Santiago Peak is the southern
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...
of the
Saddleback landform
A landform is a natural or anthropogenic land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. Landforms together make up a given terrain, and their arrangement in the landscape is known as topography. Landforms include hills, ...
in
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
,
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 ...
. It is the
highest and most
prominent peak of both the
Santa Ana Mountains
The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside co ...
and Orange County; it also marks a border point with
Riverside County
Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Unit ...
. The peak is named for
Santiago Creek
Santiago Creek is a major watercourse in Orange County in the U.S. state of California. About long, it drains most of the northern Santa Ana Mountains and is a tributary to the Santa Ana River. It is one of the longest watercourses entirely with ...
, which begins on its southwestern slope.
During some winters, snow has fallen on the peak. A telecommunication
antenna farm
Antenna farm or satellite dish farm or just dish farm are terms used to describe an area dedicated to television or radio telecommunications transmitting or receiving antenna equipment, such as C, Ku or Ka band satellite dish antennas, UHF/V ...
with
microwave antenna
A microwave antenna is a physical transmission device used to broadcast microwave transmissions between two or more locations. In addition to broadcasting, antennas are also used in radar, radio astronomy and electronic warfare.
Microwave freq ...
s sits atop the peak.
The
Acjachemen
The Acjachemen (, alternate spelling: Acagchemem) are an Indigenous people of California. They historically lived south of what is known as Aliso Creek and north of the Las Pulgas Canyon in what are now the southern areas of Orange County and t ...
referred to the peak as ''Kalawpa'', with the nearby village of
Alume
Alume ( ''Acjachemen'': "raising the head in looking upward") was a large Acjachemen village located between Trabuco Creek and Tijeras Creek at Rancho Santa Margarita, California. The village was also recorded as Alaugna and as El Trabuco in ...
meaning "to raise the head in looking upward," in reference to the mountain.
Hiking
![Photo of the path to Holy Jim Falls](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Photo_of_the_path_to_Holy_Jim_Falls.jpg)
More than one trail leads to the top of Santiago Peak, but the most popular among hikers is the Holy Jim trail. The Holy Jim trail gains about in elevation and is a round trip. It is a moderate to strenuous hike and is most enjoyable during spring and winter due to the large number of insects during warmer times of the year.
From the summit of Santiago Peak, one can see the larger Southern California peaks like
San Gorgonio Mountain
San Gorgonio Mountain, also known locally as Mount San Gorgonio, or Old Greyback, is the highest peak in Southern California and the Transverse Ranges at .
It is in the San Bernardino Mountains, east of the city of San Bernardino and north-nort ...
,
San Jacinto Peak
San Jacinto Peak (; often designated Mount San Jacinto) is a peak in the San Jacinto Mountains, in Riverside County, California. Lying within Mount San Jacinto State Park it is the highest both in the range and the county, and serves as the sout ...
, and
Mount San Antonio
Mount San Antonio, commonly referred to as Mount Baldy or Old Baldy, is a summit in the San Gabriel Mountains on the border of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties of California. Lying within the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and An ...
. However, due to the large number of antennas at the top of Santiago Peak, a full 360-degree view of the surrounding landscapes is not possible. Those at the top must walk approximately a quarter-mile around the perimeter of all the antennas to take in views of every direction.
Radio communication facilities
Santiago Peak is a radio site with buildings owned by American Tower, Crown Castle
MobileRelay Associates Day Wireless, Orange County Communications, the United States Federal Government, the State of California, and Southern California Edison, among others.
Santiago Peak provides radio coverage over much of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego counties. It houses both broadcast and two-way communications facilities on virtually every frequency band, including FM broadcast, VHF low- and high-band, UHF, 800/900 MHz, and microwave.
Gallery
File:Santiago_Peak_Looking_North.jpg, Santiago Peak looking north (November 2021)
File:Santiago_Peak_at_Sunset.jpg, Santiago Peak at sunset, looking west (November 2021)
File:Center_of_Santiago_Peak.jpg, Center of Santiago Peak, looking north (November 2021)
File:Santiago_Peak_looking_Southwest.jpg, Santiago Peak at sunset, looking southwest towards San Clemente (November 2021)
See also
*
List of highest points in California by county
This is a list of highest points in California, in alphabetical order by county.
All elevations use the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88), the currently accepted vertical control datum for United States, Canada and Mexico. Elevations ...
References
External links
* {{cite web
, url = http://www.peakfever.com/hike-info-10.php
, title = Holy Jim Trail - Santa Ana Mountains - California
, publisher = Peak Fever
Mountains of Orange County, California
Mountains of Riverside County, California
Santa Ana Mountains
Cleveland National Forest
Mountains of Southern California