The pass provides a direct route between the Santa Clara River watershed and the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert.

The pass is also notable as the lowest crossing of the Great Basin Divide between the Sierra Nevada and the San Bernardino Mountains.

The importance of the railroad line for freight traffic diminished following the completion of Palmdale Cutoff over Cajon Pass in the 1960s.

The route is also utilized by Metrolink's Antelope Valley Line and is part of a proposed alignment of the California High-Speed Rail system over the pass.

Metrolink's Vincent Grade/Acton station is located just south of the pass.