Coast Range, Or Coast Mountains, a mountain range of California, nearly parallel with the Pacific coast, and extending from near the boundary of Oregon into the peninsula of Lower California. Its width is from 30 to 40 m., and it is divided by the bay of San Francisco. S. of lat. 34° 20' N. a plain from 25 to 40 ra. wide lies between the mountains and the sea, the spars being short and running at right angles with the main ridge; N. of that, the spurs form the greater part of the coast line. The principal of these S. of the bay of San Fran-cisco are the Santa Susanna, Santa Inez, Santa Barbara, and Santa Lucia ridges. E. of the bay is the Contra Costa ridge, which is crossed by the Gabilan ridge. N. of the Gabilan are the Sonoma and Carneros ridges, beyond which the spurs are so numerous and closely connected that they are scarcely distinguished by name. These spurs are separated by fertile valleys, some of which are 60 m. long by 10 m. broad, watered by streams, and possessing a genial and equable climate. The most noted are the Los Angeles, Salinas, Santa Clara, Sonoma, and Napa valleys.

The principal peaks of the main ridge are Mt. Ripley, 7,500 ft. high, in lat. 39° 8'; Mt. St. Helena, 3,700 ft., lat. 38° 40'; Monte Diablo, 3,881 ft., lat. 37° 50'; Mt. San Bernardino, 11,600 ft., lat, 34° 20'; and Mt, San Gorgonio, 7,000 ft., lat. 33° 48'. X. of all these are Mts. Linn and St. John. The principal passes are S. of the outlet of the Sacramento basin. The northernmost, Liver-more's pass, lat. 37° 42', is 686 ft. high; the others are mostly higher, the two southernmost, San Gorgonio and Warner's, lat. 33° 10', being respectively 2,808 and 3,780 ft. high. Nearly all the spurs, valleys, and streams of the range run to the west. The Coast mountains are steep and rocky. N. of lat. 38° they are covered with timber and brush; S. of that the ridges nearest the ocean have some timber, and those further inland are nearly bare. The main ridge, near the head of the Sacramento valley, is called Trinity ridge; near Monte Diablo is the Diablo or Bolbones ridge; S. of lat. 34° is the San Bernardino ridge, and in one place the Cuyamaca mountain. - A range of mountains in the N. W. part of Oregon, running parallel with the sea, is also designated the Coast range.

The Calapooya mountains connect it on the south with the Cascade range.