Skip to main content

California State Route 247



California State Route 247 is an approximately 78-mile State Highway located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County.  The first segment of California State Route 247 begins at California State Route 62 in Yucca Valley and terminates at California State Route 18 in Lucerne Valley via Old Woman Springs Road.  The second segment of California State Route 247 begins at California State Route 18 in Lucerne Valley and follows Barstow Road to Interstate 15 in Barstow.  The definition of the two segments of California State Route 247 creates an odd situation where California State Route 247 crosses over itself in Lucerne Valley at the intersection of Old Woman Springs Road and Barstow Road.  California State Route 247 was constructed to State Highway standards during the early 1970s.





Part 1; the history of California State Route 247

As noted in the introduction, California State Route 247 is comprised of Old Woman Springs Road and Barstow Road.  Both Old Woman Springs Road and Barstow Road appear on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Bernardino County as major county highways.  


Old Woman Springs Road certainly ranks as one of the strangest road names in the California.  The name comes from the Old Woman Springs which was located in the 1850s by Colonel Henry Washington along what is now California State Route 247.  As the story goes the springs were well known to local tribes and the name came from the frequent visits made by elderly tribal women.  More on the story behind the name of Old Woman Springs Road can be found on desertusa.com.

desertusa.com on Old Woman Springs 

What was to become California State Route 247 along Old Woman Springs Road was defined by 1959 Legislative Chapter 1062.  Legislative Chapter 1062 extended Legislative Route Number 187 (LRN 187) from Morongo Valley to Lucerne Valley.  The Morongo Valley-Lucerne Valley segment of LRN 187 was initially defined as part of the Freeways & Expressways System.  The Morongo Valley-Lucerne Valley segment of LRN 187 appears for the first time on the 1960 Division of Highways Map as a planned State Highway.  



Much of the Morongo Valley-Lucerne Valley segment of LRN 187 was assigned as California State Route 247 as part of the 1964 State Highway Renumbering.  California State Route 247 was initially defined as "From Route 62 near Yucca Valley to Route 18 near Lucerne Valley."  The planned California State Route 247 appears for the first time on the 1964 Division of Highways Map.  



1970 Legislative Chapter 1473 added a second planned segment of California State Route 247 which followed Barstow Road from Lucerne Valley to Barstow.  The second segment of California State Route 247 was defined as "Route 18 near Lucerne Valley to Route 15 near Barstow."  California State Route 247 appears as a completed State Highway along Old Woman Springs Road and Barstow Road on the 1975 Caltrans Map.  


The two defined segments of California State Route 247 created a crossover in Lucerne Valley.  California State Route 247 continues west of Barstow Road along Old Woman Springs Road to California State Route 18 via approximately Postmiles SBD 44.615-44.85.  The Postmiles along California State Route 18 begin to ascend again from California State Route 18 at Postmile SBR 44.86 northward on Barstow Road towards Barstow.  Normally a situation like this would be handled with "S" prefix Postmiles to denote a Spur State Highway.  




1994 Legislative Chapter 1220 clarified the north terminus of California State Route 247 as being located at Interstate 15 in Barstow instead of near it.  



Part 2; a drive on California State Route 247

California State Route 247 southbound begins from Interstate 15 Exit 183 towards Barstow Road.  






California State Route 247 southbound departs the city limits of Barstow along Barstow Road.  






California State Route 247 southbound along Barstow Road passes by Slash Ranch X Cafe at Postmile SBD 68.958.








California State Route 247 southbound crosses an unnamed 4,148-foot elevation summit.







California State Route 247 southbound follows Barstow Road into Lucerne Valley where it intersects Old Woman Springs Road at Postmile SBD 45.1.  Southbound California State Route 247 is directed to turn left onto Old Woman Springs Road towards Yucca Valley.  Traffic heading towards Big Bear is directed to California State Route 247 along Barstow Road which is signed as "To California State Route 18" along Route 247 Postmiles SBD 45.1-44.86.  Traffic heading towards Victorville is directed west along Old Woman Springs Road as "To California State Route 18" along Route 247 Postmiles SBD 44.615-44.85.
















Along California State Route 18 descending from Big Bear traffic is advised Barstow Road is part of California State Route 247.  


From California State Route 18 entering Lucerne Valley from Big Bear, Old Woman Springs Road is also signed California State Route 247.  California State Route 247 along Old Woman Springs Road is signed as 34 miles from Landers and 44 miles from Yucca Valley. 


Cafe 247 can be at the northwest corner of the Barstow Road and Old Woman Springs Road intersection in Lucerne Valley.  


Departing Lucerne Valley California State Route 247 on Old Woman Springs Road is signed as the Sergeant Brian Walker Memorial Highway.  Traffic is further advised of a 35-mile-long Safety Corridor.  



California State Route 247 southbound follows Old Woman Springs Road and enters Landers at approximately Postmile SBD 9.91.  

















The Safety Corridor along California State Route 247 ends south of Landers.  California State Route 247 departing Landers is signed as the Deputy Greg A. Gariepy Memorial Highway.  




California State Route 247 follows Old Spring Springs southbound and terminates at California State Route 62 in Yucca Valley. 














Revision History

- Originally published on 4/23/2019.
- First updated on 5/17/2023. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tulare Lake returns

During the winter of 2023 California experienced one of the wettest seasons in recent decades.  Enough snow and water were deposited into the Sierra Nevada Mountains that the runoff was enough to partially reform Tulare Lake within San Joaquin Valley.  Tulare Lake was once the largest lake west of the Mississippi River by surface area.  Tulare Lake has been largely dried for the past century due to irrigation divisions and upstream impoundments.  This blog will examine the history of Tulare Lake and its recent return.  Pictured as the blog cover is Tulare Lake from 19th Avenue in Kings County during early May 2023.  Tulare Lake can be seen near its maximum extent below on the 1876 P.Y. Baker Map of Tulare County .   Part 1; the history of Tulare Lake Tulare Lake is the largest remnant of Lake Corcoran.  Lake Corcoran once covered much of the entire Central Valley due to being it being located at a in natural low point from where mountain run-off would accumulate.  Lake Corcoran is thou

Former US Route 101 through Sargent

  Sargent is a ghost town and siding of the Southern Pacific Railroad located in southern Santa Clara County.  The original alignment of US Route 101 was aligned through Sargent via what is now known as Old Monterey Road.  Sargent was bypassed gradually due to shifts of the alignment of US Route 101 which occurred during 1941 and 1950.  Pictured as the blog cover is a view on Old Monterey Road which is now no longer accessible to the general public.  Below is a scan of the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Santa Clara County which depicts the original alignment US Route 101 through Sargent.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 in Sargent Sargent lies on land which was once part of Rancho Juristac.  During 1856 James P. Sargent purchased Rancho Juristac and plotted what was known as Sargent Ranch.  By 1869 the Southern Pacific Railroad coast line reached the relocated town site of Gilroy.  The Southern Pacific Railroad coast line would be constructed through Chittenden Pass by 1871 whic

California State Route 60/Former US Route 60/70 through the Moreno Valley Badlands west to Riverside

This past month I drove California State Route 60 through the Moreno Valley Badlands westward towards the City of Riverside.  CA 60 through the Moreno Valley Badlands was once part of the corridors of US Route 60 and US Route 70. The present route of CA 60 is a 70 mile (76 counting multiplex) slice of former US 60 between downtown Los Angeles east to I-10 near Beaumont.  The vast majority of CA 60 aside from a small section in the Moreno Valley Badlands is presently a freeway grade. For me CA 60 holds some personal history as it was the route I used most frequently accessing work sites in the Inland Empire circa 2011-2013.  Despite what many others probably would say I always really enjoyed the Moreno Valley Badlands portion of CA 60.  Considering I frequently worked on US 60 through Arizona and New Mexico the route holds even more appeal.  I even have a CA 60 shield hanging up in my garage. Part 1; History of Roadways in the Moreno Valley Badlands CA 60 between B