Laguna Mountains

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The Laguna Mountains are a section of the Peninsular Ranges in eastern San Diego County. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately 20 miles. They are bordered by the Cuyamaca area on the west and the Colorado Desert on the east, where the mountains form a steep escarpment along the Laguna Salada Fault. To the north the Laguna Mountains are bounded by the Elsinore Fault and to the south by Cameron Valley and Thing Valley. The highest point is Cuyapaipe Mountain at 6,378 feet. The mountains are largely contained within the Cleveland National Forest. Snow falls on the highest peaks several times a year. Mount Laguna is a village in the Laguna Mountains with a population of about 80.

In a broader sense (according to The Columbia Gazetteer of North America [1]), the Laguna Mountains extend northwest about 35 mi from the Mexican border at the Sierra Juárez range. In this sense they would encompass the In-Ko-Pah Mountains and Jacumba Mountains to the southeast and Cuyamaca Mountain to the west.

The mountains have long been inhabited by the Kumeyaay people.