Geography
The range starts in the north with the Chino Hills, heading southeast of the Puente Hills. Its northern section is divided by Santa Ana Canyon, through which the Santa Ana River flows. Its northernmost summit, at 3,045 feet (928 m), is Sierra Peak. From there, the major summits are Pleasants Peak, 4,007 feet (1,221 m); Bedford Peak, 3,800 feet (1,200 m); and Bald Peak, 3,947 feet (1,203 m). The next two peaks, Modjeska, 5,496 feet (1,675 m); and Santiago, 5,689 feet (1,734 m), the highest summit in the range; form Saddleback Ridge. The Saddleback, located approximately 20 mi (32 km) east of Santa Ana, is visible from much of Southern California, and is usually the only part of the range high enough to be dusted with snow in winter storms.
South of Saddleback are Trabuco Peak, 4,604 feet (1,403 m); Los Pinos Peak, 4,510 feet (1,370 m); Elsinore Peak, 3,575 feet (1,090 m); Sitton Peak, 3,273 feet (998 m); Margarita Peak, 3,189 feet (972 m); and Redonda Mesa, 2,825 feet (861 m). The range ends roughly at the Santa Margarita River.
Most waterways draining the Santa Anas are ephemeral. The major streams rising from the range typically drain west into the Pacific Ocean, including the Santa Ana River and its tributaries and Santiago Creek, San Diego Creek, Aliso Creek, San Juan Creek, San Mateo Creek and Santa Margarita River. Water from the east side of the range empties into Lake Elsinore and when if it fills to overflowing, empties into Aberhill Creek then into Temescal Creek which is a tributary of the Santa Ana River.
Much of the range is within the Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest, although some parts are still owned by two century-old ranches: the Irvine Ranch (Originally known as the Yorba Family's Rancho Lomas de Santiago and Rancho Mission Viejo (Originally recorded as Rancho Misión Vieja). The Santa Margarita Mountains, a subrange of the Santa Anas also extends down to Camp Pendleton and Fallbrook.
The mountains include a subrange called the Elsinore Mountains. These include the mountains which are west of Lake Elsinore and are the lowest portion of the range. Elsinore Peak marks the highpoint of this area.
Read more about this topic: Santa Ana Mountains
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