San Bernardino National Forest

San Bernardino National Forest
San Bernardino National Forest
	Forest near Fawnskin
	Map of the United States
Location	San Bernardino / Riverside counties, California, United States
Nearest city	San Bernardino
Coordinates	34°08′00″N 117°00′36″W / 34.13333°N 117.01000°W
Area	823,816 acres (3,333.87 km2)
Established	1907
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service
Website	San Bernardino National Forest

The San Bernardino National Forest is a United States national forest in Southern California encompassing 823,816 acres (3,333.87 km²) of which 677,982 acres (2,743.70 km²) are federal.^[1] The forest is made up of two main divisions, the eastern portion of the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains on the easternmost of the Transverse Ranges, and the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains on the northernmost of the Peninsular Ranges. Elevations range from 2,000 to 11,499 feet (600 to 3505 m). The forest includes seven wilderness areas:^[2] San Gorgonio, Cucamonga, San Jacinto, South Fork, Santa Rosa, Cahuilla Mountain and Bighorn Mountain. Forest headquarters are located in the city of San Bernardino. There are district offices in Lytle Creek, Idyllwild, and Fawnskin. The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail runs through part of the San Bernardino National Forest.^[3]

This site was the filming location for Daniel Boone in 1936; part of the 1969 musical film Paint Your Wagon was shot here.

Free camping is available at 47 different 'Yellow Post' campsites located throughout the forest.

Geography

The forest is divided into two large areas or tracts on United States Geological Survey maps, a northern and southern portion.

The west border of the forest adjoins Angeles National Forest and runs north-south about ten miles west of Interstate 15. At its widest parts, the northern portion of the forest runs about 57 miles (90 km) on an east–west dimension. It runs about 24 miles (40 km) on a north–south dimension. This portion of the forest encompasses the San Bernardino Mountains. The area extends west of Mount San Antonio and Wrightwood in San Bernardino County. The eastern portion of the forest extends about ten miles east of Big Bear City and includes the San Gorgonio Wilderness. The southernmost portion is bisected by the Riverside County line and borders the Morongo Indian Reservation north of Cabazon.

At its widest point, the southern portion is about 27 miles (40 km) on a north-south dimension and about 30 miles (50 km) on an east-west dimension. Toro Peak and the Santa Rosa Indian Reservation are near the south extent. At the north is Snow Creek Village and the Morongo Indian Reservation. Mount San Jacinto State Wilderness is carved out of the southern portion. The community of Idyllwild is surrounded by national forest lands.

While most National Forests include lumber resources, these two areas also include:

Residential communities and resorts
Indian resources such as historically important caves and pictographs^[4]
The University of California-owned James Reserve research station^[4]

The two tallest waterfalls in Southern California, Big Falls and Bonita Falls,^{[citation needed]} are located in the San Bernardino National Forest.

Wilderness areas

There are seven official wilderness areas lying within San Bernardino National Forest that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. One extends into neighboring Angeles National Forest and three into land that is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (as indicated).

Bighorn Mountain Wilderness (mostly BLM)
Cahuilla Mountain Wilderness
Cucamonga Wilderness (partly in Angeles NF)
San Gorgonio Wilderness (partly BLM)
San Jacinto Wilderness
Santa Rosa Wilderness (mostly BLM)
South Fork San Jacinto Wilderness

Firefighting

The San Bernardino National Forest has its own fire stations and engine companies.^[5]^[6]

Aerial operations

As of 2001, eight Air Tactical Group Supervisors (ATGSs) work out of the Forest Supervisor's Office in San Bernardino.^[7]

Vegetation

There are many different species of trees, many coniferous, that grow in the mountains. Pines, such as ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, sugar pine, Coulter pine, lodgepole pine, single-leaf pinyon, and knobcone pine all thrive here. Other coniferous trees, such as white fir, bigcone Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga macrocarpa), incense cedar, and western juniper also thrive here. Canyon live oak, California black oak, and Pacific dogwood are other trees that also grow here. The forest contains an estimated 87,400 acres (354 km²) of old growth. The most common types are Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forests, white fir (Abies concolor) forests, Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) forests, and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests.^[8]

Climbing

Rock climbing is popular in some areas of the San Bernardino National Forest, most notably at Tahquitz Rock near Idyllwild.^[9]

In popular culture

In the 2013 videogame Grand Theft Auto V, the Paleto Forest is based on the San Bernardino National Forest.^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b "Land Areas of the National Forest System" (PDF). U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
^ "About the Forest". San Bernardino National Forest. Archived from the original on 2011-11-23.
^ https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/sbnf/recarea/?recid=74090
^ ^a ^b Anthony, Craig E., Unit Chief, Riverside Unit Fire Management Plan 2005, (Perris, California: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Riverside Unit, 2005.)
^ "Esperanza Fire, Accident Investigation and Factual Report" (PDF). California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
^ "Esperanza fire fatality investigation" (PDF). Office Of Inspector General-Investigations, USDA. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
^ Region 5 Air Tactical and Forest Aviation Management Program: Strategic Plan, Fiscal Year 2002, (San Francisco: USDA, US Forest Service Region 5, 2001).
^ Warbington, Ralph; Beardsley, Debby (2002), 2002 Estimates of Old Growth Forests on the 18 National Forests of the Pacific Southwest Region, United States Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region
^ Perez, Eliana (September 29, 2022). "One of two climbers found dead near Idyllwild was former Dallas Cowboys player Gavin Escobar". usatoday.com.
^ Mitra, Ritwik; Painter, Ben (May 19, 2024). "GTA 5 Locations That Are Based On Real-Life". Game Rant.