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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature: San Bernardino Mountains


The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the city of San Bernardino. The range is separated from the San Gabriel Mountains to the west by Cajon Pass, and from the San Jacinto Mountains to the south and southeast by Banning Pass. The southern extent of the range is bounded by the San Andreas Fault. The highest peaks in the range include San Gorgonio Mountain (elevation 11,499 feet), the highest peak in southern California, and other peaks of the San Gorgonio Wilderness.  The range is also a drainage divide for the Salton Watershed to the west. The mountain range is also the location of four popular recreational destinations in the Inland Empire area: Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, Running Springs and Big Bear Lake.
San Bernardino Mountains and big bear Lake  Centuries ago Big Bear was well known only by the local Indians and the grizzly bears that claimed the area as their own. Until the mid 1800's, the Serrano Indians hunted and gathered food throughout the Big Bear area. In 1845, Benjamin D. Wilson led a group of rough-riding Californians through the pine forest and into the valley. Once Wilson discovered this "Island in the Sky", it became home to trappers, hunters and prospectors.  Big Bear features many different microclimates. While the general climate is Alpine, large areas in the East Valley and in Cactus Flats have High Desert climate and scattered throughout the valley are pockets of marshes, springs, meadows and wetlands. Few places on Earth offer as much habitat diversity as are available in Big Bear. Champion Lodgepole Pine Trail is through a forest of Jeffrey Pines, Lodgepole Pines and White Firs. The trail is about a half a mile long and ends at one of the largest Lodgepole Pines in California. There is a small stream and meadows in this area, so the vegetation is lush and satisfying to experience. This is also a self-guided trail with stations of information for those who are interested in knowing the names of trees and plants in this area.
Lake Arrowhead is located on the western end of the San Bernardino Mountains at around 5,500 feet. As a scenic mountain resort in the San Bernardino Mountains, Lake Arrowhead's economy is almost completely supported by tourism, both by casual vacationers and part-time residents. The primary tourism industries include real estate, lodging, dining, recreation, and retail sales. While Lake Arrowhead has no official town center, the Lake Arrowhead Village serves as the main commercial area for both locals and tourists and includes a number of factory outlets, boutiques, restaurants, and a supermarket. The Lake Arrowhead Communities have a unique climate for Southern California with four distinct seasons that support an array of outdoor recreational activity and year round beauty. The area receives about 300 annual days of sunshine per year.
San Bernardino Mountains offer a beautiful backdrop in southern California The wild lands of the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountain Ranges were designated a National Forest more than a hundred years ago. The San Bernardino National Forest serves as southern California's outdoor year-around recreation destination, as well as providing valuable watershed protection.  Drive the scenic Rim of the World Scenic Byway and Palms to Pines Scenic Byways to discover your local National Forest. Originally, the forest was home to Native Americans, since long before recorded history. Mexican and European settlements occurred sporadically for the first half of the 19th century, but the chain of events that led to the creation of the National Forest in 1893 really began after California became part of the United States in 1848. In 1855, gold was discovered in the San Bernardino mountains. Over the second half of the 19th century, mining, timber, and grazing grew quickly, taking a heavy toll on the land. By the end of the 19th century, significant sectors of the forest had been felled and overgrazed. Streams and rivers were silting in and water quality was declining. Meanwhile a growing population and a thriving citrus industry made increasing demands for clean drinking and irrigation water.
The shorter Little San Bernardino Mountains extend southeast from the range along the eastern side of the Coachella Valley. The Little San Bernardino Mountains are a short mountain range  extending for approximately 40 miles southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains through San Bernardino and Riverside Counties to near the northeast edge of the Salton Sink and Salton Sea. Much of the eastern end of the range is within Joshua Tree National Park. Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is also located in the Little San Bernardino Mountains. The oasis here contains one of the ten largest Cottonwood (Populus sect. Aegiros) and Red Willow (Salix laevigata) Riparian zone habitats in California. It was identified as an area of concern by the Bureau of Land Management in 1982. The only native palm to California, Washingtonia filifera, or the Desert fan palm which is an endangered species in nature while prevalent in gardens. The Colorado River Aqueduct, which provides drinking water for Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego, runs along the southwest edge of the mountains.
 
 
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