Coast Ranges

The Coast Ranges are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along west coast of North America from Alaska to Mexico. The character of the ranges varies considerably, from the record-setting tidewater glaciers in the ranges of Alaska, to the low but rugged and scrub-covered hills of southern California, but the entire coast is consistent in dropping steeply into the sea, often resulting in photogenic views.

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, British Columbia
• Coast Mountains, British Columbia
• Olympic Mountains, Washington
• coastal mountains of Washington
• coastal mountains of Oregon
• coastal mountains of northern California
• Diablo Range, California
• San Gabriel Mountains, California
• Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico