Santa Rosa Mountains (California) facts for kids
The Santa Rosa Mountains are a beautiful mountain range in southern California. They are part of a bigger group of mountains called the Peninsular Ranges. These mountains are found east of Los Angeles and northeast of San Diego. They are a special part of the southwestern United States.
Contents
Geography of the Santa Rosa Mountains
The Santa Rosa Mountains stretch for about 30 miles (48 kilometers). They run along the western side of the Coachella Valley. You can find them in Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial Counties.
At their northern end, they connect to the San Jacinto Mountains. A road called the Pines to Palms Highway, also known as California State Route 74, crosses through them here.
The highest point in the range is Toro Peak. It stands tall at 8,716 feet (2,657 meters). This peak is about 22 miles (35 kilometers) south of Palm Springs. It is also just south of Route 74. The Santa Rosa Mountains help form a watershed for the Salton Sink. This means water from the mountains flows into the Salton Sink area. Other important mountains here include Santa Rosa Mountain, Martinez Mountain, and Rabbit Peak.
History of the Santa Rosa Mountains
The first stories about the Santa Rosa Mountains come from a Spanish trip in 1774. An explorer named Juan Bautista de Anza led this trip. He traveled through the Coachella Valley from Mexico.
Old maps from the 1800s showed the Santa Rosas as part of the bigger San Jacinto Mountains. The name "Santa Rosa Mountains" was first used in 1901. This name was given by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Plants and Animals of the Santa Rosa Mountains
The Santa Rosa Mountains are home to many different plants and animals. The lower parts of the mountains are like the Colorado Desert. Higher up, you find plants and animals typical of California's mountain areas.
On the eastern side, which gets less rain, you can find special desert plants. Some unique plants on the mountain peaks include the rock draba and Ziegler's aster. You might also see shaggy-haired alumroot and Davidson's stonecrop.
In some canyons, there are natural oases. Here, you can find the California Fan Palm. This tree is native to California. The mountains are also home to a group of endangered Peninsular Bighorn sheep. These sheep are special because they only live in the Peninsular Ranges. They are different from other desert bighorn sheep.
Parks and Conservation
A large part of the northern Santa Rosa Mountains is protected. It is part of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. This monument was created in 2000. It is managed by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service.
The southern part of the range, including Toro Peak, is inside the huge Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Both the National Monument and the State Park have visitor centers. They offer trails where you can explore the Santa Rosa Mountains.
In 1990, the California State Legislature created the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy. This group helps protect the Santa Rosa Mountains and other ranges around the Coachella Valley.
