| Santa Ana Mountains | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Santiago Peak |
| Elevation | 5,689 ft (1,734 m) |
| Coordinates | 33°42′38″N117°32′03″W / 33.71056°N 117.53417°W /33.71056; -117.53417 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 61 mi (98 km) |
| Area | 2,104 sq mi (5,450 km2) |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Counties | |
| Geology | |
| Rock ages | |
| Rock type | Metasedimentary[1] |
TheSanta Ana Mountains are a shortpeninsularmountain range along the coast ofSouthern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 61 miles (98 km) southeast of theLos Angeles Basin largely along the border betweenOrange andRiverside counties.
The range starts in the north at theWhittier Fault andSanta Ana Canyon, through which theSanta Ana River flows. To the north of the canyon are the smallerChino Hills in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.[1] The northernmost summit of the Santa Anas, at 3,045 feet (928 m), is Sierra Peak. From there, the major summits are Pleasants Peak, 4,007 feet (1,221 m); Bedford Peak, 3,800 feet (1,200 m); and Bald Peak, 3,947 feet (1,203 m). The next two peaks —Modjeska, 5,496 feet (1,675 m); andSantiago, 5,689 feet (1,734 m),[3] the highest summit in the range — formSaddleback Ridge. Saddleback, located approximately 20 mi (32 km) east ofSanta Ana, is visible from much of Southern California.
South of Saddleback areTrabuco Peak, 4,613 feet (1,406 m);Los Pinos Peak, 4,510 feet (1,370 m) and Sitton Peak, 3,273 feet (998 m).Elsinore Peak, 3,575 feet (1,090 m) is included in a subrange called theElsinore Mountains, which are west ofLake Elsinore.San Mateo Peak 3,591 feet (1,095 m) marks the highpoint of this range. Margarita Peak, 3,189 feet (972 m); andRedonda Mesa, 2,825 feet (861 m) are part of theSanta Margarita Mountains, a subrange of the Santa Anas that extends down toCamp Pendleton andFallbrook. Southeast of the Elsinore Mountains is theSanta Rosa Plateau, named for theRancho Santa Rosa that once encompassed it. At the south end of the plateau there is a steepescarpment from thebasalt cappedmesas that line it, that descends from about 500 feet at Mesa de Burro toSandia Creek on the east to about 1800 feet at Avenaloca Mesa toDe Luz Creek in the west. From the foot of the escarpment, the mountains and canyons of De Luz, Sandia Creek and others below it, run to the south to theSanta Margarita River. The range ends roughly at the Santa Margarita River.
Much of the range is within the Trabuco Ranger District of theCleveland National Forest, although some parts are still owned by two century-old ranches: theIrvine Ranch (originally known as theYorba Family'sRancho Lomas de Santiago) andRancho Mission Viejo (originally recorded as RanchoMisión Vieja).
The Santa Anas include a number of high-mountain streams that flow for all or most of the year, although once out of the foothills these waterways areephemeral. The major streams rising from the western side of the range drain into the Pacific Ocean; these includePeters Canyon Wash,Serrano Creek,San Diego Creek,Aliso Creek,Trabuco Creek,San Juan Creek, andSan Mateo Creek. The northern side of the range is defined by theSanta Ana River, which heads about 50 miles (80 km) further east, in theSan Bernardino Mountains.Santiago Creek drains much of the northern part of the range and empties into the Santa Ana River near downtownOrange.
Water from the north-east side of the range empties intoTemescal Creek which flows north to the Santa Ana River,[4] orLake Elsinore which intermittently overflows to Temescal Creek. The southeast end of the range is marked by theSanta Margarita River, which also originates east of the Santa Anas and flows southwest to the Pacific. Runoff from the southeast side of the range drains intoMurrieta Creek, a tributary of the Santa Margarita River.
Irvine Lake, the largest body of fresh water in Orange County, is in the northwest part of the range nearVilla Park. The lake is formed by theSantiago Dam, which impounds Santiago Creek.
The climate is Mediterranean, with warm dry summers and cool wet winters. Annual precipitation totals range from 20 to 30 inches (500–760 mm) in the higher parts of the range above 3,000 feet (910m), as compared to the average of 13–16 inches (350–400 mm) in the coastal plain. Most of the precipitation falls between November and March. The western (coastal) slope is generally moister than the eastern slope. Snow falls during winter on the highest peaks.
The mountains were named by members ofGaspar de Portolà's expedition, who camped below the mountains on July 26, 1769, the Feast Day ofSaint Anne.[5] At the time of Portola's visit, the Santa Anas were settled by three main groups ofindigenous peoples, theTongva in the north, theAcjachemen in the west andPayomkowishum in the east and south.[6]
A handful of historic sites remain in the range today. RegisteredCalifornia Historical Landmarks include an Indian Village Site inBlack Star Canyon,Flores Peak named for the outlawJuan Flores, the mining boomtown sites ofCarbondale andSilverado, andHelena Modjeska's home.[7] TheMoreno and Machado Adobes of theRancho Santa Rosa are found on theSanta Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve.[8]Beeks Place, a small house foundation still owned by the family, is also located here.
The mountains were the site of the Indian massacre ofPuhú village in 1831 inBlack Star Canyon.[9]
As part of theCalifornia Floristic Province, the Santa Ana Mountains host a diverse array of plant species within distinctive natural (plant) communities, includingcoastal sage scrub,chaparral,riparian woodland,southern oak woodland, rocky outcrop,vernal pool, valleygrassland, and closed-conemontane coniferous forest. One of the southernmost stands ofmadrones can be found inTrabuco Canyon. Groves ofknobcone pine can be found around Pleasants Peak.Big-cone Douglas fir andCoulter pine can be found at the higher elevations. Rare flowers like theintermediate Mariposa lily,heart-leaved pitcher sage (associated with theTecate cypress), andchocolate lily are difficult to find. Fragrantsages, broadleafevergreenshrubs and trees, perennialbunchgrasses,succulents (Dudleya species), and fire-following flowers grow in the rugged terrain. Numerous ferns, including large sword ferns, are found under trees and near streams, especially at higher elevations.
A surprising variety of wildlife species can be found, includingmountain lion,[10]mule deer,bobcat,coyote,gray fox,American badger,ring-tailed cat,spotted skunk,western gray squirrel,long-tailed weasel,dusky-footed woodrat,kangaroo rat,bats,spotted owl,western pond turtle,steelhead,coast horned lizard,least Bell's vireo,golden eagle,mountain quail,canyon wren,speckled rattlesnake,Pacific rattlesnake,common kingsnake,gopher snake,western fence lizard,arroyo toad,western spadefoot toad,California tree frog,California sister butterfly, variousAphonopelma species of tarantula, and many more.
The last wildCalifornia grizzly bear in the Santa Ana Mountains was shot and killed in the mountains in 1908.[11]Pronghorn,California condor andjaguar were also once found in the range. The range was home toMexican gray wolves, who were primarily found onPeters Canyon.[12] These wolves hunted the last pronghorn who roamed the range in the early 20th century. By 1920, wolves and jaguars were extirpated from the range after the mountain range became a popular recreational destination.[13]
A number of minerals have been mined in the range, though none were very profitable. Commercial resources collected since the 1870s have included metals such as lead, silver, tin, and zinc, and minerals such as clay, coal, gypsum, and limestone.[1] Parts of the range have been used to graze domestic livestock and harvest timber since the late 18th century. As the surrounding cities have grown, the water of the range's creeks has become a particularly valued resource.[14]
The mountains form a natural barrier between theInland Empire region to the east and the job centers of Orange County to the west. Only one freeway, the Riverside Freeway (State Route 91), the tolled Foothill and Eastern Transportation Corridor (State Route 241), and the two-lane Ortega Highway (State Route 74) connect the regions. Highway 91, which follows the Santa Ana River througha pass between the Santa Ana Mountains on the south and the Chino Hills on the north, is one of California's most congested routes. Because of this, several proposals have been floated to excavate a highway tunnel through the Santa Ana Mountains, although the multibillion-dollar idea has drawn criticism from environmentalists and others concerned about cost and safety in the earthquake-prone region. While Highway 91 is one of the most congested routes in California, Highway 74 holds a more ominous claim as one of the most dangerous highways in the state. State route 241 starts in Mission Viejo and runs alongside the foothills of the Santa Ana's while merging with State Route 133 and 261. The highway finishes at the junction with State Route 91.[15]
Notes
Archival collections
Other
Places adjacent to Santa Ana Mountains | |
|---|---|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
