Information about Kennon Road

Kennon Road

Spanning a length of 41.2 kilometers, Kennon Road is a steep roadway in Benguet province that connects Baguio city to the town of Rosario in La Union and offers the shortest route to Baguio from Manila and other provinces in Central and Southern Luzon. It stretches over most of the municipality of Tuba in Benguet and the Bued River, which flows along a rocky canyon from great heights. 

Initially named Benguet Road, it was opened for travel in 1905 and was one of the most difficult and expensive civil engineering projects of its day. Aside from Filipino engineers, construction workers, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the American government hired foreigners from 36 countries to work on the road; a majority of which were Japanese. Hundreds of these workers died from Malaria as they were essentially working in a mountain at that time, while many more were accidentally fell to their deaths. Sometime after the road’s completion, it was renamed to be Kennon Road, in honor of its builder, Col. Lyman Walter Vere Kennon. 

A popular tourist attraction along Kennon Road is the Lion’s head, a 40 feet structural landmark made of limestone and sitting 10-15 kilometers away from the city proper. Contrary to popular belief, its conception was spearheaded by Lions Club members in 1971 and was sculpted by Ifugao artist Reynaldo Lopez Nanyac. It suffered the same fate as the Kenon road during the earthquake in 1990, and cracks were worsened by vandalism found in the sculpture. Once again, the Baguio Lions club led the rehabilitation of the damaged lion’s head, though its resulting appearance and color are strikingly different from the original. Nevertheless, it remains popular among tourists today and is a must-see for firstcomers in Baguio City. 

How to get there

The usual travel time takes from 45 minutes to an hour to pass through this winding road by car. If you want to get here via public transportation, take the road to Suello Village and then exit at Marcos Highway.

Best time to visit

It is an all-year-round destination perfect for photography. You can visit this attraction any time of the day.