What is unique about Cuyamaca Rancho State Park?
People value the conifer forests in Cuyamaca. It is rare to have a conifer forest located so close to a population center and easily accessible to the public in Southern California. Other pine forests in more remote locations and at higher elevations are Mount Baldy, San Gorgonio, Mount San Jacinto and Lake Arrowhead. San Diego County is the most biologically diverse county in the continental U.S. with the most plant and animal species anywhere, which results from the diversity in habitats. Some of the different life zones include coastal habitats, broadleaf forests, conifer forests, chaparral and desert areas. Conifer forest is the smallest habitat type, and over 70 percent of it in San Diego County has burned in the past six years.
