Coast Ranges

There are a handful of coastal plains at the mouths of rivers that have punched through the mountains, most notably at the Fraser River, (Hoquiam?), Columbia River, and the Sacramento River, the last creating San Francisco Bay.

From the vicinity of San Francisco Bay north, it is common for humid air masses from the Gulf of Alaska to make landfall in one of the Coast Ranges, resulting in heavy precipitation, both as rain and snow, especially on their western sides.

These are the members of the Coast Ranges, from north to south:

• Chugach Mountains, southern Alaska
• Wrangell Mountains, southern Alaska
• Saint Elias Mountains, southern Alaska, southwestern Yukon Territory
• Coast Mountains, southeastern Alaska, British Columbia
• Vancouver Island Ranges, British Columbia
• Olympic Mountains, Washington
• Klamath Mountains, Oregon, northern California
• Trinity Alps, California
• Marin Hills, California
• Diablo Range, California
• Santa Cruz Mountains, California
• Santa Lucia Range, California
• Transverse Ranges, California
  • Santa Ynez Mountains
  • Santa Susana Mountains
  • Simi Hills
  • Santa Monica Mountains
  • Tehachapi Mountains
  • San Gabriel Mountains
  • San Bernardino Mountains
• Peninsular Ranges
  • Santa Ana Mountains, California
  • San Jacento Mountains, California
  • Palomar Mountain Range, California
  • Sierra Juarez, Baja California
  • Sierra San Pedro Martir, Baja California
  • Sierra de la Laguna, Baja California Sur
• Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico