page_title: Interstate 15 in California
section_title: Inland Empire
hierarchical_section_title: Interstate 15 in California / Route description / Inland Empire
caption_attribution_description: English: Road sign for the Zzyzx Road interchange on I-15 — to Zzyzx, California
context_page_description: Route 15, consisting of the contiguous segments of State Route 15 and Interstate 15, is a major north–south state highway and Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of California, connecting San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties. The route consists of the southernmost 289.24 miles of I-15, which extends north through Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and Montana to the Canada–US border. It is a major thoroughfare for traffic between San Diego and the Inland Empire, as well as between Southern California, Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Intermountain West.
  South of its junction at Interstate 8 in San Diego, the highway becomes SR 15, extending 6.13 miles to Interstate 5, about 12 miles from the Mexican border. This segment was initially signed as a state route instead of an Interstate, but it is being upgraded to Interstate standards so it would become part of I-15 in the future. Including this segment, the entire length of Route 15 is 295.37 miles in California.
  Interstate 15 has portions designated as the Escondido Freeway, Avocado Highway, Temecula Valley Freeway, Corona Freeway, Ontario Freeway, Barstow Freeway, CHP Officer Larry L.
context_section_description: In Temecula, SR 79 runs concurrently with I-15 for 3.2 miles (5 km) before it branches off toward Hemet. In Murrieta, I-15 splits from its only spur route in California, I-215, which retains the Escondido Freeway designation and runs through the two largest cities in the Inland Empire, San Bernardino and Riverside. I-15 continues north as the Temecula Valley Freeway.
  I-15 runs along the eastern edge of the Santa Ana Mountains, passing through the cities of Wildomar and Lake Elsinore. In Lake Elsinore, I-15 intersects SR 74, a major highway connecting the city with San Juan Capistrano as well as points east such as Perris, Hemet, Idyllwild, and the Coachella Valley. It continues northwest through the unincorporated suburban area of Temescal Valley as the Corona Freeway and passes through the city of Corona. During this stretch, I-15 intersects SR 91, a major east–west highway; this interchange serves as a vital link between southwestern Riverside County and Orange County. North of SR 91, I-15 continues through the bedroom communities of Norco and Eastvale, while skirting the western edge of the city of Jurupa Valley. I-15 enters San Bernardino County just past its interchange with SR 60, another major east–west highway, which connects I-15 with the Chino Valley. I-15 passes through the city of Ontario on its way to I-10, the main east–west artery though Southern California. North of I-10, I-15 passes through the cities of Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana as it intersects SR 210, an east–west highway skirting the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountain ranges. SR 210 connects I-15 to major foothill communities such as Pasadena, Rialto, and San Bernardino. I-15 also crosses old US Route 66 during this stretch of highway, which is signed as SR 66, Foothill Boulevard. At this junction, I-15 takes a strongly northeastern alignment as it moves to rejoin with its spur route, I-215, in Devore, in northern San Bernardino. The highway then heads northwards and upward through the Cajon Pass, an important mountain pass that is the primary route between Southern California and points further north and east.
  The portion of I-15 that is located between its northern and southern junctions with I-215 is also used by many local residents as the major north–south route for the western portions of the San Bernardino-Riverside-Ontario metropolitan area. (I-215 serves a similar function in the eastern portion of the metropolitan area. These two highways are the only continuous north–south freeways in the area.)
  North of Limonite Avenue (south of SR 60), I-15 is known as the Ontario Freeway. After its northern merge with I-215 in Devore, I-15 is called the Barstow Freeway or the Mojave Freeway. A short section between SR 138 and Oak Hill Road is also designated as the CHP Officer Larry L. Wetterling and San Bernardino County Sheriff's Lieutenant Alfred E. Stewart Memorial Highway, named after two officers killed in the line of duty. On this stretch of highway, I-15 northbound splits from I-15 southbound, where the road ascends up a steep grade until it reaches Cajon Summit (elevation 4,260 feet) just south of the High Desert communities of Hesperia and Oak Hills. Tractor-trailer trucks headed southbound are required to travel at the posted speed limit of 45 mph or less due to the steep downward grade. The southbound lanes provide a runaway truck ramp as a safety feature. The two halves of the highway rejoin shortly before reaching Cajon Summit.
  North of the Cajon Pass, I-15 traverses the High Desert cities of Hesperia and Victorville. I-15 passes through desert for 25 miles (40 km) before reaching Barstow, then passes Zzyzx Road more than 50 miles (80 km) later, before reaching the town of Baker. The sign for Zzyzx Road — alphabetically the last place name in the world — is a landmark of sorts on the drive between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. I-15 reaches the Nevada state line near the casino town of Primm, Nevada.
  I-15 continues thereafter to Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and on into Idaho and Montana, before ending at the Canada–US border, where Alber
caption: Exit to Zzyzx
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