The Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres/720 sq mi (1,900 km2) of inland montane regions—approx. 60 miles from the Pacific Ocean—within the counties of San Diego, Riverside, and Orange, California. The landscape varies somewhat, with mostly chaparral canyons, arroyos and high desert, but dotted with meadows and oak and conifer forests. Near water sources, riparian environments and perennial aquatic plants attract native and migratory wildlife, such as at San Diego’s man-made Lake Cuyamaca. A generally warm and dry, inland-Mediterranean climate prevails over the forest, with the cooler months producing morning frost and snowfall. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. The area is administered by the U.S. Forest Service, a government agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, and is locally overseen by the Descanso, Palomar and Trabuco Ranger Districts.

Corona is a city in northwestern Riverside County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 157,136, up from 152,374 at the 2010 census. Corona is surrounded by Norco to the north and northeast, Yorba Linda to the northwest, Cleveland National Forest and the Santa Ana Mountains to the west, southwest, and south. Several unincorporated communities are along the rest of the city's borders. Downtown Corona is approximately 48 miles southeast of Downtown Los Angeles and 95 miles (153 km) north-northwest of San Diego.