California State Route 74

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State Route 74

Pines to Palms Scenic Byway

(CS&HC Section 374)

Length:

146 mi^[1] (235 km)

Formed:

1934^[2]

West end:

I-5 in San Juan Capistrano

Major
junctions:

I-15 in Lake Elsinore

I-215 in Perris

SR-79 in Hemet

East end:

SR-111 in Palm Desert

Major cities:

San Juan Capistrano
Lake Elsinore
Hemet
Palm Desert

California State Routes Unconstructed - Deleted - Scenic
< SR 73		SR 75 >
< I-710	740		I-780 >

State Route 74, a part of the Pines to Palms Scenic Byway, is a mostly scenic highway that runs from Palm Desert in Riverside County westward to San Juan Capistrano in Orange County.

As the highway leaves Palm Desert near the Bighorn Country Club, the site of golf's "Battle at Bighorn," it begins a winding, 20 mile (32 km) journey to Garner Valley near the top of the Santa Rosa Mountains. This picturesque stretch is also referred to as the "Palms to Pines Highway." Even for those who have never been to California, the route is a familiar one. It is one of the most popular locations in the country for automotive periodical photo shoots and road tests.

The road straightens out considerably where it meets with State Route 371 near Anza, where Red Skelton had his home and art studio. Through Garner Valley, the scenery is among the finest in California. Sharp-eyed movie fans will recognize it as the road on which Elvis Presley drove his Model T on his way to the nearby village of Idyllwild in the movie, Kid Galahad.

Past Lake Hemet, Route 74 climbs back into the mountains for another 30 miles (48 km) of spectacular scenery on its way to Hemet where it becomes a surface street called Florida Avenue. It continues westward through the communities of Perris and Lake Elsinore. It merges with Interstate 215 for three miles east of Perris before splitting in Perris, where it resumes its westward journey.

Soon, the highway begins a final scenic climb on its run to the coast, with breathtaking views of Lake Elsinore and the Temecula Valley as it goes over the Santa Ana Mountains. (This part of the highway is notably lacking in guardrails.) It also takes on a new name - the Ortega Highway - which it retains all the way to its terminus in San Juan Capistrano, just west of Interstate 5 and a short distance from the famous mission from which the city takes its name. Ortega Highway is extremely busy during peak commute hours as commuters from Southwestern Riverside County commute to their jobs in Orange County, and on weekends as recreational drivers and motorcylists enjoy the scenery. This section is often closed during rain storms and was closed for several weeks in January and February 2005. The portion just west of Lake Elsinore was used in 1963 for the filming of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

1 Major Intersections / Junctions
2 Additional landmarks
3 Other names
4 State law
5 See also
6 References

[edit] Major Intersections / Junctions

Route 74 has a few major intersections with other state highways and Interstate Highways along its route.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

At its Palm Desert terminus, Highway 74 becomes Monterey Avenue which continues north to its termination point in Thousand Palms north of Interstate 10. Currently, the portion of Route 74 from Route 111 to Interstate 10 is unconstructed. (Also, between Interstates 215 and 10, Route 74 used to be signed as State Route 740 before 1964.) There are also plans to extend State Route 241 from its current terminus near Mission Viejo south to Interstate 5 south of the Orange/San Diego County line, which would include an interchange at Route 74. Construction is set to begin in 2007.