Santa Monica Mountains
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Santa Monica Mountains |
The
Santa Monica Mountains are a low
transverse range in southern
California in the
United States. They run for 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.
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 3,111 feet.
Malibu Creek, which eroded its own channel while the mountains slowly tilted up, bisects the range.
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Malibu Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains |
The Santa Monica Mountains are in the
California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, and is covered by hundreds of local plant species, some of which are very rare, and others of which have become popular ornamentals. It is host to an immense variety of wildlife, from
mountain lions to the endangered
steelhead.
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 receational retreat, a desirable residential area, and as an increasingly rare wild place in urban Los Angeles.
In local speak, "going over the hill" refers to crossing the range.
Cahuenga Pass, present-day site of the
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 (405) freeway. Further west are
Topanga Canyon Boulevard,
Malibu Canyon Road, and
Kanan Dume Road.
Mulholland Drive runs most of the length of the Santa Monica Mountains, from Cahuenga Pass 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 Beach 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,
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, and
Woodland Hills, and the cities of
Calabasas,
Agoura Hills,
Westlake Village, and
Thousand Oaks. Communities along the south slope of the mountains include (from east to west) the Los Angeles communities of
Los Feliz and
Hollywood Hills, the city of
Beverly Hills, the Los Angeles communities of
Bel-Air,
Brentwood, and
Pacific Palisades, the unincorporated community of
Topanga, and the city of
Malibu.
*Sandstone Peak, 3111' (Also called
Mount Allen.)
*Tri-Peaks, 3010'
*Exchange Peak, 2950'
*
Boney Peak, 2825'
*Castro Peak, 2824' (Highest peak in the eastern end of the range.)
*Saddle Peak, 2805'
*Calabasas Peak, 2165'
*Temescal Peak, 2126'
*San Vicente Mountain, 1965' (Former site of a
Nike missile base, now a
Cold War park.)
*Clarks Peak, 1965'
*Cahuenga Peak, 1820'
*Mesa Peak, 1844'
*Brents Mountain, 1713'
*
Mount Lee, 1640' (The
Hollywood Sign is on the southern slope.)
*Mount Hollywood, 1625'
*Mount Chapel, 1622'
*Mount Bell, 1587'
*La Jolla Peak, 1567'
*Laguna Peak, 1457'
*Mugu Peak, 1266' (The westernmost peak in the range, it rises directly from the beach.)
*
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area*
Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy*
Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains
