Walker Pass - Definition and Overview

Walker Pass (elevation 5,250 ft/1,600 m) is a mountain pass in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. It is located in northeastern Kern County, approximately 53 mi (85 km) ENE of Bakersfield and 10 mi (16 km) WNW of Ridgecrest. The pass provides a route between the San Joaquin Valley on the west and the Mojave Desert on the east

It was charted as route through the Sierra in 1834 by Joseph Walker, a member of the Bonneville Expedition. Walker returned to the pass in 1843, leading the Joseph B. Chiles emigrant party. In 1845 the miltiary surveying expedition of John C. Fremont used the pass.

California State Highway 178 crosses the pass.

Walker Pass is a National Historic Landmark, and is owned by the Bureau of Land Management.

See also

• Tehachapi Pass