My 10 year old wants me to take him to Tehachapi to hopefully take some video of the loop. I get pretty anxious about where is safe to park when we go on these trips he requests. Can anyone provide some recent info about where are good, safe places to park so we can see the loop? I know there are some pullouts on the road but it seems like there are a lot of trees in the way. Bonus if anyone can actually mark the spots on the map, as I suck at following written directions. Thanks!
Here's a map of some popular railfanning spots at the Tehachapi Loop: http://www.trainweb.org/brettrw/maps/loop.html If you go this week, dress warmly - it's going to snow there the next couple of days!
The Tehachapi Mts. are much like the San Gabriel Mts. in that they are "Semi-arid" in nature, meaning they are not quite desert but you could be forgiven if you thought they were. And just like the San Gabriel's the weather can change on a dime and change severely. You start they day in the high 80's with plenty of sunshine and within an hour it is down in the 50's with a Windchill factor that threatens hypothermia. This is not to say you shouldn't visit, just be prepared and bring with you, food, water and extra clothing even if you are no more than a half-mile walk from your car, I know of one nice view that's a bit more than mile from the nearest parking spot, unfortunately it has been 20+ years since I last visited so I can't remember the details of where it was. Also don't forget a hat and sunscreen. One final word about nature; Rattlesnakes. I have never encountered one in the Tehachapi's but they are out there so be aware. Of course I could be speaki . . . typing to an experienced hiker so all of the above would be second nature but it never hurts to pass on helpful information on the off chance you've never been in terrain such as the Tehachapi Mts.
I have a guide for Tehachapi Loop available here, it also references the locations mentioned on the Train Web page: https://railfanguides.us/ca/tehachapi/index.htm there is also a link to a printable PDF version of the map.
