I drive Intersate 5 several times a year for work. On the West side of the Highway near Crow's Landing there is some sort of compound just off the road on the hillside. There's a short road leading up to what appears to be security checkpoint. It is surrounded by very high chain-link fencing topped with barbwire. It's a rather small facility from what you can see from the road, and there appears to be smoke stacks of one form or another. Due to it's location I thought perhaps it was a processing plant for the almonds grown nearby, but the why would there be 30 foot fencing around such a place? There are no visible signs or indentification hinting at it's purpose...It looks very much like a prison from the security aspect...but seems too small...and there is no housing that is usualy laid out for such places...any one else ever seen this place?

WOW!!! thank you very much!!!!

I have driven by there several times. There were signs saying something to the effect of Crows Landing/Navel Base. Now why there would be a Navel base stuck up in the mountains nowhere near water(Stockton would be the closest port I believe) is beyond me.
I think the signs were south of Crows Landing. In the Wesley/Patterson area. Been a couple of years though,they could have removed. Would like to cruise up there and have a look around.

not to detract from the original facility, but I found this on the airstrip

"Jack Daley reported in 2003 that Crow's Landing is "Currently completing a massive EPA/Navy cleanup.

It is mostly now owned by the County Of Stanislaus.

It was transferred to the County three years ago (completed in 2000)

under the auspices of (now former) Congressman Gary Condit (of the recent missing DC intern fame)."



"The field is currently wide open with the nearby Sheriff Office substation conducting occasional patrols.

The tower & crash building still stand, as do the field Recreation Building & pool area.

NASA has some trailers with satellite antennae in occasional use on the NE side of the field.

No one is ever seen there from their offices at Ames.

The two concrete runways are deteriorating fast.

Ground water clean-up is continuing.

The airfield is X'd off, but local trainers still shoot occasional touch & go's."

Great finds....
Its hard to believe the facility is so big. I would never have guessed that an air strip was up there. I thought it was strange that there was a base up there,but no people for miles around. Most base will produce a small city over time. But the whole area is just empty. It reminded me of a small area 51.

maybe its all underground

communications stations can be anywhere it could have been a school.comms research people have to be cleared "top secret".the smoke stacks could be a power plant.a windowless building with microwave antennas usually means a comms station.it is easier to build a comms station above ground than to (retro-fit or build one underground )

Every time I pass the facility - it makes me say hmmm. I drove by the facility twice this week. It sits on a hill overlooking the California aquaduct and the many area farms just off the west side of I-5 near the Crow's Landing exit and just north of a nearby I-5 View Point. Here are my thoughts on the facility...

First and foremost, it looks INDUSTRIAL - definately not military. It would look very different if our military had a hand in the construction or operation of the site. Enough said here.

Second, it looks nothing like Area 51, nor does it appear to have anything to do with communications or NASA. In fact, the presence of an old Navy airstrip nearby is probably a white rabbit. By the way nyeff, the word is "Naval" not "Navel".

What caught my attention was the unusually tall security fence and the utter lack of any sign or indication as to the purpose of the facility. At first I thought it might be associated with the California aquaduct as it sits very close to an aquaduct pumping station; but the unusual size of the building and the large array of smoke stacks behind it made me look closer. I saw no fuel tanks, electrical transmission lines or nuclear containment vessel, that might indicate power generation.

They have added a new fence on top of the orignal perimeter security fencing, raising it to approximately 30-40 feet - no doubt in response to the terrorism threat. The razor and barbed wire on top is facing inward - maybe by mistake or maybe it is more effective for fences this tall.

The fence encloses what looks to be a large flat underground storage bunker covered over by gravel and dry grass. This feature has the added benefit of providing an offset or no-man's land between the perimeter fence and the main building of approximately 50-80 feet for the entire eastern side facing I-5.

The facility always looks quite sleepy. The gravel road leading to the facility entrance does not look well travelled and I have never seen any cars parked either inside or outside the security compound.

Based on my own personal observations and the information that other people have provided previously, I believe the facility it most likely a hazardous waste disposal facility or less likely, a garbage incineration facility. The front of the facility facing I-5 is probably for storage of the HAZMAT. If so, I wish they had located the facility further from the California aquaduct - maybe they use water from the aquaduct for cooling - or efficient disposal of the waste products - yikes! ;(

Drive down the gravel road and ask the guard what it is...

Originally posted by nyeff
I have driven by there several times. There were signs saying something to the effect of Crows Landing/Navel Base. Now why there would be a Navel base stuck up in the mountains nowhere near water(Stockton would

Its a Naval Air Base... They do have them inland. TOp Gun, Lemore are all inland. My dad was a civil engineer that worked for the navy we went to the base one time before it closed. It seemsed like just anyother base. I don't think there is anything going on there that would spark my conspiracy radar. The area to look at is LLNL. they have a large complex dug into the mountainside that is restricted airspace in Livermoor.

Ah I think know what your talking about. Only seeable driving one direction isn't it? I always assumed it was a navy power generator but then again what was stated a above I guess its not. But I dont see why it couldnt be an incinerator.

This airfield was built in 1942 as a satellite airfield for Alameda NAS.

The earliest depiction which has been located of the Crows Landing airfield was a 1943 National Archives aerial view,

which depicted the field as having 2 paved runways, taxiways, ramps, and several buildings.

The facilities at Crows Landing were complemented by nearby bombing & gunnery ranges.

NASA intermittently used Crows Landing to support flight tests
by aircraft based at Ames Research Center & other NASA facilities.

The Navy & NASA co-habited there for many years.

The Navy closed down operation [at Crows Landing] in the early 1990s,
as part of the NAS Moffett Field closure. Stop watching so many "X Files" re-runs.

I have passed by this facility just this weekend and my husband and I both wondered what this was. Thus the reason why I googled "Crows Landing" however nothing of this facility came up. Does ANYONE know FOR A FACT what this facility is???