Laguna Mountains
Encyclopedia
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 20 miles (32.2 km).
The Laguna Mountains are bordered by the Cuyamaca
area on the west and the Colorado Desert
on the east, where the mountains form a steep escarpment
along the Laguna Salada Fault
. To the north the Laguna Mountains are bounded by the Elsinore Fault Zone
and to the south by Cameron Valley and Thing Valley. The highest point is Cuyapaipe Mountain at 6378 feet (1,944 m). The mountains are largely contained within the Cleveland National Forest
. Snow falls on the highest peaks several times a year. Mount Laguna
is a village in the Laguna Mountains with a population of about 80.
The Laguna Mountains extend northwest about 35 mi (56.3 km) from the Mexican
border at the Sierra de Juárez
range.
The Santa Rosa Mountains
are to the northwest.
The mountains have long been inhabited by the Kumeyaay
people.
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...
in eastern San Diego County, California
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...
. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately 20 miles (32.2 km).
The Laguna Mountains are bordered by the Cuyamaca
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...
area on the west and 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...
on the east, where the mountains form a steep escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
along the Laguna Salada Fault
Laguna Salada Fault
The Laguna Salada Fault is a geological fault between the United States and Mexico. About to long, it straddles the Imperial County-California–Baja California border.-Earthquakes:...
. To the north the Laguna Mountains are bounded 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....
and to the south by Cameron Valley and Thing Valley. The highest point is Cuyapaipe Mountain at 6378 feet (1,944 m). The mountains are largely contained within the Cleveland National Forest
Cleveland National Forest
Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres , mostly of chaparral, with a few riparian areas. A warm dry mediterranean climate prevails over the Forest. It is the southernmost National forest of California. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, a government agency within...
. Snow falls on the highest peaks several times a year. Mount Laguna
Mount Laguna, California
Mount Laguna is a small census-designated place in San Diego County, California. It is located at almost 6,000 feet above sea level in a forest of Jeffrey pine, east of San Diego in the Laguna Mountains on the eastern edge of the Cleveland National Forest. The hamlet sits at the high point of a...
is a village in the Laguna Mountains with a population of about 80.
The Laguna Mountains extend northwest about 35 mi (56.3 km) from the Mexican
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...
border at the Sierra de Juárez
Sierra de Juárez
Sierra de Juárez is a mountain range on the Baja California Peninsula, of Baja California, Mexico. It is part of the Peninsular Ranges. The Laguna Mountains of California lie to the north and the Sierra San Pedro Mártir lies to the south....
range.
The Santa Rosa Mountains
Santa Rosa Mountains (California)
The Santa Rosa Mountains are a short mountain range in the Peninsular Ranges system, located east of the Los Angeles Basin and northeast of the San Diego metropolitan area of southern California, in the Southwestern United States.-Geography:...
are to the northwest.
The mountains have long been inhabited by the Kumeyaay
Kumeyaay
The Kumeyaay, also known as Tipai-Ipai, Kamia, or formerly Diegueño, are Native American people of the extreme southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. They live in the states of California in the US and Baja California in Mexico. In Spanish, the name is commonly spelled...
people.