Escazú Mountains ( es, Cerros de Escazú), are a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

San José Province San José () is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the central part of the country, and borders (clockwise beginning in the north) the provinces of Alajuela, Heredia, Limón, Cartago and Puntarenas. The provincial and national capital ...

, central Costa Rica.

Geography

The range borders the

Costa Rican Central Valley The Central Valley () is a plateau and a geographic region of central Costa Rica. The land in the valley is a relative plain, despite being surrounded by several mountains and volcanoes, the latter part of the Central Range. The region houses a ...

to the south. It is considered the northernmost portion of the

Cordillera de Talamanca The Cordillera de Talamanca is a mountain range that lies in the southeast half of Costa Rica and the far west of Panama. Much of the range and the area around it is included in La Amistad International Park, which also is shared between the two ...

Peaks

The highest peak is

Cerro Rabo de Mico The Cerro Rabo de Mico is the highest mountain of the Cerros de Escazú, Costa Rica with . The peak is accessible by trails from Escazu as well as Aserri, through the trail that leads past la Piedra de Aserri. Rabo de mico means literally 'mon ...

at , followed closely by

Cerro Cedral The Cerro Cedral is the second highest mountain of the Cerros de Escazú, Costa Rica with . Cedral means 'cedar forest' referring to an endangered tree species locally known as Cedro Dulce, which occurs there. This mountain marks the southern ...

at a height of . The range includes such other peaks as

Cerro Pico Alto The Cerro Pico Alto is the third highest mountain of the Cerros de Escazú, Costa Rica with .Cerro Pico Blanco The Cerro Pico Blanco is the second highest mountain of the Cerros de Escazú, Costa Rica, with a summit elevation of . ''Pico Blanco'' means literally 'white peak', making reference of the rocky outcropping close to its highest point, that looks l ...

at and Cerro San Miguel at . Cerros que rodean el Gran Área Metropolitana

Settlements

While in

, these geographic formations can be seen to the southwest of the capital city,

San José San José or San Jose (Spanish for Saint Joseph) most often refers to: *San Jose, California, United States *San José, Costa Rica, the nation's capital San José or San Jose may also refer to: Places Argentina * San José, Buenos Aires ** San ...

. The name is taken from the canton of Escazú, which lies on its northern slopes. Other nearby districts are Santa Ana to the north,

Ciudad Colón Colón, known as Ciudad Colón is a district and the head city of the Mora canton, in the San José province of Costa Rica. It is famous for its warm climate, proximity to nature and its surrounding mountains, folkloric traditions, horse riding, ...

to the northwest, Tabarcia to the southwest, Palmichal to the southwest, Aserrí to the east and Alajuelita to the northeast. This mountain range lies in various

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, th ...

: Escazú, Santa Ana, Mora,

Acosta Acosta is a Spanish and Portuguese surname. Originally it was used to refer to a person who lived by the seashore or was from the mountains (''encostas''). It comes from the Portuguese da Costa (cognate of English "coast", literally translates as ...

, Aserrí and Alajuelita.

Quitirrisí Quitirrisí is a district of the Mora canton, in the San José San José or San Jose (Spanish for Saint Joseph) most often refers to: *San Jose, California, United States *San José, Costa Rica, the nation's capital San José or San Jose m ...

, located in these hills, is the Native American reserve which lies closest to the capital.

Conservation

Due to its position, this mountain range has several climatic influences that are reflected in the habitat diversity and biodiversity. In an attempt to protect this biological richness but also the local watersheds, the

Escazú Hills Protected Zone Escazú Hills Protected Zone ( es, Zona Protectora Cerros de Escazú), is a protected area in Costa Rica, managed under the Central Conservation Area Central Conservation Area ( es, Área de Conservación Central (ACC)), is an administrative a ...

, the

El Rodeo Protected Zone El Rodeo Protected Zone ( es, Zona Protectora El Rodeo), is a protected area in Costa Rica, managed under the Central Conservation Area Central Conservation Area ( es, Área de Conservación Central (ACC)), is an administrative area which is ma ...

and the

Quitirrisí Protected Zone Quitirrisí Protected Zone ( es, Zona Protectora Quitirrisí), is a protected area in Costa Rica, managed under the Central Conservation Area Central Conservation Area ( es, Área de Conservación Central (ACC)), is an administrative area which ...

were created. It is a popular destination for mountain bikers and hikers although there are no clearly marked trails.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cerros De Escazu Escazu Geography of San José Province