The route is a principal connector between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert.

The Tehachapi Mountains are also crossed by Tejon Pass at the southwest end of the range.

Technically (i.e., as noted on USGS topographic maps), the name refers to the narrowest part of the canyon on the eastern approach to the summit (as at San Gorgonio Pass), where the elevation is about 3,771 feet (1,149 m).

The mountain pass acts as a venturi effect to air moving between ocean and desert, increasing wind speed.

The pass is also a proposed route for the California High-Speed Rail line between Palmdale and Bakersfield.