| _ | On the 29th of October, 2003, all of the prominent summits of the Cuyamacas (say 'koo-yuh-MAW-kuh') were incinerated in the Cedar Fire, the largest wildfire in California history. Those summits being: Cuyamaca Peak, Japacha Peak, Oakzanita Peak, Stonewall Peak, Middle Peak, and North Peak (which is not within the State Park). North, toward the historic gold mining town of Julian, much more burned. A few [very] small patches of forest survived, one of the largest of these being in the area of the Paso Picacho campground. Barring further complications, the chaparral community will slowly recover over the course of the next decade or two. The mixed (oak and conifer) woodlands will require more than half a century to began to again assume an aspect of mature health. |







