Ridgecrest, California
Ridgecrest is a city of 28,225 people in Kern County, California.
Why visit Ridgecrest
Townapedia lists 17 museums and landmarks, 11 parks and trails, 72 places to eat, 16 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Ridgecrest Cinemas, Maturango Museum, China Lake Museum and Leroy Jackson Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 105°F; December lows average 30°F.
Weather in Ridgecrest
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Ridgecrest
Ridgecrest is a city in Kern County, California, United States, along U.S. Route 395 in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS, or China Lake). It was incorporated as a city in 1963. The population was 27,959 at the 2020 census, up slightly from 27,616 at the 2010 census, making it the third-largest city in Kern County.
From the Wikipedia article Ridgecrest, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks17
Maturango Museum
Museum
Museum in Ridgecrest, California
100 East Flores Avenue, Ridgecrest
Mo-Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 12:00-16:00
Naval Museum of Armament & Technology
Museum · 2.1 mi
Military museum in Ridgecrest, California
F11-1F Super Tiger
Monument and historic site
The only remaining Super Tiger in existence, and one of two prototypes made.
Shangri-La Estates
Monument and historic site · 1.6 mi
Former temporary housing and administration site for 2nd Los Angeles Aqueduct
5 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds11
Restaurants and cafes72
Bahay Kubo
Restaurant · Asian, Bubble Tea · 1.5 mi
1315 N NORMA ST, RIDGECREST
Mo-We,Fr-Sa 11:00-18:00
Baskin-Robbins
Ice cream · Ice Cream · 0.4 mi
501 North China Lake Boulevard, Ridgecrest
Mo-Th 00:00-24:00; Fr-Su 11:00-22:00
Beanster's Espresso
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.6 mi
1601 North Triangle Drive, Ridgecrest
Su-Mo 07:00-19:00; Tu-Fr 05:00-19:00; Sa 06:00-19:00
Classic Gyros
Restaurant · Greek, Mediterranean, Burger · 1.0 mi
1140 North China Lake Boulevard, Ridgecrest
Mo-Sa 10:30-20:00
Dutch Bros. Coffee
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.7 mi
213 South China Lake Boulevard, Ridgecrest
Mo-Fr 05:00-22:00; Sa-Su 05:00-23:00
J's Place
Restaurant · Pizza · 0.8 mi
348 West Ridgecrest Boulevard, ridgecrest
Mo-Th 11:00-20:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-21:00; Su 11:00-19:00
Lugo's Grill
Restaurant · American, Italian, Mexican · 1.0 mi
908 North Norma Street, Ridgecrest
Mo-Su 06:00-21:00
Mon Reve
Restaurant · French · 0.5 mi
Reservations suggested for dinner. Limited seating.
Tu-Th 11:30-13:30, 17:30-21:30; Fr 17:30-21:30
60 more on the map.
History
Native American tribes of the Paiute, Shoshone, and Kawaiisu thrived in the Indian Wells Valley. The Shoshone tribe left behind petroglyphs in the Coso Range that can be found in Big and Little Petroglyph Canyons. Their petroglyphs and artwork are displayed in the Maturango Museum and Petroglyph Park.
During the mid-1800s, travelers began crossing through the Indian Wells Valley. In 1826, Jedediah Smith's beaver trappers arrived, followed in 1834 by Joseph Walker when he crossed Walker Pass into the Indian Wells Valley. Throughout the rest of the nineteenth century, mining booms brought more settlers to the valley. In the 1880s, Chinese railroad workers briefly settled in the area, giving local China Lake its name.
Until the twentieth century, non-permanent settlers had arrived and traveled throughout the Indian Wells Valley. This changed, however, when the Los Angeles Aqueduct was built and finished from 1908–1913. This, plus the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad brought lasting settlers to the Indian Wells Valley.
From the History section of Ridgecrest, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay16
Churches and places of worship32
Indian Wells Valley Church of Christ
Church · Churches Of Christ · 1.0 mi
729 North Norma Street, Ridgecrest
Ridgecrest Vineyard Church
Church · Evangelical · 1.1 mi
1000 North Norma Street, Ridgecrest
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church · Mormon · 0.9 mi
501 North Norma Street, Ridgecrest
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church · Mormon · 1.9 mi
1031 South Norma Street, Ridgecrest
Shopping16
Gas and EV charging12
Schools, colleges and libraries30
Healthcare9
Map of Ridgecrest
217 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60°F | 31°F | 0.9 in |
| Feb | 65°F | 35°F | 1.1 in |
| Mar | 72°F | 42°F | 0.6 in |
| Apr | 79°F | 47°F | 0.2 in |
| May | 88°F | 56°F | 0.1 in |
| Jun | 98°F | 64°F | 0.1 in |
| Jul | 105°F | 70°F | 0.1 in |
| Aug | 103°F | 69°F | 0.1 in |
| Sep | 95°F | 60°F | 0.2 in |
| Oct | 83°F | 48°F | 0.3 in |
| Nov | 69°F | 37°F | 0.4 in |
| Dec | 60°F | 30°F | 0.5 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for China Lake Naf 74612 (4 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Kern County has had 28 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2024-07-27: Borel Fire (Fire)
- 2023-11-21: Tropical Storm Hilary (Hurricane)
- 2023-04-03: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-03-10: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2021-08-25: French Fire (Fire)
- 2020-03-22: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Inyokern Airport (IYK) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 9 miles away.
- Ridgecrest Heights 3 mi southwest, about 5 min by car
- China Lake Acres 6 mi west, about 9 min by car
- Inyokern 9 mi west, about 14 min by car
- Searles Valley 18 mi northeast, about 29 min by car
- California City 35 mi south, about 57 min by car
- Weldon 36 mi west, about 58 min by car
- Boron 41 mi south, about 1 h by car
- North Edwards 41 mi south, about 1 h by car
- Squirrel Mountain Valley 42 mi west, about 1 h by car
- Tehachapi 55 mi southwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Ridgecrest CA, Jureidini, CC BY 4.0
- Ridgecrest-California, JMBeggs74, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ridgecrest-CA, JMBeggs'nCali, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ridgecrest Banner, JMBeggs'nCali, CC BY-SA 4.0
- MaturangoMuseum, Qfl247 ( talk ) (Transferred by Citypeek /Original uploaded by Qfl247 ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- US Navy 030213-N-4633P-003 The U.S. Naval Museum of Armament and Technology give visitors a unique look at the developing history of modern Naval aviation armament, U.S. Navy photo by Geoffrey Patrick., Public domain
- Las Flores and U.S. 395 Bus., Aiden GoodarziRad, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Solpugid, David~O, CC BY 2.0
- 20070608 Solpugid, David~O, CC BY 2.0
- Five Fingers (34437094083), David Brossard, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Joshua Trees in Bloom Canebrake (33915120633), David Brossard, CC BY-SA 2.0
- U.S Rte. 395 south, Aiden GoodarziRad, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shangri-La Estates, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Public domain
- Piute Fire (2641241014), David~O, CC BY 2.0
- Kern River (33889702053), David Brossard, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Brooklyn Bridge - East River - Manhattan Bridge in New York - from air - 1980s (28179025819), Angie Linder from Detroit, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- ISS048-E-15806 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS017-E-19202 - View of California, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-185450 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS016-E-22397 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS057-E-98081 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS016-E-27157 - View of California, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-182900 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- West end of Salt Wells Valley facing east, Aiden GoodarziRad, CC BY-SA 4.0
- West end of Salt Wells Valley facing north toward Argus Range, Aiden GoodarziRad, CC BY-SA 4.0
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