Cleveland National Forest
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Cleveland National Forest
IUCN Category VI - Protected Area with Sustainable use of Natural Resources |
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 View from Laguna Mountain |
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| location | California , USA | |
| surface | 1900 km² | |
| WDPA ID | 11115959 | |
| Geographical location | 33 ° 3 ' N , 116 ° 8' W | |
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The Cleveland National Forest is an American national forest that is located in the three counties of San Diego County , Riverside County and Orange County in southern California . It covers an area of approximately 1,900 square kilometers and is the southernmost national forest in California. The climate is predominantly dry Mediterranean . The forest is managed and supervised by the United States Forest Service , a state agency affiliated with the United States Department of Agriculture . It is divided into the three ranger districts Descanso , Palomar and Trabuco .
history
The Cleveland National Forest was created on July 1, 1908. President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the merger of the two existing nature reserves Trabuco Canyon National Reserve and San Jacinto National Reserve , the new national forest was finally named after the former US President Grover Cleveland . In 1889, as in 2003, the national forest was hit by the two largest forest fires in California's history to date. Both times, large parts of the natural forest and green areas were destroyed and numerous animal species and species were acutely endangered.
Districts
The Cleveland National Forest now consists of three major administrative units:
- The north of the national forest falls into the Trabuco Ranger District . Large parts of the Santa Ana Mountains belong to it , a mountain range about 60 kilometers long southeast of Los Angeles . The district is traversed by California State Route 74 , also known as the Ortega Highway , and extends north to the city of Corona .
- The middle part of the national forest is known as the Paloma Ranger District , it is located near the two cities of Escondido and Ramona . It is traversed by California State Route 76 , which leads to the top of Palomar Mountain and is therefore nicknamed the Highway to the Stars .
- The southern part of the national forest is the Descanso Ranger District , which extends east of the town of El Cajon . The Sunrise Highway , one of the US National Scenic Byways, runs through it .
activities
Some of the most popular and common activities within the National Forest include picnicking, mountain hiking, horse riding, camping, and car trips along the Sunrise Scenic Highway . The national forest also includes the Corral Canyon and various "Wildomar Off-Highway Vehicle Areas", ie areas outside the highways that can be accessed by car. Campsites are located in all three districts and are usually designed for two vehicles and six to eight people per overnight stay. Another attraction of the national forest is the Mount Laguna Observatory , one of the three large telescopes of which is open to the public.
In the three districts there are a total of four so-called total reserves , i.e. areas that are protected from human influences and left to natural development. This category of wildlife sanctuary is known as the Wilderness Area in the United States . In the Cleveland National Forest these are Agua Tibia Wilderness , Hauser Wilderness , Pine Creek Wilderness and San Mateo Canyon Wilderness .
