It lies east of the Capitan Grande Reservation in the western Laguna Mountains, north of Descanso and south of Julian.
Within the park is the prominent Cuyamaca Peak, the second-highest mountain in San Diego County at 6,512 feet (1,984.9 m).
[2] The name is a Spanish corruption of the Kumeyaay phrase "'Ekwiiyemak", which means, according to Margaret Langdon's translation, "Behind the clouds".
[3] It has also been translated as "the place where it rains", a reference to the region's higher average precipitation than San Diego County's low coastal areas.
Cuyamaca is a popular toponym lending its name to streets, businesses and a community college in the San Diego area.