Cuyamaca Rancho State Park - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is a state park

State park

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

located forty miles east of San Diego, California

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

in the Laguna Mountains

Laguna Mountains

The Laguna Mountains are a section of the Peninsular Ranges in eastern San Diego County, California. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately ....

of the Peninsular Ranges

Peninsular Ranges

The Peninsular Ranges are a group of mountain ranges, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, which stretch from southern California in the United States to the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges that run along the Pacific coast from Alaska...

. The park's 26,000 acres (105 km²) feature pine, fir, and oak forests, with meadows and streams that exist due to the relatively high elevation of the area compared to its surroundings. The park includes 6512 feet (1,985 m) Cuyamaca Peak

Cuyamaca Peak

Cuyamaca Peak is a mountain in San Diego County roughly from the Pacific Ocean, in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park east of San Diego and southwest of Julian...

, the second highest point in San Diego County

San Diego County, California

San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...

Introduction

Park services include trails for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking, as well as campgrounds for family, group, equestrian, and primitive trail camping; as well as an exhibit at a former gold mine, the Stonewall Mine.

Wildlife in the area includes mountain lions, which have been known to attack humans, and park literature emphasizes avoiding encounters with them. Numerous other species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians are known to reside within the park.

The park was closed for several months due to massive damage incurred in the 2003 Cedar Fire

Cedar Fire

The Cedar Fire was a human-caused wildfire that burned out of control through a large area of San Diego County, in Southern California, in October 2003...

. Although much of the forest was burned, the park has since been reopened and the fire ecology regenerating native plant

Native plant

Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...

s are re-growing and returning.

Geology

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is located in the mountains called the Peninsular Range, which extends from the San Jacinto

San Jacinto

San Jacinto is Spanish for Saint Hyacinth; as a place name, it may refer to:* San Jacinto, Bolívar, Colombia* San Jacinto, Chiquimula, Guatemala* San Jacinto, Comondú, Mexico* San Jacinto, Lerdo, Mexico* San Jacinto, Ancash Region, Peru...

Mountains north of the park, southward to the tip of Baja California

Baja California

Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...

. At the western edge of the most seismically active area in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, the range is a great uplifted plateau

Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...

, cut off from the Colorado Desert

Colorado Desert

California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...

to the east by the Elsinore Fault Zone

Elsinore Fault Zone

The Elsinore Fault Zone is a large right-lateral strike-slip geological fault structure in Southern California. The fault is part of the trilateral split of the San Andreas fault system and is one of the largest, though quietest faults in Southern California....

, where vertical movement over the last two million years has amounted to thousands of feet of tectonic uplift

Tectonic uplift

Tectonic uplift is a geological process most often caused by plate tectonics which increases elevation. The opposite of uplift is subsidence, which results in a decrease in elevation. Uplift may be orogenic or isostatic.-Orogenic uplift:...

Quartz and granite

Metamorphosed sediment

Sediment

Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....

s such as schist

Schist

The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...

, gneiss

Gneiss

Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...

, and quartzite

Quartzite

Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...

are abundant in the Cuyamacas, particularly in the Stonewall Mine area. Most of the rocks now seen in the Park are plutonic: Either the granodiorite

Granodiorite

Granodiorite is an intrusive igneous rock similar to granite, but containing more plagioclase than orthoclase-type feldspar. Officially, it is defined as a phaneritic igneous rock with greater than 20% quartz by volume where at least 65% of the feldspar is plagioclase. It usually contains abundant...

comprising Stonewall Peak, or the gabbro

Gabbro

Gabbro refers to a large group of dark, coarse-grained, intrusive mafic igneous rocks chemically equivalent to basalt. The rocks are plutonic, formed when molten magma is trapped beneath the Earth's surface and cools into a crystalline mass....

comprising Cuyamaca Peak

Cuyamaca Peak

Cuyamaca Peak is a mountain in San Diego County roughly from the Pacific Ocean, in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park east of San Diego and southwest of Julian...

. As these bedrocks weather, they become the parent material of the coarse, acidic, red soil found throughout the area. Gabbro weathers to a darker red soil than granodiorite or other quartz-rich rock.

Gold

Gold is a natural element that appears around granite formations because gold forms during cooling and solidification of igneous rock. Gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

commonly occurs in association with quartz, either as pure gold or as an ore. In the Cuyamaca area, gold is associated with the metasediment called Julian schist. At mines in this area, including the Stonewall Mine in the Park, veins of gold were followed into the bedrock and the surrounding ore excavated. Most streams in the Park have small amounts of gold, since it is constantly being removed from the quartz exposures by weathering.

Flora - plants

Trees

Cuyamaca's average elevation of nearly 5000 feet (1,524 m) enables many conifers and broadleaf trees to exist; a rarity in xeric Southern California

Southern California

Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...

. The conifers include the White fir

White Fir

White Fir is a fir native to the mountains of western North America, occurring at altitudes of 900-3,400 m. It is a medium to large evergreen coniferous tree growing to 25–60 m tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 2 m . It is popular as an ornamental landscaping tree and as a Christmas Tree...

, Incense cedar, Coulter pine

Coulter Pine

The Coulter Pine or Big-cone Pine is a native of the coastal mountains of southern California and northern Baja California . Isolated groves are found as far north as the San Francisco Bay Area in Mt. Diablo State Park and Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve...

, Jeffrey pine

Jeffrey Pine

The Jeffrey Pine, Pinus jeffreyi, named in honor of its botanist documenter John Jeffrey, is a North American pine related to Ponderosa Pine.-Distribution and habitat:...

, Sugar pine

Sugar Pine

Pinus lambertiana, commonly known as the sugar pine or sugar cone pine, is the tallest and most massive pine, with the longest cones of any conifer...

and Ponderosa pine

Ponderosa Pine

Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...

. The broadleaves include the White alder

White Alder

White Alder may refer to:* USCGC White Alder , a United States Coast Guard ship* White Alder , a North American flowering plant...

, Arizona ash, California sycamore

California Sycamore

Platanus racemosa is a species of sycamore tree known by several common names, including California sycamore, Western sycamore, California plane tree, and in Spanish Aliso...

, Fremont cottonwood, Coast live oak

Coast Live Oak

Quercus agrifolia, the Coast Live Oak, is an evergreen oak , native to the California Floristic Province. It grows west of the Sierra Nevada from Mendocino County, California, south to northern Baja California in Mexico. It is classified in the red oak section Quercus agrifolia, the Coast Live Oak,...

, Canyon live oak, Engelmann oak

Engelmann Oak

Quercus engelmannii, the Engelmann Oak or Pasadena Oak, is a species of oak in the white oak section Quercus sect. Quercus, native to Southern California and northwestern Baja California, Mexico.-Description:...

, California black oak

California Black Oak

Quercus kelloggii, the California Black Oak, also known as simply Black Oak, or Kellogg Oak, is an oak in the red oak section , native to western North America...

, Interior live oak

Interior Live Oak

Quercus wislizeni, known by the common names Interior Live Oak, and Sierra Live Oak, is an evergeen oak, highly variable and often shrubby, found in areas of California in the United States. It also occurs south into northern Baja California in Mexico...

, Oracle oak, and Red Willow. Detailed information about Cuyamaca area oak

Oak

An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...

and pine

Pine

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

trees is available at the park headquarters, in the "Summary of the Natural and Cultural History of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park."

Shrubs

The shrubs in Cuyamaca include both large (4–15 ft) and small (1–4 ft). On the large size, are the chamise, Eastwood manzanita, Cuyamaca manzanita, Mexican manzanita, cupleaf mountain lilac, whitebark mountain lilac, Pamer mountain lilac, mountain mahogany, creek dogwood, Parish goldenbush, yerba santa

Yerba santa

Yerba santa or hierba santa , meaning mean "sacred herb" in Spanish, can refer to:*Hoja santa *Species of the genus Eriodictyon, including Eriodictyon californicum and Eriodictyon crassifolium...

, Parish burning bush, toyon

Toyon

Heteromeles arbutifolia , and commonly known as Toyon, is a common perennial shrub native to California down to Baja California....

, California barberry

California barberry

Mahonia pinnata is a species of shrub in the barberry family. Common names include California barberry, wavyleaf barberry, and shinyleaf mahonia...

, laurel sumac

Malosma

Malosma is a plant genus which contains only a single species, Malosma laurina, with the common names Laurel sumac and Lentisco ....

, hollyleaf cherry

Prunus ilicifolia

Prunus ilicifolia is an evergreen shrub to tree, producing edible cherries, with shiny and spiny toothed leaves similar in appearance to holly...

, western choke cherry, scrub oak

Scrub Oak

Scrub Oak is a general name for several species of small, shrubby oaks, including the following species:*California Scrub Oak *Leather Oak *Coastal Scrub Oak...

, coffeeberry, western azalea, white sage

White sage

Salvia apiana is an evergreen perennial shrub that is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, found mainly in the coastal sage scrub habitat of Southern California and Baja California, on the western edges of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.-Description :S...

, and elderberry

Elderberry

Sambucus is a genus of between 5 and 30 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. It was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified due to genetic evidence...

.

The small shrubs in the Park include California buckwheat, Wright buckwheat, chaparral honeysuckle, basketbush, California rose, creeping sage, snowberry, and poison oak

Poison oak

Poison oak may refer to* Toxicodendron diversilobum, grows on West Coast of North America* Toxicodendron pubescens, grows in the Eastern United Statesdamnnnnn tissss is terribleee...

.

About poison oak

Poison oak

Poison oak may refer to* Toxicodendron diversilobum, grows on West Coast of North America* Toxicodendron pubescens, grows in the Eastern United Statesdamnnnnn tissss is terribleee...

: Usually found in moist, shady areas below 5000 feet (1,524 m)(Though it sometimes occurs elsewhere). Many people develop severe dermatitis

Dermatitis

-Etymology:Dermatitis derives from Greek derma "skin" + -itis "inflammation" and genetic disorder.-Terminology:There are several different types of dermatitis. The different kinds usually have in common an allergic reaction to specific allergens. The term may describe eczema, which is also called...

from coming into contact with its leaves or stems. Young leaves are usually reddish, turning glossy green, then red again in the fall. Flowers are tiny and white and the fruit is a small whitish berry.

See "Conspicuous Plants of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park," by Michael Curto-1987, for a list of 30 of the Park's shrubs, with their common and botanical names.

Wildflowers

Early Season	Middle Season	Late Season
Milkmaids - Cardamine californica Cardamine californica Cardamine californica , is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to western North America from Washington to California and Baja California. It is common on shady slopes and grasslands in the winter and early spring.-Description:Cardamine californica is herbaceous perennial plant...	Purple Nightshade Purple nightshade Solanum xanti, known commonly as chaparral nightshade or San Diego nightshade, is a member of the genus Solanum. It is native to the southwestern United States and Baja California, Mexico, where it grows in chaparral, woodlands, forests, and other habitat. It is a perennial herb or subshrub...	Penstemon Penstemon Penstemon , Beard-tongue, is a large genus of North American and East Asian plants traditionally placed in the Scrophulariaceae family. Due to new genetic research, it has now been placed in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae...
Peony Peony Peony or paeony is a name for plants in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the flowering plant family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, southern Europe and western North America...	Monkey Flower	Locoweed Locoweed Locoweed is a common name in North America for any plant that produces swainsonine, a phytotoxin harmful to livestock. Worldwide, swainsonine is produced by a small number of species, most in three genera of the flowering plant family Fabaceae: Oxytropis and Astragalus in North America, and...
Goldfields - Lasthenia sp. Lasthenia Lasthenia, commonly known as goldfields, is a genus of the botanical family Asteraceae. The genus is named after Lasthenia, a cross-dressing female pupil of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato.-Description:...	Mule's Ears - Wyethia sp. Wyethia Wyethia is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family commonly referred to as mule's ears. These are short, low to the ground golden-rayed wildflowers that resemble miniature sunflowers.Selected species:...	Southern Pink Dogwood Dogwood The genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...
Creamcups	Milkweed - Asclepias sp. Asclepias Asclepias L. , the milkweeds, is a genus of herbaceous perennial, dicotyledonous plants that contains over 140 known species...	Cudweed Aster
Checkerbloom - Sidalcea sp. Sidalcea Sidalcea is a genus of the botanical family Malvaceae. It contains several species of flower known generally as checkerblooms or checkermallows.Selected species:*Sidalcea calycosa - annual checkerbloom...	Wallflower Wallflower Erysimum is a genus that includes about 180 species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. The genus Cheiranthus is sometimes included herein whole or in part. Erysimum has recently adscribed to a monogeneric cruciferous tribe, Erysimeae...	Red Indian Paintbrush - Castilleja sp. Castilleja Castilleja, commonly known as Indian paintbrush or Prairie-fire, is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes, northern Asia, and one species as far west as the Kola Peninsula in Siberia...
Splendid Mariposa Lily - Calochortus splendens Calochortus splendens Calochortus splendens is a species of mariposa lily known by the common name splendid mariposa lily. It is native to western California and Baja California, in chaparral and woodland habitats.-Description:...	Golden Bowl Mariposa Lily - Calochortus concolor Golden Bowl Golden bowl can refer to:The Golden Bowl, 1904 novel by Henry JamesThe Golden Bowl , 2000 film adapted from the book*Goldenbowl lily, a member of the Calochortus genus....	California Fuchsia
Tidy tips	Virgin's Bower	Goldenrod Goldenrod Solidago, commonly called goldenrods, is a genus of about 100 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Most are herbaceous perennial species found in the meadows and pastures, along roads, ditches and waste areas in North America. There are also a few species native to Mexico, South...
Golden Yarrow - Eriophyllum sp. Eriophyllum Eriophyllum, commonly known as the woolly sunflower, is a genus of annual or herbaceous perennial plant native to western North America, with a concentration of narrow endemics in the California Floristic Province....	Yarrow - Achillea sp. Achillea Achillea is a genus of about 85 flowering plants, in the family Asteraceae, commonly referred to as yarrow. They occur in Europe and temperate areas of Asia. A few grow in North America. These plants typically have frilly, hairy, aromatic leaves....	native Thistle Thistle Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
Columbine - Aquilegia sp. Aquilegia Aquilegia is a genus of about 60-70 species of perennial plants that are found in meadows, woodlands, and at higher altitudes throughout the Northern Hemisphere, known for the spurred petals of their flowers.-Etymology:The genus name Aquilegia is derived from the Latin word for eagle , because...	Humboldt's Lily - Lilium humboldtii ssp. ocellatum
Baby Blue Eyes Baby blue eyes Nemophila menziesii, the Baby blue eyes is a common annual herb of California, Oregon, and Baja California. It is a spring-blooming wildflower that gets its name from the bright blue flowers of two of the three varieties that are recognised. It is also cultivated in gardens...
Purple Lupine - Lupinus polyphyllus Lupinus polyphyllus Lupinus polyphyllus is a species of lupine native to western North America from southern Alaska and British Columbia east to Alberta and western Wyoming, and south to Utah and California...
Goldenstars - Bloomeria crocea Bloomeria crocea Bloomeria crocea, also known as Goldenstar, is a geophyte from southern California and northern Baja California. It is found along hillsides, in grassland and chaparral edges, and in dry flats.-Distribution:...

Birds

The Cuyamaca bird list, available at the park museum, contains about 200 different species. Several of the most commonly seen bird residents and migrants are the wild turkey

Wild Turkey

The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...

, acorn woodpecker

Acorn Woodpecker

The Acorn woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker, 21 cm long with an average weight of 85 g.-Description:...

, Nuttall's Woodpecker

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Nuttall's Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii, is a species of woodpecker named after naturalist Thomas Nuttall in 1843. They are found in oak woodlands of California and are similar to the Ladder-backed Woodpecker in terms of genetics and in appearance. -Description:Nuttall’s Woodpecker has black...

, northern flicker

Northern Flicker

The Northern Flicker is a medium-sized member of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker species that migrate. There are over 100 common names for the Northern Flicker...

, Steller's jay

Steller's Jay

The Steller's Jay is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the Blue Jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the Long-crested Jay, Mountain Jay, and Pine Jay...

, western bluebird

Western Bluebird

The Western Bluebird is a small thrush, approximately to in length.Adult males are bright blue on top and on the throat with an orange breast and sides, a brownish patch on back, and a gray belly and undertail coverts. Adult females have a duller blue body, wings, and tail than the male, a gray...

, white-breasted nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

The White-breasted Nuthatch is a small songbird of the nuthatch family which breeds in old-growth woodland across much of temperate North America. It is a stocky bird, with a large head, short tail, powerful bill and strong feet. The upperparts are pale blue-gray, and the face and underparts are...

, mountain chickadee

Mountain Chickadee

The Mountain Chickadee is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. Often, it is still placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships...

, plain titmouse, American robin

American Robin

The American Robin or North American Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the flycatcher family...

, red-tailed hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West...

and red-shouldered hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

The Red-shouldered Hawk is a medium-sized hawk. Its breeding range spans eastern North America and along the coast of California and northern to northeastern-central Mexico.-Description:...

.
Migrants and summer residents include the black-headed grosbeak

Black-headed Grosbeak

The Black-headed Grosbeak, Pheucticus melanocephalus, is a medium-size seed-eating bird in the same family as the Northern Cardinal, the Cardinalidae. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, P...

, northern oriole, ash-throated Flycatcher

Ash-throated Flycatcher

The Ash-throated Flycatcher, Myiarchus cinerascens, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in desert scrub, riparian forest, brushy pastures and open woodland from the western United States to central Mexico. It is a short-distance migrant, retreating from most of the U.S....

, western wood pewee

Western Wood Pewee

The Western Wood-Pewee, Contopus sordidulus, is a small tyrant flycatcher. Adults are gray-olive on the upperparts with light underparts, washed with olive on the breast. They have two wing bars and a dark bill with yellow at the base of the lower mandible. This bird is very similar in appearance...

, house wren

House Wren

The House Wren, Troglodytes aedon, is a very small songbird of the wren family, Troglodytidae. It occurs from Canada to southernmost South America, and is thus the most widely distributed bird in the Americas. It occurs in most suburban areas in its range and it is the single most common wren...

, several warblers, and the Lesser Goldfinch

Lesser Goldfinch

The Lesser Goldfinch or Dark-backed Goldfinch is a very small songbird of the Americas. Together with its relatives the American Goldfinch and Lawrence's Goldfinch, it forms the American goldfinches clade in the genus Carduelis sensu stricto.The American goldfinches can be distinguished by the...

Amphibians and reptiles

There are many varieties of amphibians and reptiles that call CRSP home. A few of them are the Canyon Tree Frog, Pacific Tree Frog

Pacific Tree Frog

The Pacific Tree Frog has a range from the West Coast of the United States to British Columbia, in Canada. They live from sea level to more than 10,000 feet in many types of habitats, reproducing in aquatic settings. They are the only frogs that go "ribbit"...

, red-legged frog

Red-legged Frog

The Red-legged Frog, a threatened native species in Oregon, is a common name for a particular kind of frog of the west coast of North America. The Red-legged Frog requires stream side, woodland environments for survival...

, western toad

Western toad

The Western toad more commonly known as is a large toad species, between 5.6 and 13 cm long, of western North America. It has a white or cream dorsal stripe, and is dusky gray or greenish dorsally with skin glands concentrated within the dark blotches...

, common king snake, gopher snake, mountain kingsnake

Kingsnake

Kingsnakes are a type of colubrid snake that are members of the Lampropeltis genus, which also includes the milk snake along with another four species and 45 sub-species....

, racer

Coluber

Coluber is a genus of thin bodied, fast moving, colubrid snakes commonly known as racers. They are widespread around the world and vary greatly in habitat and behaviour. In the past, Coluber was a catch-all genus which included almost all snake species known at the time...

, striped racer

California Whipsnake

The Alameda Whipsnake , aka Striped Racer, is a colubrid snake of the California coast and foothills. It is 90–120 cm long, slender, with two yellowish stripes along its back, set against a dark brown or black back. It is fast-moving, diurnal, and an active forager...

and western garter snake.

Insects

California has over 25,000 identified insect species with several thousand calling Cuyamaca their home. A good place to look for insects is among the plants along fire roads and wide trails. Due to the large number of insect species in the parks, it is not currently possible to provide a list of commonly seen insects. However, the results of a one-day insect walk in Cuyamaca on July 23, 1993 are an indication of the variety of insects in the Park. This survey is included in the "Summary of the Natural and Cultural History of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, August 1993."

Mammals

Frequently seen mammals in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park include the Southern mule deer

Mule Deer

The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...

, Coyote

Coyote

The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...

, California ground squirrel

California Ground Squirrel

The California ground squirrel , is a common and easily observed ground squirrel of the western United States and the Baja California peninsula; it is common in Oregon and California and its range has relatively recently extended into Washington and northwestern Nevada...

, Merriam's chipmunk

Merriam's Chipmunk

Merriam's chipmunk is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in central and southern California. in the United States and a small area in northern Baja California, Mexico....

, Black-tailed jackrabbit

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

The black-tailed jackrabbit , also known as the american desert hare, is a common hare of the western United States and Mexico, where it is found at elevations from sea level to up to...

, Brush rabbit

Brush Rabbit

The Brush Rabbit , or Western Brush Rabbit, is a species of cottontail rabbit found in western coastal regions of North America, from the Columbia River in Oregon to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula...

, and Audubon's cottontail rabbit

Desert Cottontail

The Desert Cottontail , also known as Audubon's Cottontail, is a New World cottontail rabbit, a member of the family Leporidae....

Mountain lions

The native Mountain Lion, also known as the Cougar, the Panther, and the Puma, is tawny-colored with black tipped ears and tail. Adult males may be up to eight feet long from nose to end of tail, and generally weigh between 130 and 150 pounds, but can get to as much as 228 pounds. Adult females can be seven feet long and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds.

Mountain lions live in many different types of habitat in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, from deserts

Déserts

Déserts is a piece by Edgard Varèse for brass , percussion , piano, and tape. Percussion instruments are exploited for their resonant potential, rather than used solely as accompaniment...

to humid coast range forest, and from sea level to 10000 feet (3,048 m) elevations. They are generally most abundant in areas with plentiful deer

Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

and adequate cover. Mountain lions are important members of the natural community and may be found in the park. Normally, lions are very elusive and people rarely get more than a brief glimpse of a mountain lion in the wild. They are, however, unpredictable and have been known to attack people. The predatory behavior of a mountain lion is very similar to the domestic cat. The lion will attempt to conceal itself for a surprise attack while stalking its prey. A crouched position is assumed with the tail twitching and the ears upright. An agitated lion may snarl and lay its ears back.

Park History

Historical features date from prehistoric humans through the Southern California Gold Rush

California Gold Rush

The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...

Native Americans

indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples of California

The Indigenous peoples of California are the indigenous inhabitants who have lived or currently live in the geographic area within the current boundaries of California before and after the arrival of Europeans. With over one hundred federally recognized tribes, California has the largest Native...

in the area date back a minimum of 7000 years. Traces of their ancient and pre-contact civilizations are within the park, which is a Cuyamaca complex

Cuyamaca Complex

The Cuyamaca complex is a precolumbian complex, dating from the late Holocene, with archaeological sites in San Diego County, California. This complex is related to the Kumeyaay peoples....

archeological site. Early bedrock mortars

Mortar and pestle

A mortar and pestle is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances . The pestle is a heavy bat-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding. The mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, ceramic or stone...

mark the sites of summer camps and villages. Even the name "Cuyamaca" is a Spanish version of the name the native Kumeyaay peoples used for this place. In water-short Southern California, the Indians called the area Ah-Ha Kwe-Ah Mac, meaning "the place where it rains."

Kumeyaay peoples' traditional lands range from San Diego east through the Cuyamaca and the Laguna Mountains

Laguna Mountains

The Laguna Mountains are a section of the Peninsular Ranges in eastern San Diego County, California. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately ....

through present day Anza Borrego Desert State Park to beyond the Salton Sea

Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death...

in the east, and south beyond present day Ensenada, Baja California

Ensenada, Baja California

Ensenada is a coastal city in Mexico and the third-largest city in Baja California. It is located south of San Diego on the Baja California Peninsula. The city is locally referred to as La Cenicienta del Pacífico, or, The Cinderella of the Pacific...

on the Baja California Peninsula

Baja California Peninsula

The Baja California peninsula , is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Its land mass separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south.The total area of the Baja California...

in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. A typical band's typical range was a 20 miles (32.2 km) radius from their winter home. Today thirteen federally recognized Kumeyaay tribes are in San Diego County.

19th century

The park is located on the 1845 Rancho Cuyamaca

Rancho Cuyamaca

Rancho Cuyamaca was a Mexican land grant in present day San Diego County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to Agustin Olvera. The grant extended south of present day Julian and encompassed Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Lake Cuyamaca, and Cuyamaca Peak.-History:Olvera remained in Los...

Mexican land grant

Ranchos of California

The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...

. With the discovery of gold in Julian

Julian, California

Julian is a census-designated place in San Diego County, California, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,502, down from 1,621 at the 2000 census.Julian is an official California Historical Landmark No. 412...

in 1869, the Spanish, Mexican, and American governments and settlers changed the Kumeyaay's way of life forever. Disease spread through the Kumeyaay, traditional ways of life were destroyed, and promises broken as the Indians were expelled in 1875 from ancestral lands and taxed without representation. Currently there are about 20,000 Kumeyaay descendants in San Diego County

San Diego County, California

, 10% of whom live on the 18 reservations which range from 6.3 to over 122000 acres (494 km²).

The Stonewall Mine opened in 1870 and started the boomtown of Cuyamaca City

Cuyamaca, California

Cuyamaca is a region of eastern San Diego County. It lies east of the Capitan Grande Indian Reservation in the western Laguna Mountains, north of Descanso and south of Julian. Named for the 1845 Rancho Cuyamaca Mexican land grant, the region is now dominated by the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park...

. Peak production at the mine occurred between 1886 and 1891 while employing over 200 workers. In 1889, Cuyamaca Dam was completed and in 1892, Stonewall Mine was permanently sealed after large losses.

20th century

In 1923, Ralph Dyar bought the Cuyamaca Rancho and built a summer home. In 1933, he sold his property to the State, thereby creating Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Now the park is over 26000 acres (105 km²) of protected wildlife habitat, watershed, archeological sites, botanical reserve, and recreational land with roughly half of the Park classified as Wilderness area.

State park volunteers

The beauty and uniqueness of Cuyamaca has the ability to deeply affect visitors. For this reason many people choose to volunteer a portion of their time and energy to the Park or to support the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park Interpretive Association

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park Interpretive Association

The Cuyamaca Rancho State Park Interpretive Association supports the mission of California Cuyamaca Rancho SP Interpretive Assn. LogoState Parks, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and Palomar Mountain State Park through education and interpretive activities that enhance the visitor’s experience...

(CRSPIA) with donations and memberships. The CRSPIA is an educational/interpretive organization that helps to support the park and its volunteer programs. There are five volunteer units in Cuyamaca:

The Interpreters Assistance Unit
The Trails maintenance Unit
The Mounted Assistance Unit
The Mountain Bike Assistance Unit
Camp Hosts

Wi-fi service

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park offers Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...

service. This service enables park visitors with wireless enabled laptop computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs) to access the Internet. Visitors can access this service if within a 150 feet (46 m) range base of the Administrative Headquarters.

Introduction

Geology

Quartz and granite

Gold

Flora - plants

Trees

Shrubs

Wildflowers

Birds

Amphibians and reptiles

Insects

Mammals

Mountain lions

Park History

Native Americans

19th century

20th century

State park volunteers

Wi-fi service

See also

Park links

Mountain lion encounters