California State Route 138
Palmdale to Cajon Pass — Pearblossom Highway
California Route 138 — known as the Pearblossom Highway or 'Blood Alley' — is a two-lane rural highway crossing the Antelope Valley east of Palmdale toward the I-15 interchange near Cajon Pass. Despite its modest length of roughly 45 miles, SR-138 has one of the highest per-mile fatality rates in California. The highway carries significant through traffic from the Los Angeles basin to the high desert and beyond, operating at speeds that far exceed what a two-lane road with limited sight distances and no median can safely accommodate. Head-on collisions from passing maneuvers are the primary fatality mechanism.
Length
45 miles
45 miles
Risk Rating
CRITICAL
CRITICAL
Risk Factors
Two-lane road with high-speed traffic and no median barrier
Head-on collision risk from passing maneuvers
Antelope Valley crosswinds
Limited sight distances on curves
Fatigue from LA basin long-haul patterns
Flash flooding in Antelope Valley low points
Notorious Segments
- Pearblossom Highway central section (Lancaster to Phelan)
- SR-138/SR-18 junction area
Connected Hubs
Regions
United States
West
California