San Gorgonio Pass

San Gorgonio Pass or Banning Pass, elevation 2,600 ft , is a gap on the rim of the Great Basin between the San Bernardino Mountains to the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. Interstate 10 and the Union Pacific Railroad both utilize the pass to link the Greater Los Angeles region and the Coachella Valley. The pass is also referred to as Banning Pass due to the town of Banning being located about 6.5 miles east of the pass summit. The city itself was named for Phineas Banning who founded the town.

Like Cajon Pass to the northwest, it was created by the San Andreas Fault, with the valleys leading up to the pass aligned with the fault. The pass is not as steep as the Cajon or Tejon passes, but it is one of the deepest mountain passes in the 48 contiguous states, with the mountains to either side rising almost 9,000 ft above it. San Gorgonio Mountain, taller but farther away and less visible, is at the northern side of the pass, and Mount San Jacinto is on the southern side. Mount San Jacinto has the fifth-largest rock wall in North America, and its peak is only six miles south of Interstate 10. Today, San Gorgonio Pass is used by commuters from the San Bernardino Valley to travel through the mountains to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, and points further east, all the way to Phoenix, Arizona.

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