Towing in Littlerock, CA

Where Littlerock is

Littlerock is unincorporated county territory east of Palmdale, where the desert floor starts rising toward the San Gabriel Mountains. The Census Bureau maps it as a small census-designated place of under 2 square miles, and its mail goes to Littlerock, CA 93543.

From Lancaster, head south on CA-14 to exit 35 (SR-138 East / Palmdale Boulevard) and follow SR-138 east through Palmdale. Route guides describe the highway turning south on 47th Street East, then following Fort Tejon Road to Avenue T, where it narrows to two lanes as Pearblossom Highway. Map routing puts the Littlerock Library about 20 to 24 miles from Lancaster City Hall.

Littlerock sits noticeably higher than Lancaster. USGS elevation data put the library at about 2,919 feet and Littlerock Dam, up in the Angeles National Forest, at about 3,248 feet, against about 2,343 feet at Lancaster City Hall. (The Forest Service currently lists Littlerock Dam as closed.)

Weather Service forecasts for Littlerock come from its Eastern Antelope Valley Foothills zone, not the valley-floor zone used for Lancaster. Check that forecast before a windy or stormy drive.

Main roads in and around Littlerock

• Pearblossom Highway (SR-138). The through route. East of Littlerock it continues through Pearblossom and Llano toward SR-18 and the high desert, and Caltrans describes it as carrying a significant number of trucks between Interstate 5 and inland destinations.
• 80th Street East. Home of the Littlerock Library at 35119 80th St East, a handy reference point for a dispatcher.
• 106th Street East. The SR-138 intersection Caltrans is studying, between Littlerock and Pearblossom.
• Hempel Avenue. Where Caltrans has proposed a restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT) on SR-138.
• Palmdale Boulevard and Avenue T. The connections back west into Palmdale.

Common reasons drivers need a tow in Littlerock

A breakdown on a two-lane highway. On much of Pearblossom Highway there is one lane each way, so a car stopped at the edge sits close to passing trucks. If the engine is failing, try to make it to a side street or a business lot rather than stopping on the highway edge.

Intersection crashes. Caltrans cites a history of collisions at SR-138 and 106th Street East, particularly angle collisions involving vehicles entering or crossing the highway. Its proposed fix, a two-lane roundabout plus the Hempel Avenue RCUT, is only in the Project Initiation Document (study) phase; design, right-of-way and construction are listed as planned, with no dates. Until then, the intersection works as it does today. A vehicle damaged in a crash there may need accident recovery, not just a hook-up.

Soft shoulders and dirt side roads. In OpenStreetMap’s crowd-sourced data, about 30 percent of the local road mileage is tagged unpaved, and that is a minimum. A wheel off the pavement edge or a car bogged on a farm road calls for a winch-out.

Towing and roadside services for Littlerock

• Stalled on the highway edge, or hit at an intersection: emergency towing; if the vehicle is damaged or has left the pavement, accident recovery.
• To a shop in Palmdale or Lancaster: local towing.
• Dead battery, flat or empty tank on a side street: roadside assistance. On the highway edge itself, a tow to a safer spot can be the better choice; ask the dispatcher.
• In a ditch or soft dirt: a winch-out, then a flatbed for all-wheel-drive or damaged vehicles.

Tell the dispatcher which direction you were driving and the nearest numbered street east. “SR-138 eastbound, just past 90th Street East” is far more useful than “Littlerock.”

Who to call besides a tow truck

• A vehicle in a live lane, a fire, or anyone hurt: 911.
• CHP Antelope Valley Area, (661) 743-6060, office on West Avenue I in Lancaster. SR-138 is one of the highways CHP names in its Antelope Valley patrol area.
• Sheriff’s Palmdale Station (LASD), near Avenue Q and Sierra Highway in Palmdale, (661) 272-2400. Littlerock is on Palmdale Station’s list, not Lancaster’s.
• To comment on the 106th Street East project, use the Caltrans project page listed in the sources below.
• If a deputy or CHP ordered your vehicle towed, the steps are in the Antelope Valley impound and release guide.

Nearby communities

• Lake Los Angeles lies to the northeast across the open desert.
• Palmdale is to the west and northwest, back along SR-138.
• Sun Village lies just to the north, and Pearblossom continues east along the highway.
• To the south, the land climbs into the San Gabriel Mountains and the Angeles National Forest.