Lions Peak is a prominent hill in the eastern foothills of the
Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central and Northern California, United States. They form a ridge down the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco. They separate the Pacific Ocean from ...
in southwest
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring Sa ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The landmark lies west of
San Martin, and is adjacent to the resort village of
CordeValle.
The headwaters of
Lions Creek originate on the eastern flank of the hill, and flow southward before merging with
Llagas Creek
Llagas Creek is a perennial stream in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The headwaters rise on the eastern side of Crystal Peak near Loma Prieta. From there, the creek flows northeast along Casa Loma Road, until it reaches Uvas Road, ...
in
Gilroy. The hill and surrounding area is located on approximately of privately owned lands, and is viewable along
U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...
and
California State Route 152
State Route 152 (SR 152) is a state highway that runs from east to west near the middle of the U.S. state of California from California State Route 1, State Route 1 in Watsonville, California, Watsonville to California State Route 99, State Route ...
in
South Santa Clara Valley.
History
The land surrounding the peak, once part of the historic
Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas was a Mexican land grant in present-day Santa Clara County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to Carlos Antonio Castro. The grant extended along Llagas Creek from about one mile south of pres ...
, was purchased by Messrs Lion and Buckley in the late 19th century.
In the summer of 2008,
dry lightning
A dry thunderstorm is a thunderstorm that produces thunder and lightning, but where most of its precipitation evaporates before reaching the ground. Dry lightning refers to lightning strikes occurring in this situation. Both are so common in the ...
ignited fires northwest of the hill, burning nearly nearby.
See also
*
List of summits of the San Francisco Bay Area
This is a list of named summits in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area that are more than above sea level. Note that there are no natural features above in the city of San Francisco.
Unless otherwise referenced, all data are from the Geograp ...
References
External links
*
Mountains of Santa Clara County, California
Mountains of the San Francisco Bay Area
Mountains of Northern California
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