The Sierras de Córdoba are covered in dry forests, grasslands, woodlands, and shrublands, and are home to rare and endemic species of plants and animals.

They consist chiefly of metamorphic rocks such as quartzite, which were formed when large quantities of marine sediment were subject to enormous heat and pressure.

[3] At lower elevations, the Sierra de Córdoba has a warm temperate to subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), with hot, wet summers with frequent thunderstorms and mild, dry winters.

The cooler climate in the mountains has encouraged development of many summer resorts for the wealthy of Córdoba, notably Alta Gracia and Jesús María.

The flora and fauna of the Sierras is related to that of the Chaco region, except for high elevations, where Andean species predominate.

[2] Forests and woodlands of tabaquillo (Polylepis australis) are found in sheltered ravines and stream valleys and canyon bottoms with access to year-round moisture.

[1] Herds of guanaco (Lama guanicoe) once ranged across the Sierras and the Chaco lowlands, but by the beginning of the 20th century they had been extirpated by hunters.

[1] Overgrazing, over-hunting, human-caused fires, and firewood harvesting have altered the flora and fauna of the mountains, creating soil erosion in large areas and reducing the extent of forests and woodlands.

At other times, such as glacial periods and the earliest part of the Holocene, the whole mountain range was completely treeless due to extremely low rainfall.

This may explain why few endemics are found outside the zone above the timberline — where species that have inhabited the area for thousands of years take a kind of refuge from a warmer, wetter climate.

It lies within the Pampa de Achala Provincial Water Reserve (245.89 km2), which covers a plateau in the central Sierra above 1500 meters elevation.

In recent years, sophisticated wine-making has begun taking place, both in these 'traditional' locations, as well as in exciting terroirs in the eastern side of the mountains, around Villa General Belgrano and La Cumbrecita.

The area has a cooler climate, with some (light) snowfall in the winter, and a number of boutique wineries have experimented with different grape types and techniques, sometimes with exceptional results (Familia Navarro Torre recently was awarded a gold medal in the Vinandino competition with a Cabernet-Malbec from 2009).