The interior east side of the mountains drops abruptly towards this fault line, especially near the towns of Woodside and Saratoga.

[citation needed] There are over 30 wineries located in this region and the Santa Cruz Mountains have been a legally defined American Viticultural Area (AVA) since 1981.

[6] The Santa Cruz Mountains are largely the result of compressive uplift caused by a leftward bend of the San Andreas Fault.

[7] The Santa Cruz Mountains are a region of great biological diversity, encompassing cool, moist coastal ecosystems as well as warm, dry chaparral.

[9] The first is Coyote Valley, which at its northern end, is only 0.4 miles (0.64 km) wide, a narrow gap between the Diablo Range and the Santa Cruz Mountains' Tulare Hill foothill in south San Jose, California.

[15] The Santa Cruz Mountains have a Mediterranean type climate typical of most of California, with the majority of the annual precipitation falling between November and April.

Due to a rain shadow effect, precipitation on the eastern side of the range is significantly less, about 25 inches (64 cm) a year.

Snow falls a few times a year on the highest ridges, and more rarely the higher valleys receive light dustings.

Thermal inversions occur primarily during the Winter when cool air sinks and gets trapped in the valleys at night, often leading to frost and occasional freezes.

[citation needed] Summer temperatures regularly reach highs in the 80s °F (~28–30 °C)[17] with nighttime usually in the upper 40s to lower 60s °F (~9–18 °C) depending on elevation, distance from the ocean and degree of marine inversion present.

The Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail, which stretched 38 miles (61 km) from Castle Rock State Park through Big Basin to the Pacific Ocean was also a popular destination for backpackers, until it was closed due to severe damage by the CZU Lightning Complex Fires in 2020.

There also exist several backcountry campsites in many of the state parks that enable long distance multi-day outings.

[citation needed] The previous historic Old Almaden Winery was located on the eastern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

[21] Film director Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma had their primary residence, the Cornwall Ranch, near Scotts Valley, purchased in September 1940.

[22] In 1965, science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein constructed a home in Bonny Doon, and lived there until shortly before his death in 1988.