About the area

The wild lands of the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountain Ranges were designated a National Forest more than a hundred years ago.

Originally, the forest was home to Native Americans, since long before recorded history. Mexican and European settlements occurred sporadically for the first half of the 19th century, but the chain of events that led to the creation of the National Forest in 1893 really began after California became part of the United States in 1848 (it had been part of Mexico since 1822).

In 1855, gold was discovered in the San Bernardino mountains. Over the second half of the 19th century, mining, timber, and grazing grew quickly, taking a heavy toll on the land. By the end of the 19th century, significant sectors of the forest had been felled and overgrazed. Streams and rivers were silting in and water quality was declining. Meanwhile a growing population and a thriving citrus industry made increasing demands for clean drinking and irrigation water.

A pioneering populace, who had conquered what seemed like an endless frontier, began to realize that it now must manage the land much more thoughtfully.

A Board of Forestry report in 1886 found that the necessity of the hour is an intelligent supervision of the forest and brush lands of California, with a view to their preservation.

The Forest Reserve Act was passed in 1891, giving the president authority to set apart and reserve, in any state or territory having public land bearing forests . . . as public reservations. From this act was born the San Bernardino Forest Reserve, which became the San Bernardino National Forest in 1907. The San Bernardino National Forest as public land was set aside for the conservation of natural resources such as trees, water, minerals, livestock range, recreation, or wildlife.

The San Bernardino National Forest is comprised of several departments and three Ranger Districts. Our Forest has Fire, Police, Planning and Permits, Recreation, and a Roads department just like a city, county or state government. In addition we have a scientific arm, that deals with issues relating to cultural, water, soil, wildlife, plants and trees.

San Bernardino National Forest Inventory

Natural Features
National Forest Acreage	672,701
- Front Country Ranger District	235,727
- Mountaintop Ranger District	233,141
- San Jacinto Ranger District	203,834
Inholding Acreage (non-USFS land within the Forest)	138,870
Total Acreage	811,571
Wilderness Acreage (NFS Lands only)
Total Wilderness Acreage	151,341
Bighorn Mountain	11,800
Cucamonga	8,581
Cahuilla Mountain	5,585
San Gorgonio	56,722
San Jacinto	32,248
Santa Rosa	13,787
Sheep Mountain	2,401
South Fork San Jacinto	20,217
Threatened, Endangered & Sensitive Species
Animal Species	71
Plant Species	85
Roads and Trail Mileage
Pacific Crest Trail	160
Motorized Trails	38
Non-motorized Trails	414
Unpaved Roads	1,270
Cultural and Historic Features
Prehistoric Archaeological Sites	616
Historical Archaeological Sites	330
Multi-Component Sites	43
Facilities
Visitor Centers	3
Family Campgrounds	25
Group Campgrounds	20
Picnic Areas	13
Equestrian Campgrounds	4
Accessible Fishing Piers	2
Staging Areas For Motorized Trails	2
Trailering Sites For Motorized Trails	8
Special Uses
Recreation Residences	769
Organization Camps	26
Winter Recreation Resorts	4
Target Shooting Ranges	3

Data subject to change, original source; 2004 SBNF Business Plan. Revised using the 2005 Forest Land Management Plan, and 2012 GIS layers.