The boundaries are formed by lines of legal subdivision. On the south and east sides of the Forest, the boundary generally follows the edges of the natural occurrence of timber. All boundaries of the Forest have been surveyed and established by licensed surveyors, are recorded and on file at the Lake County Courthouse.
The State Forest is situated on a lava cap area about one mile wide by 3-1/2 miles long, forming a gently rolling summit with the sides breaking down into moderate to steep slopes. There are a few small areas of steep slopes and rock outcrops.
Boggs Mountain lies at elevations from 2,360 feet to 3,750 feet above sea level. At 3,000 feet elevation the topography flattens out so that the top of the mountain resembles a plateau, dissected by several gulches.
To the east and northeast, the mountain top breaks very sharply to Big Canyon Creek, resulting in rather steep terrain.
On the west, the country slopes gently into the valley drained by the headwaters of Kelsey Creek at an elevation of about 2,500 feet. To the northeast, the Forest extends almost into the pass through which State Highway 175 crosses the Boggs Mountain range at an elevation of 3,000 feet.
Generally, the ground is smooth with little or no rock outcrops except on the steep slopes. There are four main creeks which originate near the mountain top. Mill Creek and Spikenard Creek flow down the north side, Houghton Creek flows down the west side, and Malo Creek flows down the east side.
The primary timber producing soils on the Forest are the Collayomi-Aiken Complex, the Aiken-Whispering Complex, the Collayomi-Aiken-Whispering Complex, the Collayomi-Whispering Complex and the Speaker-Marpa-Sanhedrin Complex. Five other soil maps units that will support only brush, hardwoods and annual grasses are the Maymen-Millsholm-Bressa Association, the Millsholm-Bressa Loams, the Millsholm-Bressa-Hopland Loams, the Maymen-Hopland-Woodsin Association and the Maymen-Etsel Complex.
Geology
Geologically, BMDSF is complex. The State Forest is on a lava cap area about one mile wide by 3-1/2 miles long, forming a gently rolling summit with the sides breaking down into moderate to steep slopes. There are a few small areas of steep slopes and rock outcrops. Volcanic rocks are exposed over much of the forest. Andesites and basalts are visible as outcrops and along roads over most of the upper elevation, with the lower slopes of the northwest portion having volcanic rocks cap sandstones and mudstones.
Climate on Boggs Mountain follows a Mediterranean pattern with long dry summers and cool wet winters.
Annual precipitation ranges from 22 inches to 115 inches with an average of about 55 inches. Some light snowfall occurs every winter but usually melts within a few days. Occasionally a 2 to 3 foot snowfall is experienced which remains on the ground for a month or more. Click here to view a chart of average rainfall by month.
Temperature
Temperatures range from a minimum of 13º F to a maximum of 105º F.
