| Sierra Pelona | |
|---|---|
| Sierra Pelona Mountains | |
 View fromSanta Clarita | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Burnt Peak[1] |
| Elevation | 5,791 ft (1,765 m) |
| Coordinates | 34°40′57″N118°34′36″W / 34.6825°N 118.5768°W /34.6825; -118.5768 |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Spanish for "Bald Mountains" |
| Geography | |
  Sierra Pelona Location of Sierra Pelona Ridge in California[2] | |
| Location | Los Angeles County,California,U.S. |
| Parent range | Transverse Ranges |
TheSierra Pelona, also known as theSierra Pelona Ridge[2] or theSierra Pelona Mountains and originally known as the Liebre Mountains, is amountain ridge in theTransverse Ranges inSouthern California.[3] Located in northwestLos Angeles County, the ridge is bordered on the north by theSan Andreas Fault and lies within and is surrounded by theAngeles National Forest and a tiny section in theLos Padres National Forest
The Sierra Pelona Mountains lie northwest of theSan Gabriel Mountains, which are divided by the wideSoledad Canyon formation. The mountains are flanked to the south by theSanta Clarita Valley and separated from theAntelope Valley and theMojave Desert to the north by theSan Andreas Fault. Toward the southeast lieVasquez Rocks, thrust up by the fault. Toward the west liesInterstate 5,Pyramid Lake, and theLos Padres National Forest. The range has a small extension west of I-5. TheTejon Pass separates the Sierra Pelonas, theSan Emigdios, theTehachapis, and theTopatopa Mountains nearGorman andLebec.
Within the Sierra Pelonas lie the rural areas ofNeenach,Three Points,Lake Hughes,Elizabeth Lake,Acton,Agua Dulce andGreen Valley. The cities ofSanta Clarita,Palmdale, andLancaster are located at the base of the mountains.
The climate of the mountains is aMediterranean climate. Summers are mostly dry except for occasional thunderstorms, and winters comparatively cold and wet. Snowfall is infrequent due to the relatively low elevations of mountains within this ridge, with only the few tallest peaks regularly receiving snowfall during the winter.
Mainly the ridge falls under theCalifornia montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, excepting the northeastern flank's gradual slope into theAntelope Valley nearPalmdale where the ecology transitions to that of theMojave Desert. The mountains are primarily covered in short grasses,scrub oak trees,yucca, and otherchaparral shrubs. The ridge is prone to wildfires in the summer and fall, especially when theSanta Ana winds blow in from the Antelope Valley.
Three major tributaries of theSanta Clara River and numerous minor watercourses and washes drain the ridge:Castaic Creek,San Francisquito Creek, andBouquet Creek.
Threesag ponds nestle within the narrow valley that divides the mountains from the Antelope Valley:Hughes Lake,Munz Lakes, andElizabeth Lake.
TheNative population of California in the Sierra Pelona andSanta Susana Mountains included theTataviam andSerrano people. They traded with theTongva andChumash to the south and west, until theSpanish colonization of the Americas relocated them from their homelands.
TheSan Francisquito Canyon, which runs north-south through the mountains, served as a major wagon route between the Antelope and San Fernando Valleys. This corridor summited atSan Francisquito Pass and was part of theEl Camino Viejo - an alternate land route to theEl Camino Real for reaching northern Spanish and Mexican colonial Alta California - as well as theButterfield Overland Mail route.
TheRidge Route, a landmark two-lane highway that connectedLos Angeles to the rest of California, was built along the western flank of the ridge and was completed in 1915. It was later bypassed by the Ridge Route Alternate (US 99) in 1930, itself superseded byInterstate 5 completed in 1971.
The rapid development ofSouthern California throughout the 20th century saw construction of theLos Angeles Aqueduct and five separate reservoirs to supply water to the region:Castaic Lake,Bouquet Reservoir, Drinkwater Reservoir,Pyramid Lake andDry Canyon Reservoir and theSt. Francis Reservoir, both now drained and destroyed.
