This is earthquake country! The Cajon Pass is one of the youngest and most geologically active regions in North America! Two mountain ranges, the San Gabriel and the San Bernardino, overlap here, producing earthquakes and other seismic activity along the San Andreas Fault line.

Cajon Pass, meaning "box" pass, was used by Native Americans and later by Mormon settlers heading to San Bernardino. Today, Cajon Pass is a major transportation and utility corridor for Southern California. Fifty freight trains and four passenger trains run through the Pass daily.

Frequently this scenic drive is combined with Mormon Rocks Nature Trail. Mormon Rocks are a series of cemented sandstone deposits that are much more resistant to erosion than the surrounding rocks. Thus the rocks stand out in relief called "hogbacks" above the alluvial fans of Cajon Canyon wash. The short 1-mile interpretive nature trail can be found alongside the Mormon Rocks Fire Station. Continue the scenic drive by continuing along Lone Pine Road, following the San Andreas Fault.

Points of interest along this drive include trains, views of Mormon Rocks, Cajon Summit Ridge, high desert vegetation, wildlife, and Lost Lake (a sag pond on the San Andreas Fault).

Distance: 16 Miles

Difficulty: Easy

Directions: From San Bernardino, CA, Take Interstate 15 north through Cajon Pass, exit at Highway 138 West. Follow signs for Mormon Rocks Fire Station. Drive continues along Lone Pine Road.

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