Big Tujunga Canyon Road is approximately 13-mile-long rural highway located mostly in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County. As presently configured Big Tujunga Canyon Road begins at Angeles Forest Highway (County Route N3) and extends west to Oro Vista Avenue in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sunland.
The earliest parts of Big Tujunga Canyon Road were constructed between Mount Gleason Road northeast to Hoyt Ranch at Vasquez Creek in the 1890s. The highway was extended east to Big Tujunga Dam in 1931. In 1958 Big Tujunga Canyon Road would be extended east again from dam to a terminus at Angeles Forest Highway.
In 1959 the corridor of Big Tujunga Canyon was added to the definition of planned Legislative Route Number 266. Said planned state highway was developed as a trans-San Gabriel Mountain corridor which would have connected with US Route 466. During 1964 the Big Tujunga Canyon corridor would be transferred to Segment B definition of California State Route 118. Ultimately the California Highway Commission never made a formal route adoption for a State Highway in Big Tujunga Canyon. The corridor of Big Tujunga Canyon Road was planned to be extended west to Foothill Boulevard but ultimately only was ever built to Oro Vista Avenue in the 1970s.
Part 1; the history of Big Tujunga Canyon Road
Big Tujunga Canyon is located northeast of the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Sunland and Tujunga. The canyon name refers to Big Tujunga Creek which passes through the area along a 28.8-mile course descending from the San Gabriel Mountains to Tujunga Wash. The word "Tujunga" is derived from the name of the Tongva tribal village of Tuxunga.
During the 1880s Silas Hoyt would mine Big Tujunga Creek and establish a ranch. During 1884 Hoyt would construct a shack in Big Tujunga Canyon which expanded into a lodging complex by 1890. Early Big Tujunga Canyon Road would be constructed northeast from Sunland to the Hoyt property.
Early Big Tujunga Canyon Road can be seen branching northeast from Sunland at the end of Mount Gleason Avenue on the 1900 United States Geological Survey map of San Fernando. Notably Big Tujunga Creek is displayed as "Tujunga River."
The 1909 Thurston map of Greater Los Angeles displays a zoomed-out view of Big Tujunga Canyon Road between Sunland and Hoyt Ranch. Notably Angeles National Forest would be established the year prior in 1908.
In 1931 Big Tujunga Dam was constructed by the Los Angeles Department of Power and Water. Said dam was intended as a flood control mechanism and was initially called "Big Tujunga Dam #1" until the completion of Hansen Dam in 1940.
The face of Big Tujunga Dam can be seen in a 2000-era National Park Service photo.
Construction of Big Tujunga Dam would extend Big Tujunga Canyon Road to the dam construction site. Big Tujunga Canyon Road was bridged to Angeles Forest Highway by a Forest Service access road through Maple Canyon which does not appear on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Los Angeles County.
The road through Maple Canyon between Big Tujunga Canyon Road and Angeles Forest Highway can be seen on the 1939 United States Geological Survey map of Mount Lowe.
In 1958 Los Angeles County would construct a concrete tee beam bridge over Big Tujunga Creek below Big Tujunga Dam. This bridge was part of a project which extended Big Tujunga Canyon Road to Angeles Forest Highway and bypassed the Forest Service access road in Maple Canyon.
The corridor of Big Tujunga Canyon would become part of Legislative Route Number 266 which was defined by 1959 Legislative Chapter 1062. The initial definition of Legislative Route Number 266 was as follows:
"Legislative Route Number 9 (California State Route 118) near Sunland to Legislative Route Number 58 (US Route 466), including a connection to Legislative Route Number 61 (California State Route 2) north of La Canada. Legislative Route Number 266 appears for the first time on the 1960 Division of Highways Map as a planned State Highway.
As part of the 1964 State Highway Renumbering the Legislative Route Numbers were deleted. The planned State Highway segment in Big Tujunga Canyon from Sunland to Angeles Forest Highway (planned California State Route 249) was codified as Segment B in the legislative definition of California State Route 118. The planned Big Tujunga Canyon State Highway appears as part of California State Route 118 on the 1964 Division of Highways map.
Ultimately the California Highway Commission never adopted a freeway or expressway routing for California State Route 118 through Big Tujunga Canyon. The unconstructed segment still appears in the Legislative definition of California State Route 118 to modern times.
During the 1970s Big Tujunga Canyon Road would be extended west of Mount Gleason Road to Oro Vista Avenue. Big Tujunga Canyon Road was planned to reach Foothill Boulevard (former California State Route 118), but the extension was never constructed. The Oro Vista Avenue terminus (blue pin) of Big Tujunga Canyon Road can be seen on the 1979 United States Geological Survey map of Los Angeles.
Part 2; a drive on Big Tujunga Canyon Road
Westbound Big Tujunga Canyon Road begins near the southern terminus of Angeles Forest Highway (Los Angeles County Route N3).
The upper portions of Big Tujunga Canyon Road are mountainous and winding. The highway quickly snakes westward via a downhill grade to the Big Tujunga Dam Overlook.
The vista from the Big Tujunga Dam Overlook.
A vista of Big Tujunga Canyon Road from Angeles Forest Highway.
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