Sierra de San Pedro Mártir
The Sierra de San Pedro Mártir is a mountain range in the Mexican state of Baja California that runs from north to south. The mountain range covers an area of 12,416 km². The north-south extension is 152 km, the east-west extension 143 km. The highest point of the mountain range is the Picacho del Diablo ( 3,096 m ), also called Cerro de la Encantada, which is also the highest point in the state and the entire Baja California peninsula .
The Sierra de San Pedro Mártir is part of the Peninsular Ranges , which extends from southern California to the southern tip of the peninsula. The Sierra de San Pedro Mártir has a flora similar to the Sierra de Juárez , especially in the north. The lower elevations of the mountain range lie in the Chaparral vegetation zone, which is mainly found in California. The forests in these places are known as the Sierra Juárez and San Pedro Mártir pine and oak forests . Colorado firs , sugar pines , and Jeffrey pines grow in the mountains . In winter there is snow on the highest peaks. The last Californian condor was seen in 1937. That is why Californian condors that had been raised in human care were released back into the wild in the mountains.
Part of the mountain range is protected by the 650 km² Parque Nacional Sierra de San Pedro Mártir National Park . It opened in 1974 and was the first of the peninsula's two national parks. The other is located a little further north in the Sierra Juárez and is called Parque Nacional Constitucion de 1857 .
In the area ( 31 ° 2 '39 " N , 115 ° 27' 49" W ) of the Picacho del Diablo at an altitude of 2830 m is the observatory Observatorio Astronómico Nacional (OAN) of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México . It was built in 1975 and its largest instrument is a 2.12 meter reflector telescope .
Highest elevations
- 1. Picacho del Diablo, 3096 m
- 2. Cerro Botella Azul, 2950 m
- 3. Scout Peak, 2850 m
- 4. Pico Matomi, 1700 m