San Jose Hills facts for kids
Quick facts for kids San Jose Hills |
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 Location in California
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| Highest point | |
| Peak | Buzzard Peak |
| Elevation | 1,329 ft (405 m) |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| District | Los Angeles County |
| Range coordinates | 34°3′33.038″N 117°50′33.217″W / 34.05917722°N 117.84256028°W |
| Topo map | USGS San Dimas |
The San Jose Hills are a group of hills in Eastern Los Angeles County, California. They are part of the Transverse Ranges, which are mountain ranges that run east to west. These hills form a natural border between the San Gabriel Valley and the Pomona Valley. Cities like Covina, West Covina, Walnut, Pomona, and San Dimas are partly located in the San Jose Hills. To the south, the San Jose Creek valley separates these hills from the Puente Hills and Chino Hills.
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How the San Jose Hills Were Formed
The San Jose Hills have an interesting geological story. Long, long ago, huge pieces of the Earth's crust, called tectonic plates, slowly crashed into each other. This created a lot of pressure. About 25 million years ago, this pressure caused parts of the land to lift up from the ocean, forming the Los Angeles area.
Over time, more folding and cracking of the Earth's crust helped create other hills, including the San Jose Hills and the Puente Hills. These hills were shaped into their rounded forms even when they were still under water. There's also a fault line called the San Jose Hills Fault in the area. This fault was last active in 1990.
Highest Point and Soil
The highest point in the San Jose Hills is Buzzard Peak, which is about 1,319 feet (402 m) tall. The very top parts of the hills are made of hard rock with only a little bit of soil. But at the bottom of the hills, the soil is much richer and holds water well.
This means that rain water runs off the rocky tops and soaks into the soil at the bottom. This helps plants grow better in the lower areas. Because the hills run from east to west, the northern slopes get less direct sunlight. This means water stays longer on the northern side, making it a great place for plants to thrive.
Plants and Animals of the San Jose Hills
The San Jose Hills are home to many different kinds of plants and animals. Some of these are quite rare!
Plant Communities
The main type of plant community here is called coastal sage scrub. These plants are super good at living through long, dry summers because they can drop their leaves to save water. You might also spot prickly-pear cactus.
Higher up, above 1,000 feet (300 m), you'll find chaparral plants. Unlike the sage scrub, chaparral plants keep their leaves all year round. Along the northern slopes, especially in shady cracks and valleys, you can find coast oak trees and Southern California black walnut woodlands. These black walnut woodlands are becoming very rare, and the San Jose Hills have some of the largest groups of them, along with the Puente Hills to the south.
Wildlife
The San Jose Hills and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley are full of diverse animals. You can find many different mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians here.
- Mammals include bobcats, gray foxes, skunks, opossums, squirrels, and other small rodents.
- Birds are especially varied. Some notable birds are the California quail, least Bell's vireo, coastal California gnatcatcher, grasshopper sparrow, southwest willow flycatcher, and red-tailed hawk.
- Reptiles and Amphibians include various lizards and snakes. You might also find the California red-legged frog, southwestern arroyo toad, southwestern pond turtle, and other types of frogs and salamanders.
Fun Things to Do in the San Jose Hills
The San Jose Hills offer many places for fun and learning!
Fairs and Museums
On the northeastern edge of the hills, you'll find Fairplex, which is where the annual L.A. County Fair takes place. Many other events happen there throughout the year. Fairplex is also home to the Los Angeles County Railroad Museum and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, which is great for car racing fans. Next to it is Pomona Raceway-Dragstrip, where you can watch exciting car races.
Parks and Lakes
Two large parks with lots of nature are in the eastern part of the San Jose Hills:
- Ganesha Park has picnic areas, a community center, a band shell for music, an Olympic-sized swimming pool with a slide, basketball and tennis courts, and hiking trails.
- Frank G. Bonelli Park has a large lake called Puddingstone Lake, which is about 250 acres (1.0 km2). You can go swimming, water skiing, windsurfing, and sailing here. The lake is also stocked with fish like trout, bluegill, catfish, and bass, so it's a great spot for fishing. Raging Waters, a water theme park, is located at the north end of the lake. Bonelli Park also has boat rentals, hot tubs, an equestrian center for horse riding, and trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.
East of Bonelli Park is the Mountain Meadows Golf Course, and to the west is the Via Verde Country Club. South of the country club is Walnut Creek Park, a smaller park along Walnut Creek.
Colleges and Nature Reserves
Several big colleges are located in the hills:
- California Polytechnic State University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona)
- Mount San Antonio College (Mt. SAC)
- Pacific West Bible College
Cal Poly Pomona has the Voorhis Ecological Reserve, a special area with 31 hectares (77 acres) of coastal sage scrub and oak woodland. They also have a program called Biotrek, which includes a Rainforest greenhouse, a native plant garden, and aquatic environments for learning. Mt. SAC has a 10 acres (40,000 m2) native Wildlife Sanctuary.
Other Fun Spots
You can also find Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary here. On the north slope, Heritage Gardens Historical Park has new hiking trails. Walnut Ranch Park is on the south slope.
Along Citrus Avenue, there's the South Hills Country Club. Three parks are along the southern slopes: Shadow Oak Park, Creekside Park, and Gringrich Park. In the western part of the hills, you'll find the Industry Hills Recreation Center and smaller parks like Rimgrove and Woodgrove parks.
Just east of Azusa Avenue, on the north slopes, is Galster Wilderness Park with its new Galster Park Nature Center. This center is run by the San Gabriel Mountains Regional Conservancy and is surrounded by 40 acres (160,000 m2) of Walnut Woodland. On the southern slope, West Covina has a big sports complex called Big League Dreams.
