National Historic Landmark · Bakersfield, California

Walker Pass

Added to the National Register in 1966, and a National Historic Landmark.

Walker Pass
Photos via Wikimedia Commons

The record

Property typeStructure
Address60 mi. NE of Bakersfield on CA 178, Bakersfield, CA
CountyKern County
ListedOct 15, 1966
Listed forExploration and settlement
Level of significanceNational
Reference number66000210
DesignationsNational Historic Landmark, California Historical Landmark

The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗

Visiting

Address60 mi. NE of Bakersfield on CA 178, Bakersfield, CA
Coordinates35.6631° N, 118.0269° W · Directions ↗
Listing on the Register does not open the door. Unless a museum or park runs it, treat this as private property and see it from the sidewalk.

Explore

Map

Public land around it

Kiavah Wilderness ↗Wilderness, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest ServiceInside the boundary86,245 acres
Owens Peak Wilderness ↗Wilderness, Bureau of Land ManagementInside the boundary73,868 acres

Wilderness Atlas publishes a centroid and an acreage for each unit, not a boundary line. Distance here is measured to a circle of the same area drawn around that centroid, so treat it as roughly right rather than surveyed.

Guidebooks to historic places in California

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

When was Walker Pass listed on the National Register?

Oct 15, 1966. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.

Source: National Park Service

Where is Walker Pass?

60 mi. NE of Bakersfield on CA 178, Bakersfield, Kern County, California.

Source: National Park Service

Where is the nomination form for Walker Pass?

The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.

Source: National Archives

Is there a wildfire near Walker Pass right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-10-17, nearest Cyrus, 22 miles away.

Source: Map

Sources

Name, location, type and dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet of listed properties, because the Park Service's spatial data does not carry this listing. The map point comes from Wikidata. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 66000210. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place.