CALIFORNIA STATE ROUTE 74

'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 south of Palm Desert was used in 1963 for the filming of ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World''.

Contents

Major intersections

Additional landmarks

Other names

State law

See also

References

Major intersections

Miles are derived from .
Concurrency with

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I-215

Additional landmarks

Route 74 passes through many parks and National Forests along its route. Some points of interest are:

★ Cleveland National Forest

★ Lake Elsinore State Recreation Park

★ Soboba Indian Reservation

★ Lake Hemet

★ Santa Rosa Indian Reservation

Other names

Route 74 has the following names, as designated by various state laws:^[3]

★ 'California Wildland Firefighters Memorial Highway:' From Lake Elsinore to San Juan Capistrano.

State law

'Legal Definition of Route 74:' California Streets and Highways Code, Chapter 2, Article 3, Section 374

See also

★ List of California State Highways

References

1. January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways
2. California Highways: State Route 74
3. 2006 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California, , , , Caltrans, ,