California State Route 18
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| State Route 18 |
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| (CS&HC Section 318) | |||||||||||||
| Length: | 117.21 mi[1] (188.63 km) | ||||||||||||
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| Formed: | 1934[2] | ||||||||||||
| West end: |  SR 210 in San Bernardino |
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| Major junctions: |
 SR 330 in Running Springs I-15 in Victorville US 395 near Victorville |
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| North end: |  SR 138 near Pearblossom |
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State Route 18 in the U.S. State of California currently runs from State Route 210 in San Bernardino to State Route 138 near Adelanto. It is the primary route into the San Bernardino Mountains and has two discontinunities.
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[edit] Route description
Route 18 currently begins at State Route 210 (which as of January 2005 is signed as State Route 30) and quickly enters the San Bernardino Mountains as a four-lane expressway. The route climbs north at a gentle grade until it turns east, where it begins to offer panoramic views of San Bernardino and the Inland Empire. Hence, this portion of Route 18 is known as the Rim of the World Highway. After meeting State Route 138 at Crestline, the expressway reverts to a two-lane mountain road. It meets two other highways, State Route 189 just east of Arrowhead Highlands and State Route 173 in Lake Arrowhead, before running over State Route 330 in Running Springs. Route 18 continues through several valleys and near ski resorts before reaching a summit. At that point, Route 18 again runs along a lengthy mountain ridge, offering more spectacular scenery at an even higher elevation. At its west junction with State Route 38 near the west corner of Big Bear Lake, Route 18 jogs across a dam and travels along the south shore of Big Bear Lake. After going through the City of Big Bear Lake, it overlaps with Route 38 and moves from the south to the north side of Bear Valley east of both Big Bear Lake and the Big Bear City airport before it descends from the mountains to the desert on the northerly side of the mountains, first heading northeast, briefly north, and then northwest.
In Lucerne Valley, Route 18 intersects State Route 247 and then turns west, becoming an expressway (Happy Trails Highway) through Apple Valley and Victorville. It joins with Interstate 15 for a few miles to the southeast and south before taking off west across the desert, meeting U.S. Highway 395 in Adelanto, and ending at California State Highway 138 east of Llano.
Route 18 thus takes an unusual path in the shape of a question mark.
[edit] State law
Legal Definition of Route 18: California Streets and Highways Code, Chapter 2, Article 3, Section 318
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Route 18 is part of the Freeway and Expressway System, as stated by section 253.1 of the California State Highway Code. |
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Route 18 is part of the Scenic Highway System, as stated by section 263.3 of the California State Highway Code. |
