The
San Bernardino Mountains (
Huwaaly Kwasakyav in
MojaveMojave is the native language of the Mohave people along the Colorado River in eastern California, northwestern Arizona, and southwestern Nevada...
) are a short
transverseThe Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region that runs along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie between...
mountain rangeA mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
north and east of
San BernardinoSan Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
in
SouthernSouthern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles (100 km) east-west on the southern edge of the
Mojave DesertThe Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
in southwestern
San Bernardino CountySan Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, north of the city of
San BernardinoSan Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
. The range is separated from the
San Gabriel MountainsThe San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
to the west by
Cajon PassCajon Pass is a moderate-elevation mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California in the United States. It was created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault...
, and from the
San Jacinto MountainsThe San Jacinto Mountains are a mountain range east of Los Angeles in southern California in the United States. The mountains are named for Saint Hyacinth . The Pacific Crest Trail runs along the spine of the range.The range extends for approximately from the San Bernardino Mountains southeast to...
to the south and southeast by Banning Pass. The southern extent of the range is bounded by the
San Andreas FaultThe San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
.
The highest peaks in the range include
San Gorgonio MountainSan Gorgonio Mountain, also known locally as Mount San Gorgonio, or Old Greyback, is the highest peak in Southern California at . It is in the San Bernardino Mountains, east of the city of San Bernardino and north-northeast of San Gorgonio Pass. It lies within the San Gorgonio Wilderness, part of...
(elevation 11,499 ft/3,505 m), the highest peak in southern California, and other peaks of the
San Gorgonio WildernessSan Gorgonio Wilderness is located in the San Bernardino Mountains, north of Morongo Valley and approximately northwest of Palm Springs, California...
. The shorter
Little San Bernardino MountainsThe Little San Bernardino Mountains are a short mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 40 mi southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains through San Bernardino and Riverside Counties to near the northeast...
extend southeast from the range along the eastern side of the
Coachella ValleyCoachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
. The range is also a drainage divide for the Salton Watershed to the west.
Most of the range is located within the
San Bernardino National ForestSan Bernardino National Forest is a federally-managed forest covering more than 800,000 acres . There are two main divisions which are the San Bernardino Mountains on the easternmost of the Transverse Range, and the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains on the northernmost of the Peninsular...
. The San Gorgonio Wilderness is located in the southeast corner of the range. The mountain range is also the location of four popular recreational destinations in the Inland Empire area:
CrestlineCrestline is a census-designated place in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, USA. The population was 10,770 at the 2010 census, up from 10,218 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crestline is located at ....
,
Lake ArrowheadLake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, within the San Bernardino National Forest, adjacent to Lake Arrowhead Reservoir...
,
Running SpringsRunning Springs is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 4,862 at the 2010 census, down from 5,125 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Running Springs is located at ....
and
Big Bear LakeBig Bear Lake is a city in San Bernardino County, California along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, located northeast of the city of San Bernardino. The population was 5,019 at the 2010 census, down from 5,438 at the 2000 census...
.
Significant peaks
These are the highest peaks of the San Bernardino Mountains, sorted by elevation from highest to lowest.
- San Gorgonio Mountain
San Gorgonio Mountain, also known locally as Mount San Gorgonio, or Old Greyback, is the highest peak in Southern California at . It is in the San Bernardino Mountains, east of the city of San Bernardino and north-northeast of San Gorgonio Pass. It lies within the San Gorgonio Wilderness, part of...
11499 ft (3,504.9 m)
- Jepson Peak
Jepson Peak is a summit, west of San Gorgonio Mountain, in the San Gorgonio Wilderness. It is the second highest summit in Southern California....
11205 ft (3,415.3 m)
- Bighorn Peak 10997 ft (3,351.9 m)
- Dragons Head 10866 ft (3,312 m)
- Anderson Peak 10840 ft (3,304 m)
- Charlton Peak 10806 ft (3,293.7 m)
- Shields Peak 10680 ft (3,255.3 m)
- San Bernardino Mountain 10649 ft (3,245.8 m)
- Dobbs Peak 10459 ft (3,187.9 m)
Lakes
- Lake Gregory
Lake Gregory is an artificial lake in the San Bernardino National Forest of the San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino County, California. The lake and the surrounding area make up the Lake Gregory Regional Park adjacent to Crestline, California....
- Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake is a reservoir in the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. At a surface elevation of , it has an east-west length of approximately 7 miles and is approximately 2.5 miles at its widest measurement, though the lake's width mostly averages a...
- Lake Silverwood
- Lake Arrowhead
-United States:Bodies of water* Arrowhead Lake * Lake Arrowhead Reservoir* Lake Arrowhead * Lake Arrowhead * Lake Arrowhead * Arrowhead Lake in Sanders County, MontanaCommunities* Lake Arrowhead, California...
- Jenks Lake
Jenks Lake is a lake in the San Bernardino National Forest near Angelus Oaks in San Bernardino County, California. The Lake offers several fish species including bass, catfish, bluegill, and rainbow trout. Trout season usually runs from April to October....
- Green Valley Lake
- Dry Lake South Fork Trail
- Dollar Lake South Fork Trail
Water ways
- Santa Ana River
The Santa Ana River is the largest river of Southern California in the United States. Its drainage basin spans four counties. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows past the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, before cutting through the northern tip of the Santa Ana Mountains and...
- Mill Creek
Mill Creek is a stream, originating in the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County, California. It is a major tributary of the Santa Ana River. Their confluence occurs just downstream of the upper Santa Ana Canyon mouth...
- Mojave River
The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. The river is notable as most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the time, with the exception of the headwaters and several...
- Deep Creek
-Communities:*Deep Creek, California, former name of Cedarville, California*Deep Creek, Florida, an unincorporated community in Charlotte County*Deep Creek, Nevada*Deep Creek, Virginia, a former unincorporated town of the former Norfolk County...
- Whitewater River
The Whitewater River is a small permanent stream in western Riverside County, California, except for a small upstream portion in southwestern San Bernardino County. Its headwaters are in the San Bernardino Mountains and 'mouth'—terminus in the Colorado Desert...
- San Gorgonio River
The San Gorgonio River is a river primarily flowing in western Riverside County, except for a small upstream portion in southwestern San Bernardino County, in southern California, the United States.-Geography:...
See also
Nearby mountain ranges:
- Little San Bernardino Mountains
The Little San Bernardino Mountains are a short mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 40 mi southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains through San Bernardino and Riverside Counties to near the northeast...
(east)
- San Jacinto Mountains
The San Jacinto Mountains are a mountain range east of Los Angeles in southern California in the United States. The mountains are named for Saint Hyacinth . The Pacific Crest Trail runs along the spine of the range.The range extends for approximately from the San Bernardino Mountains southeast to...
(south across San Gorgonio PassThe San Gorgonio Pass el. cuts between the San Bernardino Mountains on the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. Like the Cajon Pass to the northwest, it was also created by the San Andreas Fault...
)
- San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
(west across Cajon PassCajon Pass is a moderate-elevation mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California in the United States. It was created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault...
)