BLM · California

Santa Rosa-San Jacinto Mountains National Monument

The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument is a national monument in Southern California. It includes portions of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountain ranges, the northernmost ones of the Peninsular Ranges system. The national monument covers portions of Riverside County, west of the Coachella Valley, approximately 100 miles (160 km) southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Search Bureau of Land Management ↗
DesignationNational Monument
Managed byBureau of Land Management
StateCalifornia
Size279,535 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
National Conservation Lands idNLCS000314
Center point33.6338, -116.4388
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 39)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Santa Rosa-San Jacinto Mountains National Monument50°60°70°80°90°100°January: 0.65 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.59 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.32 inches of precipitationApril: 0.07 inches of precipitationMay: 0.02 inches of precipitationJune: 0.00 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.05 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.26 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.13 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.15 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.19 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.49 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 58.6°F averageFebruary: 62.2°F averageMarch: 68.5°F averageApril: 74.5°F averageMay: 81.2°F averageJune: 89.2°F averageJuly: 94.1°F averageAugust: 93.8°F averageSeptember: 88.7°F averageOctober: 78.1°F averageNovember: 65.5°F averageDecember: 57.0°F average0 in0.5 in1 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Indio Fire Stn, 14 miles from the center point at -21 feet, station USC00044259 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 3 inches a year. The station sits about 3,800 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

3 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 5 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

13 named Forest Service trails start or end within 11.8 miles of the center point, 66 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Palm Canyon10.4
Cactus Springs10.2
PCT Section 378.4
Pinyon7.5
Live Oak Springs5.2
PCT Section 364.3
PCT Section 353.9
Ramona3.7
Cedar Springs3
PCT Section 382.8

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas, refreshed September 18, 2026. Trails in plain text have no page there yet. The radius is the one a circle of this unit’s acreage would have, measured from the center point, so a trail listed here can fall outside the boundary.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 38 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Santa Rosa-San Jacinto Mountains National Monument?

279,535 acres, measured from the published boundary polygon. The agency’s own figure can differ where the boundary includes water or inholdings.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Santa Rosa-San Jacinto Mountains National Monument?

The Bureau of Land Management.

Source: Bureau of Land Management

What state is Santa Rosa-San Jacinto Mountains National Monument in?

California.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Santa Rosa-San Jacinto Mountains National Monument?

3 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Pinyon Flat Campground, Pinyon Flat Campground and Ribbonwood Equestrian Cg. 8 in all are within ten miles. Rules vary by unit; the BLM page has the current camping rules.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Santa Rosa-San Jacinto Mountains National Monument?

A point inside the boundary is at 33.634, -116.439. Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is 28 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Bureau of Land Management

How dark is the night sky at Santa Rosa-San Jacinto Mountains National Monument?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 39 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Santa Rosa-San Jacinto Mountains National Monument?

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (28 mi) and Joshua Tree National Park (30 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Santa Rosa-San Jacinto Mountains National Monument?

38 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Estudillo Mansion and Martinez Canyon Rockhouse.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the BLM National Conservation Lands layer.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Description: Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by trail endpoints falling inside a circle of this unit’s acreage around the center point.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.