Elfin Forest is an

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

residential community of

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...

, in the foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains. The community is southwest of Escondido and according to the

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

it is located at in the Escondido ZIP code of 92029. It borders the rural, unincorporated town of Harmony Grove to the northeast,

San Marcos San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to: Towns and cities Argentina * San Marcos, Salta Colombia * San Marcos, Antioquia * San Marcos, Sucre Costa Rica * San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú) ...

to the north and west, Olivenhain to the southwest, and Rancho Santa Fe to the south. This rural community is located about 9 miles by road from the Pacific Ocean and contains large homes on rolling hills and many trails for hiking and horseback riding. Most of the properties, which are split between the Rancho Santa Fe school district and SDHS school district, have amenities for horses and/or grow trees like avocado, orange, lemon, and grapefruit. Elfin Forest is home to a large number of domestic horses and farm animals. The community maintains a strict minimum lot size requirement of and does not allow sub-dividing. Elfin Forest is said to be haunted.

Hiking

The 750-acre Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve is a family hike through an ecological preserve. The Way Up trail climbs up to 1200 ft elevation and has many tributary trails. The Escondido Creek marks the trailhead. The main trail is 1.6 miles long and meanders up a wall then leads up to numerous trails of varying difficulties. There is a well-marked botanical trail describing the various plant life in the area. The hike passes next to the Olivenhain Dam and can also extend about 9 miles one way over the mountain to Lake Hodges. Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve

Plant community A plant community is a collection or association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types. The components of each plant ...

Elfin Forest is one of the terms used by naturalists to describe the chaparral vegetation which formerly covered much of coastal

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

. It is variously known as

California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion The California coastal sage and chaparral ( es, Salvia y chaparral costero de California) is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion located in southwestern California ( United States) and northwestern Baja California ( Mexico). ...

, bush-forest, elfin-wood, heath-scrub. The coastal scrub supports many plants and animals, including the endangered

gnatcatcher The Gnatcatchers are a family of small passerine birds called Polioptilidae. The 21 species occur in North and South America (except for the far south and the high Andean regions). Most species of this mainly tropical and subtropical group are re ...

. This coastal scrub is now endangered and the state government is studying ways to protect it. The Elfin Forest valley contains one of the largest areas of virgin coastal scrub in Southern California. An

Elfin forest Dwarf forest, elfin forest, or pygmy forest is an uncommon ecosystem featuring miniature trees, inhabited by small species of fauna such as rodents and lizards. They are usually located at high elevations, under conditions of sufficient air hu ...

is also a type of

Dwarf forest Dwarf forest, elfin forest, or pygmy forest is an uncommon ecosystem featuring miniature trees, inhabited by small species of fauna such as rodents and lizards. They are usually located at high elevations, under conditions of sufficient air humi ...

in coastal California and elsewhere.

References

External links

Elfin Forest Community website

Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Department
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in San Diego County, California Unincorporated communities in California