Soledad Canyon is a long narrow canyon / valley located in Los Angeles County, California between the cities of Palmdale and Santa Clarita. Soledad Canyon contains the localities of Vincent, Acton, Ravenna, Russ, and Agua Dulce.
It is traversed by the Antelope Valley Freeway and the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line . Travelers on board the Metrolink are afforded a view of much of the Santa Clara River through Soledad Canyon, which drains the canyon. It will also serve as the route for the planned California High-Speed Rail line between Sylmar and Palmdale.
Historically, Soledad Canyon was a vital part of Los Angeles' transportation history. Transit between Los Angeles and the Central Valley was always difficult--in the "Gold Rush era" and stagecoach days, the ride was extremely difficult, almost straight up-and-down through San Fernando Pass, up San Francisquito canyon, and over Tejon Pass. In 1856, Lieutenant Williamson, on a railroad surveying party, "discovered" that the pass, sometimes named "Williamson Pass", could provide the lower grades to make Los Angeles-Central Valley train travel possible by the roundabout detour all the way to Mojave, and over Tehachapi Pass, almost 70 miles farther than the direct Interstate 5 used today by trucks and autos.
In 1876, 7 years after the transcontinental railroad was finished, the rail line was laid down Soledad Canyon, linking LA to the north, after a 6,000 foot tunnel through San Fernando pass (still used by Metrolink) and the extraordinary Tehachapi Loop, where trains circle on grades over top of themselves to gain altitute.
Soledad Canyon Road is a street in Santa Clarita. It is the second longest street in the city; only The Old Road is longer.
Four episodes of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine were shot at this location: "The Homecoming", "Indiscretion", "The Ship", and "Rocks and Shoals". The extreme heat made it very difficult for both cast and crew.[1]