Cuyamaca Rancho State Park - California
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is located 40 miles (64 km) east of San Diego in the Cuyamaca and Laguna Mountains of the Peninsular Ranges. The park's 26,000 acres (11,000 ha) feature pine, fir, and oak forests, with meadows and streams that exist due to the relatively high elevation of the area compared to its surroundings. The park includes 6,512-foot (1,985 m) Cuyamaca Peak, the second-highest point in San Diego County. Park amenities include trails for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking, as well as campgrounds for family, group, equestrian, and primitive trail camping; as well as an exhibit at a former gold mine, the Stonewall Mine. Wildlife in the area includes mountain lions, which have been known to attack humans, and park literature emphasizes avoiding encounters with them. Numerous other species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians are known to reside within the park.
maps Lark Canyon - Off-Highway Vehicle Map Off-Highway Vehicle Map (OHV) of Lark Canyon in the BLM El Centro Field Office area in California. Published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Eastern San Diego - Travel Map Map of Routes of Travel for Eastern San Diego in El Centro Field Office area in California. Published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
brochures Cuyamaca Rancho - Brochure Brochure of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park (SP) in California. Published by California Department of Parks and Recreation.
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=667
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuyamaca_Rancho_State_Park
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is located 40 miles (64 km) east of San Diego in the Cuyamaca and Laguna Mountains of the Peninsular Ranges. The park's 26,000 acres (11,000 ha) feature pine, fir, and oak forests, with meadows and streams that exist due to the relatively high elevation of the area compared to its surroundings. The park includes 6,512-foot (1,985 m) Cuyamaca Peak, the second-highest point in San Diego County. Park amenities include trails for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking, as well as campgrounds for family, group, equestrian, and primitive trail camping; as well as an exhibit at a former gold mine, the Stonewall Mine. Wildlife in the area includes mountain lions, which have been known to attack humans, and park literature emphasizes avoiding encounters with them. Numerous other species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians are known to reside within the park.
Cuyamaca
Rancho
State Park
Our Mission
The mission of California State Parks is
to provide for the health, inspiration and
education of the people of California by helping
to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological
diversity, protecting its most valued natural and
cultural resources, and creating opportunities
for high-quality outdoor recreation.
Hidden waterfalls and
more than 100 miles of
trails through forest
and meadow silently
witness the regrowth of
Cuyamaca Rancho
California State Parks supports equal access.
Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who
need assistance should contact the park at
(760) 765-3020. If you need this publication in an
alternate format, contact interp@parks.ca.gov.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
For information call: (800) 777-0369
(916) 653-6995, outside the U.S.
711, TTY relay service
www.parks.ca.gov
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
13652 Highway 79
Julian, CA 92036
(760) 765-3020
© 2010 California State Parks (Rev. 2016)
Printed on Recycled Paper
State Park.
E
ast of San Diego, Cuyamaca Rancho
State Park offers respite from the dry
Southern California landscape. The
park’s 24,700 acres of oak and conifer
forests and expansive meadows are broken
by running streams.
Located in the Peninsular Range of
mountains, Cuyamaca Peak, at 6,512 feet,
is the second highest point in San Diego
County. From the peak, visitors can see
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to the east
and the Pacific coastline to the west. Over
half of the park’s acreage is designated as
state wilderness.
HISTORY
Native People
The ancestors of today’s Kumeyaay Indians
occupied the Cuyamaca mountains from
antiquity into the historic period. Their
village sites are located throughout the
state park, including Ah-ha’ Kwe-ah-mac’
(”what the rain left
behind”), Iguai’ (“the
nest”), Wa-Ku-Pin’ (“warm
house”), Mitaragui’
(“crooked land”), Pilcha’
(“basket bush”), and
Guatay’ (“big house”).
Historic mention of the
Cuyamaca Kumeyaay
begins in 1782 when
Spanish Lt. Col. Pedro
Fages noted that the
villagers “approached me very pleasantly
and I gave them some beads.” However,
the Kumeyaay did not want to give up their
independence, and resisted missionization.
In 1837 a Mexican expedition attacked the
villagers of Ah-ha’ Kwe-ah-mac’ after the
Kumeyaay raided two ranchos to the south,
eventually exacting a promise from the
Kumeyaay to leave the settlers alone.
Augustin Olvera of Los Angeles obtained
the Rancho Cuyamaca grant in 1845.
Olvera intended to harvest timber but his
contractor, Cesario Walker “being afraid of
the Indians, who made a kind of revolution,
abandoned the place.”
By 1857, few Kumeyaay remained. James
Lassator reportedly bought 160 acres in
Green Valley from the last hereditary chief
of the region. Lassator’s family maintained
a home, hay fields, and a way-station there,
supplying those using the area’s early
overland trails until after his death in 1865.
Gold Mining in Cuyamaca
The 1869 discovery of gold near today’s
town of Julian triggered a brief but frenzied
rush to the Cuyamaca mountains. The
southernmost and most profitable of the
mines was the Stonewall, located south
Kumeyaay dwelling
Sketch by J.W. Audubon, 1849
of the Laguna Cuyamaca. By 1872, this
profitable hard-rock mine supported a
permanent worker’s camp and mill. In
1886 mining entrepreneur and soon-to-be
California Governor Robert W. Waterman
purchased and expanded the Stonewall’s
operations. At its peak from 1886 to 1891,
the mine produced over 7,000 pounds of
gold while regularly employing 200 men and
housing their families at its company town,
Cuyamaca City. Financial problems ensued
after Waterman’s death, and by 1892 hardrock mining had ended.
Stonewall Peak hikers
Later owners separated remaining
gold from previously milled ore tailings
with cyanide leaching until final closure in
1906. After the miners left, Cuyamaca
City continued for several years as a
mountain resort.
Becoming a State Park
Capitalist Ralph M. Dyar bought the rancho
in 1923, along with partners planning a
resort development for the lakefront’s
northern half. Dyar also built his family a
beautiful second home in Green Valley,
using local stone and salvaged materials
from the Stonewall Mine ruins. The Dyar
House later served as park headquarters
and visitor center until the 2003 Cedar Fire
reduced it to ruins.
The Great Depression ended Dyar’s
development plans; in 1933 he sold the
property to California for its new State
Park System. Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
was doubly benefited in the 1930s by the
placement of two Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC) camps that provided National
Park Service designers and CCC labor to
develop the park’s initial and distinctive
“park rustic” facilities, including many of
today’s popular campgrounds and trails.
NATURAL HISTORY
The Cedar Fire
On October 25, 2003, a lost hunter lit a signal
fire, hoping to be found. That signal fire
quickly burned out of control and became
the big
Parque Estatal
Cuyamaca
Rancho
Nuestra Misión
La misión de California State Parks es proporcionar
apoyo para la salud, la inspiración y la educación
de los ciudadanos de California al ayudar a
preservar la extraordinaria diversidad biológica
del estado, proteger sus más valiosos recursos
naturales y culturales, y crear oportunidades para
la recreación al aire libre de alta calidad.
Cascadas ocultas
y más de 100 millas
de senderos a través
del bosque y la pradera
son testigos silenciosos
del renacimiento del
California State Parks apoya la igualdad de
acceso. Antes de llegar, los visitantes con
discapacidades que necesiten asistencia
deben comunicarse con el parque llamando
al (760) 765-3020. Si necesita esta publicación
en un formato alternativo, comuníquese con
interp@parks.ca.gov.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
Para obtener más información, llame al:
(800) 777-0369 o (916) 653-6995, fuera de los
EE. UU. o 711, servicio de teléfono de texto.
www.parks.ca.gov
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
13652 Highway 79
Julian, CA 92036
(760) 765-3020
© 2010 California State Parks (Rev. 2016)
Parque Estatal
Cuyamaca Rancho.
A
l este de San Diego, el Parque Estatal
Cuyamaca Rancho ofrece un descanso
del paisaje árido del sur de California.
Los 24,700 acres de bosques de robles y
coníferas del parque y las praderas extensas
son atravesados por corrientes abundantes.
Ubicada en la Cordillera Peninsular, Pico
Cuyamaca, a 6,512 pies, es el segundo punto
más alto del Condado de San Diego. Desde
el pico, los visitantes pueden ver el Parque
Estatal Desierto Anza-Borrego al este y la
línea costera del Pacífico al oeste. Más de
la mitad de la superficie del parque está
designada como área silvestre estatal.
HISTORIA
Pueblos nativos
Los ancestros de los actuales indígenas
Kumeyaay ocuparon las montañas
Cuyamaca desde la antigüedad hasta el
periodo histórico. Sus aldeas están ubicadas
a lo largo del parque estatal, e incluyen
Ah-ha’ Kwe-ah-mac’ (”lo
que dejó la lluvia”), Iguai’
(“el nido”), Wa-Ku-Pin’
(“casa cálida”), Mitaragui’
(“terreno torcido”),
Pilcha’ (“arbusto cesto”) y
Guatay’ (“casa grande”).
La mención histórica
de los Kumeyaay de
Cuyamaca comienza en
1782 cuando el Teniente
Coronel español Pedro
Fages notó que los aldeanos “se acercaron
a mí de manera muy grata y les di algunas
cuentas”. Sin embargo, los Kumeyaay no
querían renunciar a su independencia y se
resistieron a los misioneros. En 1837, una
expedición mexicana atacó a los aldeanos
de Ah-ha’ Kwe-ah-mac’ después de que los
Kumeyaay asaltaron dos ranchos al sur y a la
larga se exigió una promesa de los Kumeyaay
de dejar a los colonos en paz.
Agustín Olvera de Los Ángeles obtuvo la
concesión de Rancho Cuyamaca en 1845.
Olvera pretendía talar madera pero su
contratista, Cesario Walker, “temiendo a los
indígenas, quienes habían hecho un tipo de
revolución, abandonó el lugar”.
Para 1857, quedaban pocos Kumeyaay.
Según se informa, James Lassator compró
160 acres en Green Valley del último jefe
hereditario de la región. La familia de
Lassator mantuvo un hogar, campos de
heno y una estación de paso allí, y proveyó
de suministros a aquellos que usaban los
primeros caminos terrestres del área hasta
después de su muerte en 1865.
Vivienda Kumeyaay
Bosquejo de J.W. Audubon, 1849
Minería de oro en Cuyamaca
El descubrimiento del oro en 1869 cerca del
pueblo actual de Julian causó una fiebre de
oro breve pero frenética hacia las montañas
Cuyamaca. El extremo sur y el más rentable
de las minas era Stonewall, ubicada al sur
de Laguna Cuyamaca. Para 1872, esta mina
rentable de piedra dura mantenía un campo
de obreros y un molino permanentes.
En 1886, el empresario minero Robert
W. Waterman, que en poco tiempo sería
gobernador de California, compró Stonewall
y expandió sus operaciones. En su auge
de 1886 a 1891, la mina produjo más de
7,000 libras de oro mientras empleaba de
manera regular a 200 hombres y albergaba
a sus familias en el pueblo de la compañía,
Ciudad Cuyamaca. Los problemas
financieros surgieron después de la muerte
de Waterman y para 1892 la minería de
piedra dura había terminado.
Los propietarios posteriores separaron el
oro restante de los residuos previamente
molidos de la mena mediante la lixiviación
con cianuro hasta el cierre final en 1906.
Después de que se fueron los mineros,
Ciudad Cuyamaca continuó funcionando por
varios años como un resort de montaña.
Conversión en parque estatal
El capitalista Ralph M. Dyar compró el
rancho en 1923, y planeaba con sus socios
el desarrollo de un resort en la mitad norte
del terreno junto al lago. Dyar también
construyó para su familia un segundo hogar
hermoso en Green Valley usando piedra local
y el material rescatado de las ruinas de la
mina de Stonewall. La Casa Dyar sirvió más
adelante como oficina central del parque y
centro de visitantes hasta que en el 2003 el
incendio Cedar la redujo a ruinas.
La Gran Depresión terminó los planes
de desarrollo de Dyar; en 1933 vendió
la pro
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
13652 Hwy. 79 • Julian, CA 92036
(760) 765-0755
VEHICLE PARKING: Please park
only in designated campsites or
day-use parking spaces.
mi.
Los
Vaqueros
Group
Horse
Camp
Stonewall
Peak
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3m
Visitor
Center
Outdoor
School
2m
i.
Green Valley
Campground
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6 .5 m
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o 5.6 mi.
an s
sc
De
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LOADED WEAPONS are not
allowed in the park. This includes
firearms, BB guns, and air guns.
Weapons that are unloaded may
be kept in vehicles if they are
rendered temporarily inoperable
or packed, cased, or stored in a
manner that will prevent their
ready use.
PLANTS are protected. Do
not gather flowers, acorns,
pinecones, leaves, etc. Do not
hang anything from the shrubs
or trees that may cause harm,
such as lanterns or other
flammables, hammocks, or
other heavy objects.
ORGANIZED GAMES that cause
resource damage or disturb
others are prohibited.
i.
PETS: Dogs must be leashed at all
times. They are not allowed on the
Paso Picacho
trails, in the meadows, or at the
Campground
falls. On leash, they may be walked
on the Cuyamaca Peak Fire Road.
Cuyamaca
Keep pets in at night, and never
Peak
leave them alone at your campsite.
BICYCLES are restricted to the
pavement and approved trails.
Please pay attention to signs
and read the maps to stay on
legal trails. Helmets are required
for persons under 18. Ride
cautiously, and yield to hikers
and horseback riders.
Stonewall
Mine
1 mi.
SPEED LIMIT: The maximum
speed limit in the campgrounds is
15 mph and 5 mph on curves.
FIRES AND FIREWOOD:
Please be cautious when
building fires—wildfire danger
is especially high during the
summer. Fires are allowed only
in established fire rings or camp
stoves. Wood gathering is not
allowed in the park. Purchase
firewood at the park entrance
and at camp host sites.
Cuyamaca
Lake
1.3
NOISE: At no time may music or
noise extend beyond the limits
of your campsite. At 10 p.m., all
radios must be turned off and
voices lowered. Generators may
only be operated between the
hours of 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
79
CAMP HOSTS are here to
collect fees and provide public
assistance and information.
They are volunteers and do a
great service to the park and
the public. Please respect them,
and remember that any contact
from them regarding a violation
in a campsite is the same as a
warning from a ranger.
CHECK-OUT TIME is noon.
Please vacate your site by
that time.
RESERVATIONS for camping
are strongly recommended for
weekends from Easter through
Thanksgiving, and can be made
by calling (800) 444-7275.
*For Identification of symbols, see legend on reverse.
CAMPING RESERVATIONS: You may make camping reservations by calling (800) 444-7275 (TTY 800-274-7275).
To make online reservations, visit our website at www.parks.ca.gov.
ALTERNATE FORMAT: If you need this publication in an alternate format,
contact interp@parks.ca.gov.
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© 2011 California State Parks (Rev. 2016)
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Primitive Camp
Showers
RV Sanitation Center
Restrooms
For Emergency, Dial
Day-Use
Parking
Day-Use
Picnic Area
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Accessibility is continually improving. For information on accessible features in the park, visit http://access.parks.ca.gov.
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Ranger Station
Horse Campground
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Picnic Area
Group Campground
Bridge
Campground
Parking
Campfire Center
Accessible Campsite
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Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
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Paso Picacho Campground
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