Exploring the Cajon Pass: Gateway into the San Bernardino Valley

On Saturday, Mar. 19, 2016, Nick Cataldo will be teaching the course "Exploring the Cajon Pass: Gateway into the San Bernardino Valley,” offered through Cal State San Bernardino's Office of Extended Education. This is a one-day field trip involving a vehicle caravan, some walking and visits to many historical sites. The course -- which has a fee of $83 for no credit and $140 for one unit credit -- will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There will be an optional no-host breakfast at 7 a.m. at the Summit Inn (5960 Mariposa Road in Oak Hills) prior to the start of the day’s trek. Join us as we follow in the footsteps of Jedediah Smith and Kit Carson, the Mormon Battalion and wagon trains. We will visit an old Serrano Indian campsite and retrace portions of the Old Spanish Trail, John Brown’s Toll Road, the National Old Trails Road and U.S. Route 66. Children seven and over are welcome. Bring good hiking shoes, a camera, lunch, water, pencil or pen and clothing suitable for both warm and cold weather. Walking trips of no more than two miles are required. Part of the route is a bumpy dirt road so a high clearance vehicle is advisable. For more information and to register call the Office of Extended Education at (909) 537-5976 or e-mail the university at: extension@csusb.edu. Registration deadline is Mar. 11. “The Cajon Pass has played a prominent role in the San Bernardino Valley since prehistoric times. Indians, explorers, trappers, loggers, settlers, land speculators, rail passengers, the military and early motorists have all passed through the Cajon Pass on their way to or from the desert, making this an important gateway in Southern California”.