Sierra Azul

Sierra Azul
Sierra Azul
	Loma Prieta is the highest peak in the Sierra Azul Range
Highest point
Peak	Loma Prieta
Elevation	3,790 ft (1,160 m)
Geography
	Sierra Azul location of Sierra Azul in California
Country	United States
State	California
District	Santa Clara County
Range coordinates	37°10′6.804″N121°54′41.841″W / 37.16855667°N 121.91162250°W
Parent range	Santa Cruz Mountains
Topo map	USGS Los Gatos

Last updated February 27, 2026

The Sierra Azul is a mountain range in Santa Clara County, California.^[1] It is the southern half of the Santa Cruz Mountains range, which is divided into two parts by California State Route 17 into what the colonizing Spanish called the Sierra Morena or "Brown Mountains" to the north and the Sierra Azul or "Blue Mountains" to the south.^[2]^[3]^[4] Part of the range is within the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve.

The highest peak is Loma Prieta at 3,790 feet (1,160m), and is prominently visible from around the Monterey Bay area. During the winter, snow can sometimes accumulate on the summit. The peak is near the epicenter of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Another prominent peak is Mount Umunhum, the site of the former Almaden Air Force Station radar site and the current location of a NEXRAD weather radar of the National Weather Service which serves the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey Bay Area.

References

1 2 "Sierra Azul". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved May 4, 2009.
↑ Erwin Gustav Gudde (1960). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names . University of California Press. p. 18 . Retrieved July 26, 2014. gudde place names sierra azul.
↑ John Hunter Thomas (1991). Flora of the Santa Cruz Mountains of California: A Manual of the Vascular Plants. Stanford University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-8047-1862-2 . Retrieved July 26, 2014.
↑ Luther A. Ingersoll (1893). Henry D. Barrows (ed.). A memorial and biographical history of the coast counties of Central California. Lewis Publishing Company. p. 190 . Retrieved July 26, 2014. sierra morena san mateo county.

External links

Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve website — part of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District system.

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[gnis-1] 1 2 "Sierra Azul". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved May 4, 2009.

[2] Erwin Gustav Gudde (1960). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names . University of California Press. p. 18 . Retrieved July 26, 2014. gudde place names sierra azul.

[3] John Hunter Thomas (1991). Flora of the Santa Cruz Mountains of California: A Manual of the Vascular Plants. Stanford University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-8047-1862-2 . Retrieved July 26, 2014.

[4] Luther A. Ingersoll (1893). Henry D. Barrows (ed.). A memorial and biographical history of the coast counties of Central California. Lewis Publishing Company. p. 190 . Retrieved July 26, 2014. sierra morena san mateo county.

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