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Activities
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altitude.elevation
Elevation = Vegetation
The extreme terrain of California suprises many newcomers as to how different one part of the state looks to another. Below is a general overview on elevation pertaining to most California landscapes. Western mountain slopes are greener & get more moisture from the west, plus the first rains of a storm. The lower altitude coastal foothill mountains can get a lot of moisture. The Eastern slopes are drier and face the desert. Desert Mountain regions are quite different. Most dry ranges are in the "rain-shadow" of the taller Sierra Nevada mountain range and get very little moisture.
- coastline areas
- cities & suburbs - population centers
- coastal foothills
- central valley & agricultural areas
- farmlands & orchards
- dry chaparral
- grasslands & hills
- tall redwoods trees in NorCal
- spring wildflowers
- rolling oak foothills
- big rivers in valley
- valley reservoirs
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coastal
country
city
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mountain elevations
river canyons & foothills
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9000' - 10,000' elevation
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10,000' - 14,000' elevation
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- granite terrain
- snow & ice during most months
- alpine lakes
- pine trees
- cedar pines
- bristlecone pines
- little ground vegetation
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