Cucamonga Peak
Map SatelliteLocated at the eastern end of the San Gabriel Mountains, the Cucamonga Peak area has several features of interest. (See also San Sevaine Cow Camp, Lower Lone Pine Canyon, Cucamonga Wilderness and Cucamonga Canyon Mylonites.)
Chaparral is the cover in much of the area. The main components include chamise, Adenostoma fasciculatum, sometimes in pure stands but usually associated with sugar bush, Rhus ovata, manzanita, Arctostaphylos glauca, silk-tassel bush, Garrya veatchii, black sage, Salvia mellifera, and Ceanothus spp. Scrub oak, Quercus sp., and Quercus wislizenii occur here. Yucca whipplei, Opuntia sp., and Eriogonum fasciculatum are locally common.
In the higher elevations there is a ponderosa pine forest with Pinus ponderosa, Jeffrey pine, Pinus jeffreyi, incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens, and white fir, Abies concolor. There is a good stand of big-cone Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga macrocarpa, in the San Sevaine area.
Riparian associations occurring along the creek course include sycamore, Platanus racemosa, mule fat, Baccharis salicifolia, willow, Salix lasiolepis, white alder, Alnus rhombifolia, and canyon live oak, Quercus chrysolepis.
The rare endemic Monardella viridis ssp. saxicola is found on the San Sevaine Ridge.
Animal life is diverse and abundant. Desert bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis nelsoni, utilize the area as a winter range. Mountain lion, Felis concolor, bobcat, Lynx rufus, and coyote, Canis latrans, inhabit the area. There is a population of the collared lizard, Crotaphytus collaris, here, one of the few such on the ocean side of the mountains.
Integrity: There are roads, trails and various buildings in the area. The canyon bottoms receive relatively heavy use. Portions of the area were burned in the 1960's and 1970's.
Use: Research, educational, observational, present, on public portions. Some private.
March 1981
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
