California Highway 178 Photographs
Left - Facing west towards Bakersfield along Hwy 178 near Lake Isabella
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Facing east along Hwy 178 towards Lake Isabella
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Between Lake Isabella and Bakersfield, Hwy 178 winds its way through the Kern River Canyon. Some parts of the road are now a four-lane undivided highway with a 55 m.p.h. speed limit, while other sections are still only two lanes with a winding alignment.
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - This high-speed undivided four-lane highway ends rather abruptly at the bridge over the Kern River. The balance of Hwy 178 through the canyon is narrow and winding, with some steep grades and few passing opportunities.
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Within a mile of the Kern River Bridge, Hwy 178 becomes a cliff-hanging mountain road
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing east towards Lake Isabella along a narrow section of Hwy 178
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - There is little room in this narrow canyon for both a river and a major highway. This sharp reverse curve clearly demonstrates the restricted right-of-way available along this section of Hwy 178. Apart from boring tunnels through the mountains, there is not much that can be done to improve the highway alignment through the canyon.
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Facing west along Hwy 178 towards Bakersfield through the Kern River Canyon
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Facing east towards Lake Isabella in the Kern River Canyon
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - The Greenhorn Mountains tower over Hwy 178 east of Bakersfield
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Hwy 178 is the only east-west route across the mountains in Central California that is open all year-round. All other state highways that cross the Sierra Nevada between the Barstow-Bakersfield Highway (Hwy 58) and the Sacramento-Lake Tahoe Highways (U.S. Route 50 and Interstate 80) are closed during the winter months due to the heavy snowfalls that can occur on the high mountain passes.
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Hwy 178 generally follows the original ground line through the canyon, which results in a rather abrupt horizontal and vertical alignment in certain places
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Entrance to the Kern River Canyon on Hwy 178. For the next eight miles, the road is narrow and winding before it suddenly widens into a four-lane highway. Two rather ominous warning signs on the right tell people (in both English and Spanish) not to swim in the Kern River through the canyon, as it is subject to flash flooding.
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - The large yellow warning sign at right indicates the winding road ahead
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - The rugged Kern River Canyon allows Hwy 178 to pass through the Greenhorn Mountains between Bakersfield and Lake Isabella
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - By contrast, the topography immediately west of the Kern River Canyon on Hwy 178 is surprisingly moderate
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Facing east along Hwy 178 towards the Kern River Canyon and the Greenhorn Mountains
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - An aqueduct follows Hwy 178 out of the Greenhorn Mountains along its route to Bakersfield
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Hwy 178 continues west towards Bakersfield
(Photograph taken on May 21, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
