Mount San Jacinto from the Desert

To look down on the viewing point, go here.

One of the loveliest sights in California (or the world, according to John Muir) has to be San Jacinto Peak.  It is one of the most prominent peaks in the United States, standing over 8,000 feet above its base.  Like the rest of its range, the peak blocks Pacific moisture from reaching into the deserts to the east, and the summit is often obscured by clouds that give up and rain down on the top.

The dramatic increase in elevation, and the convergence of three distinct weather regions results in environments ranging from chaparral to pine forests to palm oases being found within miles of one another.  The mountain also overlooks San Gorgonio Pass, which links the desert with the interior coastal basins of the greater Los Angeles area.  Semi-humid air, usually in the 80's or 90's, meets the extremely dry 110's of the desert, the result of which is usually a near permanent strong wind blowing through.

Wind farms have been developed here since the 1980's, and they are extremely noticeable.  Some consider them to be an eyesore, while others hail them as a responsible use of natural resources.  I tend to view them as signs of the potency of nature; power that we can harness, but that we should always be respectful of.  The pass itself is a wonderful place where nearly all of what southern California has to offer comes together. Starting in the desert, one can drive west and watch as the vegetation suddenly changes, grows more dense, and the air cools off by as much as thirty or more degrees in the space of a mile or two.  The surrounding mountains are just as dramatic.  In the winter, they are capped in snow, often only on one side.  I was fortunate enough to be on a flight from Dallas to Ontario, California that took a flight path directly over the peak.  I was on the side of the plane that faced north, and thus toward the San Bernardino mountains which wall off the north side of the pass.

The transition from the dry interior side of the mountains to the moisture trapping western side can clearly be seen in this photograph (I need to learn how to take better aerial shots).  Also seen are the forests, dense pine lands higher on the mountains, gradually diminished with lower elevation and becoming the seemingly browner looking chaparral further below.  On the right of the picture, the lower right, being the Sonoran desert, merges with the upper right, the Mojave desert.  From the top of San Jacinto Peak, the view is apparently just as amazing, though the San Gabirels, seen here from 10,000 feet higher, are on a nearly level plane with the vantage point.

For better reference, the viewpoint of the first picture is the green arrows, the second would be the red arrows, and the third would be the yellow.  The pass itself is the corridor that runs between the ranges, pretty much centered by the red arrows.

The pass has historically been used by migrating peoples, including the band of immigrants led by Juan Bautista de Anza, who were sent by Mexico to establish colonies along the coast and to secure the lands are San Francisco.  His passage is commemorated and able to be traversed today by those following the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.  Later on, explorers, traders, and interstate 10 would find a simple route through here.  San Jacinto Peak continues to stand sentinel over millions of travelers passing over its ankle every year.