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The Coast Ranges of California constitute one of the eleven traditional geomorphic provinces of California. They do not include just any mountain ranges along the California coast (the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges and the Klamath Mountains are not included.
Northern Coast Ranges
The Northern Coast Ranges are a section of the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, which run parallel to the Pacific Coast from north of San Francisco Bay to the South Fork Mountains of northern Humboldt County. The Klamath-Siskiyou ranges lie to the north, and the Southern Coast Ranges continue south of San Francisco Bay.
The Northern Coast Ranges run north-south parallel to the coast, and include the King Range of Humboldt County, where the coastal mountains meet the sea dramatically on what is called California's Lost Coast. Other ranges include the Mendocino Range of western Mendocino County and the Mayacmas Mountains and Marin Hills of the North Bay. The Northern Coast Ranges consist of two parallel belts of mountains, one lying along the coast, the other running further inland. They are separated by a long valley, the northern portion of which is drained by the Eel River and its tributaries, and the southern by the Russian River. A series of short rivers, including the Mattole, Gualala, and Navarro rivers, drain the western slopes of the range. The eastern slope of the Northern Coast Ranges drains into the California Central Valley. Clear Lake lies in the southeast portion of the range, and drains eastward via Cache Creek. The rivers of the north coast ranges are home to several species of salmon.
The seaward face of the coastal mountains is part of the Northern California coastal forests ecoregion, home to lush forests of Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii ssp. menziesii). The drier inland portion is part of the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, and is home to a number of plant communities, including mixed evergreen forest, oak woodland, and chaparral.
U.S. Route 101 runs north and south through the Northern Coast Ranges, following the valley of the Russian and Eel rivers.
Southern Coast Ranges
The Southern Coast Ranges are a group of mountain ranges in central California. The southern coast ranges run north and south, parallel to the Pacific Coast, between San Francisco Bay to the north, the California Central Valley to the east, the Transverse Ranges to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The Southern Coast Ranges include the Santa Cruz Mountains and Diablo Range of the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Gabilan Range, Santa Lucia Range, and Temblor Range of the Central Coast. A number of large valleys lie between the ranges, including the Salinas Valley and the Carrizo Plain.
The Southern coast ranges have a Mediterranean climate, and are mostly within the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, although the western slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains lies within the Northern California coastal forests ecoregion. The Northern California coastal forests are characterized by forests of Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). Enclaves of redwood forest also occur in the Santa Lucia Range. The California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion has a great range of plant communities, including mixed evergreen forests, oak woodlands and savannas, grasslands, northern coastal scrublands, and the Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata) woodlands of the Monterey Peninsula and two other coastal enclaves.
List of ranges
- King Range, northern California
- Mendocino Range, northern California
- Mayacmas Mountains, California
- Marin Hills, California
- Diablo Range, California
- Santa Cruz Mountains, California
- Santa Lucia Range, California
- Temblor Range, California
- Caliente Range, California
See also
Geography of California
"Coast Ranges (California)"