California. The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge can be found between the communities of Colfax and Iowa Hill. The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge is a wire suspension structure which spans the North Fork American River. The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge was replaced by a modern span and converted to pedestrian use following floods during 1963. Part 1; the history of the 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge During 1853 gold was discovered at what to become Iowa Hill. The gold mining claims soon led to a small community known as Iowa City being established. By 1854, Post Office Service began at the mines of Iowa City. By 1856 gold production at Iowa City was estimated to be around $100,000. Iowa City was burned in fires during 1857 and 1862 but the community was rebuilt with more modernized structures. The location of Iowa City can be seen as "Iowa Hill" on the 1873 Bancroft