California Photo Scout

Fort Tejon is conveniently located along Interstate 5, the main travel artery connecting Los Angeles to Northern California and the Central Valley. Its location is too convenient for its own good. I have flown past the Fort countless times, on my way to and from destinations in the south, always noting that the location would make it a perfect candidate to visit some other time.

On a recent trip south, I decided that it was time to follow in the footsteps of the Indians and scout out the Fort the white men built to suppress them and to protect settlers and fortune seekers.

I discovered a snake infested, arid highland paradise that suffers greatly from the reduction in State Park funding, but can still provide a pleasant diversion from hours of traveling along dull I-5. If you find yourself in one of the notorious traffic jams, or if you are about to hit Santa Clarita arriving from the north, you could easily spend a little time at the Fort, waiting for traffic to die down.

How to get there

Fort Tejon is located in the scenic Grapevine Canyon near Tejon Pass on I-5. When you travel on I-5 between Bakersfield and Santa Clarita, you will clearly see the brown signs announcing the exit. The parking lot is next to the interstate highway.

GPS position

• 34°52’27.03″N 118°53’38.51″W

How to photograph Fort Tejon SHP

Officer's Quarters

Fort Tejon hosts a large variety of special events, re-enactments, Frontier Days, and other shows. You should try to align your visit with these events. The Fort Tejon Historical Association (link in Resource section below) keeps a complete list of events.

These events breathe excitement into the dull collection of houses with a giant flag and make it worthwhile to come here. The Quartermaster’s shop may be open to demonstrations and re-enactors in authentic costumes will give you a sense of early life in the fort.

If you visit on a regular day, as I did, you will wonder why you bothered to stop, much less pay an entrance fee to see two old houses on a dusty dry field. Most of the other buildings are only foundations and the only buildings I could enter were the Barracks, Officers Quarters and the Jail shed.

Revolvers

The Barracks contain an exhibit of artifacts of 19^th century military life. I photographed the revolvers in a showcase. I made myself as big as possible, to prevent glare from the windows and the white walls in the background. Then I used high ISO and did not use flash to avoid glare on the glass.

Using the two cannons as my foreground and the Officer’s Quarters and mountains in the back, I could produce a couple of decent photographs. While standing underneath the flag, I waited for the wind to pick up. When it finally did, it blew the flag in front of the sun. I quickly leapt into position for the photograph at the beginning of the article. Bouncing around on the dry grass and looking up, made me nervous about the rattlers.

Vista del Lago

Nearby Pyramid Lake is a paradise for recreational boating and the Vista del Lago Visitor center offers good views of the lake. Both are located south of Fort Tejon, each with a separate exit from I-5.

The Visitor Center includes a water museum, with countless interesting facts about water and water management in California. The back porch of the museum provides the best viewpoint of the lake below.

Warning

We visited Fort Tejon on a hot day and immediately noticed the Rattlesnake warning signs posted everywhere. Sure enough, we heard a few of them shake their rear ends at us from a bush and wood stack and we saw a young snake.

Consequently, I tiptoed through the grass in my sandals, on the way to get a better angle on the flag pictures with my eyes fixed to the ground.

Naturally, the wise thing to do is to stay out of harm’s way, which most passionate photographers will find extremely difficult.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

Spring is the best season to visit Fort Tejon and Pyramid Lake. You will find California Poppies and other wildflowers in the area that will make a stop much more interesting.

During the winter, heavy snowfall sometimes forces the closure of the pass.

Time required

Unless you come for a special event, you can see the Fort in 30 minutes to one hour.

Equipment

• Zoom Lens
• Image Stabilized Lens for indoor shots
• Polarizing Filter
• Picnic

Fees

The park charges a $5 entrance fee per adult while children enter free.

Special events cost $7 and $3 respectively.

Close Locations

• Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve
• Sepse Condor Sanctuary – Los Padres Mountains
• Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
• Calico Ghost Town
• Getty Center
• Red Rock Canyon State Park
• Kramer Junction
• Silver City Ghost Town

Useful Resources

• Official Park Website
• Fort Tejon Historical Association

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