Cleveland National Forest is a U.S. national forest in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

that encompasses 460,000 acres/ of inland

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

regions. It is approximately 60 miles from the Pacific Ocean, within the counties of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, Riverside, and Orange. The landscape varies somewhat, with mostly

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...

canyons A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...

, arroyos and high desert, but dotted with

meadows A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable condition ...

and

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

and conifer forests. Near water sources,

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripar ...

environments and

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

aquatic plants attract native and migratory wildlife, such as at San Diego’s man-made Lake Cuyamaca. A generally warm and dry, inland-Mediterranean climate prevails over the Forest, with the cooler months producing morning frost and snowfall (in the higher elevations). It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. The area is administered by the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...

, a government agency within the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

, and is locally overseen by the Descanso, Palomar and Trabuco Ranger Districts.

History

The

Kumeyaay The Kumeyaay, also known as 'Iipai-Tiipai or by the historical Spanish name Diegueño, is a tribe of Indigenous peoples of the Americas who live at the northern border of Baja California in Mexico and the southern border of California in the Uni ...

, Payómkawichum,

Cahuilla The Cahuilla, also known as ʔívil̃uqaletem or Ivilyuqaletem, are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the inland areas of southern California. ...

, and

Cupeño The Cupeño (or Kuupangaxwichem) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe of Southern California. They traditionally lived about inland and north of the modern day Mexico–United States border in the Peninsular Rang ...

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

long inhabited various areas of the Forest. As with many tribes in California, acorns were an important part of their diet. Many of Cleveland National Forest's trails are built following their traditional routes. Cleveland National Forest was created on July 1, 1908 with the consolidation of Trabuco Canyon National Reserve and San Jacinto National Reserve by President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

and named after former President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

. In 1964, a bid to reclaim 25 acres of the Forest was made by

Acjachemen The Acjachemen () are an Indigenous people of California. Published maps often identify their ancestral lands as extending from the beach to the mountains, south from what is now known as Aliso Creek (Orange County), Aliso Creek in Orange County, ...

leader Clarence H. Lobo. After California Mission Indians were offered $29.1 Million Dollars by the US Federal Government in 1964 "to settle tribal land claims" regarding 70 million acres of land, Lobo rejected this offer, since it valued an acre of native land at 47 cents and did not account for unratified treaties. Lobo responded by sending $12.50 to President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

for 25 acres of Cleveland National Forest (at 50 cents per acre), and set up a camp at the site (the Upper San Juan Campground). Cleveland National Forest was the site of the 2003 Cedar Fire, the largest wildland fire in California history. Started when a lost hunter lit a fire to signal for help, it quickly spread to 62,000 acres. The Santiago Fire of 2007 burned 6,701 acres of the Forest, while subsequent fires that year burned thousands of acres more.

Districts

* Trabuco Ranger District – the northernmost area ** Consists of most of the

Santa Ana Mountains The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riversid ...

and is bisected by the Ortega Highway, which runs from San Juan Capistrano to Lake Elsinore. Its northern border is Corona. * Palomar Ranger District – near Escondido and Ramona ** Includes the "Highway to the Stars" from State Route 76 to the top of

Palomar Mountain Palomar Mountain ( ; ) is a mountain ridge in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County, California. It is known as the location of Palomar Observatory and Hale Telescope, and known for Palomar Mountain State Park. History The Luise� ...

. * Descanso Ranger District – east of Alpine ** Includes Sunrise Highway, a

National Scenic Byway A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...

Use restrictions

A National Forest Adventure Pass is required for parking in designated areas of Cleveland National Forest, as well as other National Forests in

, and may be obtained from local merchants, visitor centers, or online. Also updated on Cleveland National Forest’s official site (under ‘Current Conditions’) are road, campground, picnic area, and trail closures. "Law Enforcement Activities" is a common reason given for closures in the southern portion of the Forest. These closures are implemented to limit back road access, with the goal of circumnavigating US Border Patrol checkpoints. Bear Valley Road, coming up from Buckman Springs, Kitchen Creek Road and Thing Valley Road, are among routes that are routinely restricted. Elevated fire restrictions were announced in August 202

Activities

Popular activities include picnic areas, bird- and wildlife-watching, botanical tours, hiking,

rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the u ...

, trail-running,

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...

or driving on the many mountain roads. The Forest also includes Corral Canyon (not to be confused with the area of the same name in Malibu) and Wildomar Off-Highway Vehicle Areas. In addition to campers, hikers and wildlife advocates, forest rangers are also available to assist and accommodate the needs of local telecommunications and utilities companies, horseback riders, seasonal hunters, off-road vehicle enthusiasts, local farmers/ranchers, residents, neighbors and visitors alike.

Camping

* Campgrounds – Cleveland National Forest has campgrounds available at the Descanso, Palomar, and Trabuco Ranger District. Sites normally serve 6-8 persons and 2 vehicles. ** Group camping – Group campgrounds are available. ** Remote camping – Visitor's permits are required.

Hiking

The best season for hiking is during the cooler fall, winter, and spring months. Many trails travel through the open chapparal and get very hot in the summer. Summer hiking should be done in early morning hours on designated trails that offer shade. Poison oak is found along most trails. Ticks can be a problem in the spring and early summer.

Observatories

* Mount Laguna Observatory

Fire lookout towers

There are currently two operational fire lookout towers in Cleveland National Forest. * High Point Lookout, Cleveland National Forest, Palomar Mountain * Los Pinos Lookout, Cleveland National Forest, near Lake Morena * Boucher Hill Lookout: While this fire lookout tower is also on Palomar Mountain, it actually sits inside the Palomar Mountain State Park and not Cleveland National Forest. It is an operational tower and works in conjunction with the USFS but is owned by the State of California and is an historic building.

Wilderness areas

There are 4 official

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural) are Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human activity, or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally ...

s in Cleveland National Forest that are part of the

National Wilderness Preservation System The National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) of the United States protects federal government of the United States, federally managed Wilderness, wilderness areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. Activity on formally ...

. One of them extends into land that is managed by the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...

. * Agua Tibia Wilderness (partly BLM) * Hauser Wilderness * Pine Creek Wilderness * San Mateo Canyon Wilderness

Flora and fauna

Cleveland National Forest is home to many wildlife species such as

mountain lion The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the wildcat, bay lynx, or red lynx, is one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus '' Lynx''. Native to North America, it ranges from southern Canada through most of the c ...

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...

gray fox The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener (biology), congener, the diminutive island fox ...

, ringtail cat,

long-tailed weasel The long-tailed weasel (''Neogale frenata''), also known as the bridled weasel, masked ermine, or big stoat, is a species of weasel found in North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America. It is distinct from the Stoat, short-t ...

opossum Opossums () are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 126 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North A ...

, black-tailed jackrabbits, desert cottontails,

California ground squirrel The California ground squirrel (''Otospermophilus beecheyi''), also known as the Beechey ground squirrel, is a common and easily observed ground squirrel of the western United States and the Baja California Peninsula; it is common in Oregon and ...

, and many other small species. A wildlife corridor is being created between Cleveland National Forest and Orange County’s wild coastal terrains to ensure that animals can retreat fire safely if needed.

References

External links

Cleveland National Forest Official Site

In-depth article
by the San Diego Historical Society
Southern California Trails
at Local Hikes

Santa Ana Mountains Wild Heritage Project

{{Authority control National forests of California Protected areas of Orange County, California Protected areas of Riverside County, California Protected areas of San Diego County, California Parks in Southern California . Cuyamaca Mountains Laguna Mountains Palomar Mountains Santa Ana Mountains Protected areas established in 1908 1908 establishments in California Protected areas of Southern California