Like a backbone of rock, the mountain spine extends from the tip of the Baja California peninsula through Southern California. The higher you go, the wetter it gets. This beautiful barrier catches winter storms from the Pacific. Rain and snow fall. Mountaintops and canyons are home to refugees from a cooler, wetter past. Surrounded by dry shrublands, forests of pines and oaks are like islands in the sky. >
In the Future Exhibits
- Climb on real mountain boulders; see how small crystals of feldspar, mica, and quartz form massive mountains.
- Peel back tree bark to watch termites and beetle larvae burrow beneath.
- See where rain comes from and where it goes with an interactive watercycle model.
- Make forests expand and contract by changing the climate.
Habitat Journey | Ocean | Coast | Shrublands | Mountains | Mine Tunnel | Rainshadow Desert | Colorado River Delta | Midriff Islands | Gulf of California | Central Desert | Cape Region
Future Permanent
Exhibits | Exhibits
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