Ridgecrest

Ridgecrest is a city in Kern County in the Mojave Desert of California.

By car
US Highway 395 - Northbound travelers will turn right off the highway onto CA Highway 178 Business (also called South China Lake Boulevard), which proceeds north and then northeast about 2½ miles to Ridgecrest. Southbound travelers will take the CA Highway 178 East exit near the town of Inyokern, then proceed east (left) 8 miles to Ridgecrest.

CA Highway 14 - Northbound and southbound travelers will exit onto CA Higwhay 178 East, which drops down the last slope of the Sierra Nevada foothills into Inyokern, then on eight miles into Ridgecrest.

CA Highway 178 - Eastbound travellers take 178 to Highway 14. The roads merge and continue north three miles before 178 East splits off again (right-hand turn). (See CA Highway 14, above.) Westbound travelers coming from the Death Valley area find that 178 goes directly into downtown Ridgecrest, becoming Ridgecrest Boulevard. 178 passes through Ridgecrest, but it involves two 90-degree turns and three different street names. Traveling east from Inyokern, 178 is known as Inyokern Road. In Ridgecrest, 178 turns abruptly south at the intersection of Inyokern Road (which proceeds onto Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake) and follows North China Lake Boulevard. Two miles south at the intersection of China Lake Boulevard and Ridgecrest Boulevard, 178 turns eastward again and follows Ridgecrest Boulevard out of Ridgecrest and on to Trona and Death Valley.

Get around
Like most places in California, Ridgecrest is best navigated by car. Public transportation is extremely limited and may require arrangements in advance.

If you need to rent a car in Ridgecrest, here are your commercial options: Ridgecrest also has the usual accommodations for travel by bicycle and on foot.

See




Sleep
Ridgecrest offers a range of accommodations from three-plus-star hotels to very cheap, bareboards establishments.

Stay safe
Ridgecrest has a very low crime rate with virtually no violent crimes. However while driving use caution as the highways surrounding the area are frequented by impatient drivers who often speed and lose control of vehicles. Report any dangerous driving right away. The area is served by 6 different law enforcement agencies because it is at the intersection of 3 county lines and has a military base. Your main concern in the area is from desert animals: there are many venomous creatures including spiders, scorpions, and many snakes. Ridgecrest is served by Ridgecrest Regional Hospital (RRH).

Go next
One of the best things about Ridgecrest isn't what's in Ridgecrest at all - it's what's just outside of it! Many people who live here have come to recognize it as a kind of hub that is surrounded by an array of outdoor adventures, scenic places, and great getaways.


 * Mojave - 60 miles south of Ridgecrest via Highway 14, Mojave is a hotbed of aerospace activity, with the Mojave Spaceport the headquarters of Scaled Composites, the first private company to launch a human into space. Edwards Air Force base, a landing site for the space shuttle and a center for the development of experimental aircraft, is next to the town.
 * Death Valley National Park - Northeast of Ridgecrest, Death Valley is a good day trip in the winter, spring and autumn months - if you plan to visit one of the world's hottest places in the summer bring plenty of water.