Santa Monica Mountains

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Santa Monica Mountains
Range
Malibu Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains
Country	United States
State	California
Counties	Los Angeles, Ventura
Part of	Transverse Ranges
Borders on	Santa Susana Mountains, Simi Hills, Verdugo Mountains
Coordinates	34°7′13.023″N 118°55′54.348″W / 34.12028417°N 118.93176333°W / 34.12028417; -118.93176333
Highest point	Sandstone Peak
- elevation	3,111 ft (948 m)

The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States.^[1]

Contents 1 Geography 2 Geology 3 Climate 4 Archeology 5 Development and parks 6 Named peaks 7 Los Angeles River 8 Griffith Park 9 Wildlife 9.1 Fauna 9.2 Flora 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

Geography

The range extends approximately 40 mi (64 km) east-west from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. The mountains form a barrier between the San Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles Basin, separating "the Valley" on the north and west-central Los Angeles on the south. The Santa Monica Mountains are parallel to Santa Susana Mountains, which are located directly north of the mountains across the San Fernando Valley. Beginning at the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley, the mountains are bordered to the north by the Los Angeles River. The river flows south after Elysian Park, defining the easternmost extent of the mountains. Mt. Washington, on the other side of the river, has almost identical native flora and climate.

Geology

Geologists consider the northern Channel Islands to be a westward extension of the Santa Monicas into the Pacific Ocean. The range was created by repeated episodes of uplifting and submergence by the Raymond Fault that created complex layers of sedimentary rock. Volcanic instrusions have been exposed, including the poorly named "Sandstone Peak", the highest in the range at 948 meters (3,111 ft.). Malibu Creek, which eroded its own channel while the mountains were slowly uplifted, bisects the mountain range.

Climate

The Santa Monica Mountains have dry, warm to humid summers and wet, mild to cool winters. In the summer, the climate is quite dry, which makes the range prone to wildfires. Snow is unusual in the Santa Monica Mountains, since they are not as high as the nearby San Gabriel Mountains.

On January 17, 2007, an unusually cold storm brought snow in the Santa Monica Mountains. Malibu picked up three inches (eight centimeters) of snow - the first measurable snow in five decades (50 years). Snow was reported on Boney Peak, in the winter of 2005; and in March 2006, snow also fell on the summit of the mountain.

Archeology

The mountains have more than 1,000 sites of archeological significance, particularly in regard to the Tongva and Chumash people. Today, the Santa Monica Mountains face pressure from local populations, who see the range as a recreational retreat, a desirable residential area, and as an increasingly rare wild place in urban Los Angeles.

Development and parks

Cahuenga Pass, present-day site of U.S. Route 101, is the easiest pass through the range connecting the Los Angeles Basin to the San Fernando Valley. In the 1800s, two battles were fought there, and the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed nearby. In the heyday of Hollywood movie studios clustered on both sides of it. Sepulveda Pass is the main north-south pass to the west, connecting the Westside to Sherman Oaks via the San Diego Freeway (I-405). Further west are Topanga Canyon Boulevard (SR 27), Malibu Canyon Road, and Kanan Dume Road. Mulholland Drive runs much of the length of the Santa Monica Mountains, from Cahuenga Pass to Woodland Hills while the Mulholland Highway runs from Woodland Hills to Sequit Point. The eastern end of the range, located in the City of Los Angeles, is more intensively developed than the western end of the range. The city of Malibu runs between the coast and the leading mountain ridge, from Topanga Canyon in the east to Leo Carrillo State Park in the west. The term Malibu Ozarks is sometimes used derogatorily (or ironically) for the unincorporated part of Malibu beyond the leading mountain ridge and lacking an ocean view; the term is often used synonymously with "818 Malibu" (referring to the less desirable San Fernando Valley telephone area code prefix).

Much of the mountains are located within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Preservation of lands within the region are managed in part by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Over twenty individual state and municipal parks are in the Santa Monica Mountains, including: Topanga State Park, Leo Carrillo State Park, Malibu Creek State Park, Point Mugu State Park, Will Rogers State Historic Park, Point Dume State Beach, Griffith Park, Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park, Charmlee Wilderness Park, Runyon Canyon Park, and the Paramount Ranch.

Communities along the north slope of the mountains include (from east to west):

• the Los Angeles communities of:
  • Studio City
  • Sherman Oaks
  • Encino
  • Tarzana
  • Woodland Hills
• Calabasas
• Agoura Hills
• Westlake Village
• Thousand Oaks
• Newbury Park
• Simi Valley

Communities along the south slope of the mountains include (from east to west):

• the Los Angeles communities of:
  • Los Feliz
  • Hollywood Hills
  • Bel-Air
  • Benedict Canyon
  • Brentwood
  • Pacific Palisades
• Beverly Hills
• the unincorporated community of Topanga
• Malibu

Named peaks

Named Peaks in the Santa Monica Mountains

Peak	Height		Notes
	US	SI
Sandstone Peak[2]	3111 ft	948 m	also known as Mount Allen, rising nearly a kilometer high
Tri-Peaks	3010 ft	917 m
Exchange Peak	2950 ft	899 m
Boney Peak[3]	2825 ft	861 m
Castro Peak[4]	2824 ft	861 m	highest peak in the eastern end of the range
Saddle Peak[5]	2805 ft	855 m
Calabasas Peak[6]	2165 ft	660 m
Temescal Peak	2126 ft	648 m
San Vicente Mountain[7]	1965 ft	599 m	former site of a Nike missile base, now a Cold War park
Clarks Peak[8]	1965 ft	599 m
Mesa Peak[9]	1844 ft	562 m
Cahuenga Peak[10]	1820 ft	555 m
Brents Mountain[11]	1713 ft	522 m
Mount Lee[12]	1640 ft	500 m	the Hollywood Sign is on the southern slope, at exactly half a kilometer high
Mount Hollywood[13]	1625 ft	495 m
Mount Chapel	1622 ft	494 m
Mount Bell	1587 ft	484 m
La Jolla Peak[14]	1567 ft	478 m
Laguna Peak[15]	1457 ft	444 m
Mugu Peak[16]	1266 ft	386 m	the westernmost peak in the range, rising directly from the beach

Los Angeles River

The southwestern headwaters of the Los Angeles River are in the Santa Monica Mountains. The Los Angeles River also forms the northern boundary of the mountains from the easternmost part of the San Fernando Valley to Elysian Park, where the river turns south, thereby defining the easternmost part of the mountain range.

Griffith Park

Griffith Park and finally Elysian Park are the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. Griffith Park is separated from the rest of the Santa Monica Mountains to the west by the Cahuenga Pass, over which the 101 Freeway passes from the San Fernando Valley into Hollywood. Elysian Park is the easternmost part of the mountains and is bordered by the Los Angeles River to the east.

Wildlife

The Santa Monica Mountains are in the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion and are covered by hundreds of local plant species, some of which are very rare, and others of which have become popular ornamentals. The range is host to an immense variety of wildlife, from mountain lions to the endangered steelhead. The Mountain lion population within the Santa Monica Mountains (which includes the Simi Hills & Santa Susana Pass) is severely depleted with only 7 known living adult individuals. The primary cause of the decline is due to a combination of traffic related mortality (3 from the area were killed within a matter of months,) anti-coagulants ingested from human poisoned prey (2 individuals within the Simi Hills) and attacks by other, more dominant mountain lions (an elder male, known as P1, killed both his son and his mate, this is though to be due to a lack of space available.) Snakes are common but only occasionally seen- the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (the only venomous species), Mountain Kingsnake, California Kingsnake, Gopher snake, and Garter snake.

Fauna

Native and Non Native Reptiles

(Western Fence Lizard, Bluebelly)

Mammals

Neotoma spp. (pack rat)

Birds

Flora

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The Santa Monica Mountains are dominated by two ecosystems, coastal sage scrub along the coast, then chapparal as the Mountains rise from the coast.

Native and Non Native Monocotyledones

• Agavaceae

Yucca whipplei

• Amaryllidaceae

Allium peninsulare

Bloomeria crocea

Dichelostemma pulchellum

• Iridaceae

(Blue Eyed Grass)

• Liliaceae

Calochortus splendens (“beautiful” “grass”), (“splendid”)

Calochortus venustus

Calochortus spp.

Chlorogalum pomeridianum (“green” “juice”) (“afternoon”) (Soap Plant)

Fritillaria biflora

• Orchidaceae

(Stream Orchid)

• Poaceae alt. Gramineae

Elymus condensatus

Dicotyledons

• Aizoaceae

(Ice Plant)

Carpobrotus edulis

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

• Anacardiaceae (Sumac, includes cashews)

Malosma laurina (Laurel Sumac)

Rhus integrifolia (Lemonadeberry)

Rhus ovata (Sugar Bush)

Rhus trilobata (Squaw Bush) (commonly confused with Poison Oak, but no petiole on middle of three leaves)

Toxicodendron diversilobum (Poison Oak) (MAY CAUSE EXTREME SKIN PROBLEM IF TOUCHED OR GONE NEAR, petiole on middle of three leaf clusters)

• Apiaceae (Umbel flowers, Carrots)

Conium maculatum (Poison Hemlock, looks like fennel, but POISONOUS)

Foeniculum vulgare (Sweet Fennel)

• Asteraceae

(Yarrow)

Artemisia californica (Coastal Sage Brush, smells good when rubbed, edible, tarragon is a variety)

Baccharis glutinosa (Mule fat, sticky leaves)

Baccharis pilularis (Coyote Brush)

Centaurea melitensis (Yellow Star Thistle, nasty invader)

Cirsium occidentale

Encelia californica

Eriophyllum confertiflorum

Gnaphalium californicum

Malacothrix saxatilis (Cliff Aster)

Silybum marianum

Misc (sunfowers)

• Boraginaceae
• Brassicaceae

Brassica nigra” (Black Mustard) (“nigra” = “black”)

Stanleya pinnata

• Cactaceae

Opuntia littoralis

• Capparaceae

Isomeris arborea

Sambucus mexicana (Mexican Elderberry)

• Caryophyllaceae

Silene laciniata

• Chenopodiaceae

Salsola iberica (Tumbleweed)

• Cistaceae

Cistus villosus

Helianthemum scoparium (“Scoparium” = “broom”)

Calystegia macrostegia (Morning Glory)

Cuscuta californica (Dodder, Orangebeard, Witches Hair)

• Crassulaceae

Dudeya lanceolata

Dudleya pulverulenta” (“pulverulent” = “pulverized to powder”. Refers to chalky wax on leaves.)

• Cucurbitaceae

Cucurbita foetissima

Marah macrocarpus

• Ericaceae (Heath family)

Arctostaphylos glandulosa

• Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia albomarginata

Ricinus communis

• Fabaceae (Leguminosae, Pea family)

Lotus scoparius (Broom)

Lupinus spp.

Lupinus hirsutissimus

Medicago sativa

Pickeringia montana

Spartium junceum

• Gentianaceae

Centaurium venustum

• Geraniaceae

Erodium cicutarium

• Hydrophyllaceae

Eriodictyon crassifolium (Yerba Santa)

Phacelia cicutaria (Caterpillar Phacelia)

Phacelia grandiflora

Phacelia parryi

• Lamiaceae (Mint)

Marrubium vulgare (Horehound)

Salvia apiana (White Sage)

Salvia comumbariae (Chia)

Salvia leucophylla (Purple Sage)

Salvia mellifera (Black sage)

• Malvaceae

Malacothamnus fasciculatus

Malva parviflora (Cheeseweed)

• Nyctaginaceae

Abronia umbellata (Verbena)

Mirabilis californica (Wishbone Plant)

• Onagraceae

Clarkia deflexa

Clarkia unguiculata

Zauschneria californica

• Oxalidaceae

Oxalis pes-caprae (lemon flavored)

• Paeoniaceae

Paeonia californica

• Papaveraceae

Dendromecon rigida

Dicentra ochroleuca

Eschscholzia californica

Papaver californicum

Romneya coulteri

• Polemonacea

Leptodactylon californicum

Linanthus dianthiflorus

• Polygonaceae

Eriogonum crocatum

Eriogonum cinereum

Eriogonum elongatum

Eriogonum fasciculatum

Rumex crispus

• Portulaceae

Claytonia perfoliata

Primulaceae

Anagalis arvensis

Dodecatheon clevelandii

• Ranunculaceae

Clematis ligusticifolia

Delphinium cardinale:

Delphinium parryi

Ranunculus californicus

• Rhamnaceae

Ceanothus crassifolius

Ceanothus cuneatus

Ceanothus leucodermis

Ceanothus megacarpus

Ceanothus oliganthus

Ceanothus spinosus

Rhamnus californica

• Rosaceae

Adenostoma fasciculatum

Cercocarpus betuloides

Heteromeles arbutifolia

Prunus ilicifolia

Rosa californica

Rubus ursinus

• Saxifragaceae

Ribes aureum

Ribes malvaceum

Ribes speciosum

• Scrophulariaceae (Figwort family)

Anirrhinum coulterianum

Antirrhinim kelloggii

Castilleja affins

Casrilleja foliolosa

Castilleja marinii

Mimulus brevipes

Mimulus aurantiacus

Mimulus cardinalis

Mimulus guttatus

Mimulus longiflorus

Mimulus pilosus

Orthocarpus purpurascens

Pedicularis densiflora

Penstemon centranthifolius

[[Penstemon hetero[hyllus]]

Penstemon spectabilis

• Solanaceae

Datura meteloides

Nicotiana glauca

Nicotiana bigelovii

Nicotiana glauca

Solanum douglasii

Solanum xantii

See also

• Simi Hills
• Santa Susana Mountains
• Verdugo Mountains
• San Gabriel Mountains

References

External links

• Outdoor LA Hiking Trails - Hiking trails in the area with maps and directions to the trailheads.
• Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
• Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
• Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains
• SMMNRA Interactive Locator Map
• Santa Monica Mountains Institute