Ventana Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Ventana Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest
is a Federally designated wilderness area located in the Santa Lucia Mountains
along the Central Coast of California
. This wilderness was established in 1969 when the Ventana Wilderness Act abolished the 55800 acres (225.8 km²) Ventana Primitive Area and replaced it with the 98000 acres (396.6 km²) Ventana Wilderness. In 1978, the Endangered American Wilderness Act added 61000 acres (246.9 km²), increasing the total wilderness area to about 159000 acres (643.5 km²). The California Wilderness Act of 1984
added about 2750 acres (11 km²). In 1992, the Los Padres Condor Range and River Protection Act created the approximately 14500 acres (58.7 km²) Silver Peak Wilderness
and added about 38800 acres (157 km²) to the Ventana Wilderness.
The bill also designated the Big Sur River
as a wild and scenic river. Most recently, the Big Sur Wilderness and Conservation Act of 2002 expanded the wilderness for the fifth time, adding nearly 35000 acres (141.6 km²), increasing the total acreage of the wilderness to its present size of 240026 acres (971 km²). A very small part of it, 736 acres (3 km²), is located on Bureau of Land Management
territory.
. According to local legend, this notch was once a natural stone arch.
leaves the Wilderness, to about 5750 feet (1,752.6 m) at the wilderness boundary near Junipero Serra Peak
.
, a group of fire-prone plant species, consisting largely of chamise and various species of manzanita
and ceanothus
. Other plant communities found in area include oak woodland (Coast Live Oak
, Valley Oak
, etc.) and pine woodlands (Coulter Pine
and Knobcone Pine
). Poison oak is found throughout the area. Deep narrow canyons cut by the fast moving Big Sur and Little Sur
rivers support stands of coastal redwood (some old growth), Big Leaf Maple, and Sycamore
. Small scattered stands of the rare, endemic Bristlecone Fir
may be found on rocky slopes and canyon bottoms. Mountain lion, bear, deer, fox and coyotes range the wilderness, as does the California condor, reintroduced to the region by the Ventana Wildlife Society
.
American Indians who followed local food sources seasonally, living near the coast in winter, where they harvested rich stocks of mussels, abalone
and other sea life. In the summer and fall they moving inland to harvest acorns gathered from the Black Oak, Canyon Live Oak
and Tanbark Oak, primarily on upper slopes in areas on the upper slopes of the steep canyons.
Pico Blanco, which splits the north and south forks of the Little Sur River
, was sacred in the native traditions of the Rumsien
and the Esselen, who revered the mountain as a sacred place from which all life originated. The Spanish mission system
led to the virtual destruction of the Indian population. Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially. Alfred L. Kroeber
suggests a 1770 population for the Esselen of 500. Sherburne F. Cook
raises this estimate to 750. A more recent calculation (based on baptism
records and density) is that they numbered 1,185-1,285.
During the 1930s, the United States Civilian Conservation Corp constructed an extensive network of trails and trailheads that provide access to the Wilderness. The Pine Ridge
trailhead at Big Sur Station near Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
is by far the most popular starting point. Other trailheads include Bottchers Gap, Los Padres Dam, China Camp, and Arroyo Seco. Much of the area is very rugged and trails within the Wilderness are frequently overgrown and challenging to follow. Off-trail travel can be extremely difficult due to the steep, unstable terrain, and dense vegetation, like Madrone
, manzanita
, and Ceanothus
. As is the case in most designated Wilderness areas, motorized equipment and mechanized transport are not allowed. Hunting of feral pigs (Sus scrofa) or European boar, which were introduced into the Carmel Valley area in 1927, is permitted by license.
Los Padres National Forest
Los Padres National Forest is a forest located in southern and central California, which includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to Monterey, extending inland...
is a Federally designated wilderness area located in the Santa Lucia Mountains
Santa Lucia Mountains
The Santa Lucia Mountains or Santa Lucia Range is a mountain range in coastal California, running from Monterey southeast for 105 miles to San Luis Obispo. The highest summit is Junipero Serra Peak, in Monterey County...
along the Central Coast of California
Central Coast of California
The Central Coast is an area of California, United States, roughly spanning the area between the Monterey Bay and Point Conception. It extends through Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, Monterey County, San Luis Obispo County, and Santa Barbara County...
. This wilderness was established in 1969 when the Ventana Wilderness Act abolished the 55800 acres (225.8 km²) Ventana Primitive Area and replaced it with the 98000 acres (396.6 km²) Ventana Wilderness. In 1978, the Endangered American Wilderness Act added 61000 acres (246.9 km²), increasing the total wilderness area to about 159000 acres (643.5 km²). The California Wilderness Act of 1984
California Wilderness Act of 1984
The California Wilderness Act of 1984 is a federal law , passed by the United States Congress on September 28, 1984, that authorized the addition of over within the state of California to the National Wilderness Preservation System....
added about 2750 acres (11 km²). In 1992, the Los Padres Condor Range and River Protection Act created the approximately 14500 acres (58.7 km²) Silver Peak Wilderness
Silver Peak Wilderness
The Silver Peak Wilderness is located in the southwestern corner of Monterey County in the Santa Lucia Mountains along the Central Coast of California. It southern boundary largely follows the Monterey County/San Luis Obispo County line. Its eastern boundary is defined by Ft. Hunter Liggett, while...
and added about 38800 acres (157 km²) to the Ventana Wilderness.
The bill also designated the Big Sur River
Big Sur River
The Big Sur River is a river on the Central Coast of California. The river drains a portion of the Big Sur area, a thinly settled region of the Central California coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean...
as a wild and scenic river. Most recently, the Big Sur Wilderness and Conservation Act of 2002 expanded the wilderness for the fifth time, adding nearly 35000 acres (141.6 km²), increasing the total acreage of the wilderness to its present size of 240026 acres (971 km²). A very small part of it, 736 acres (3 km²), is located on Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
territory.
Name origin
The Ventana Wilderness is named for the unique notch called "The Window" on a ridge near Ventana Double ConeVentana Double Cone
The Ventana Double Cone is a prominent twin mountain top located in the northern part of the Ventana Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest. It is a popular hiking destination.-Toponymy:...
. According to local legend, this notch was once a natural stone arch.
Topography
The topography of the Ventana Wilderness is characterized by steep-sided, sharp-crested ridges separating V-shaped youthful valleys. Most streams fall rapidly through narrow, vertical-walled canyons over bedrock or a veneer of boulders. Waterfalls, deep pools and thermal springs are found along major streams. Elevations range from 600 feet (182.9 m), where the Big Sur RiverBig Sur River
The Big Sur River is a river on the Central Coast of California. The river drains a portion of the Big Sur area, a thinly settled region of the Central California coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean...
leaves the Wilderness, to about 5750 feet (1,752.6 m) at the wilderness boundary near Junipero Serra Peak
Junipero Serra Peak
Junipero Serra Peak is the highest mountain in the Santa Lucia Mountains of California. It is also the highest peak in Monterey County. It is named after Franciscan Friar Junípero Serra, founder of the California Missions.- Toponymy :...
.
Vegetation
Marked vegetation changes occur within the Wilderness, attributable to dramatic climatic and topographic variations coupled with an extensive fire history. Much of the Ventana is covered by dense communities of chaparralChaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
, a group of fire-prone plant species, consisting largely of chamise and various species of manzanita
Manzanita
Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus Arctostaphylos. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from southern British Columbia, Washington to California, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and...
and ceanothus
Ceanothus
Ceanothus L. is a genus of about 50–60 species of shrubs or small trees in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. The genus is confined to North America, the center of its distribution in California, with some species in the eastern United States and southeast Canada, and others extending as far south...
. Other plant communities found in area include oak woodland (Coast Live Oak
Coast Live Oak
Quercus agrifolia, the Coast Live Oak, is an evergreen oak , native to the California Floristic Province. It grows west of the Sierra Nevada from Mendocino County, California, south to northern Baja California in Mexico. It is classified in the red oak section Quercus agrifolia, the Coast Live Oak,...
, Valley Oak
Valley Oak
Quercus lobata, commonly called the Valley oak, grows into the largest of North American oaks. It is endemic to California, growing in the interior valleys and foothills. Mature specimens may attain an age of up to 600 years. This deciduous oak requires year-round access to groundwater.Its thick,...
, etc.) and pine woodlands (Coulter Pine
Coulter Pine
The Coulter Pine or Big-cone Pine is a native of the coastal mountains of southern California and northern Baja California . Isolated groves are found as far north as the San Francisco Bay Area in Mt. Diablo State Park and Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve...
and Knobcone Pine
Knobcone Pine
The Knobcone Pine, Pinus attenuata, is a tree that grows in mild climates on poor soils. It ranges from the mountains of southern Oregon to Baja California with the greatest concentration in northern California and the Oregon-California border....
). Poison oak is found throughout the area. Deep narrow canyons cut by the fast moving Big Sur and Little Sur
Little Sur River
The Little Sur River is on the Central Coast of California. The river drains a portion of the Big Sur area, a thinly settled region of the Central California coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean...
rivers support stands of coastal redwood (some old growth), Big Leaf Maple, and Sycamore
Sycamore
Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....
. Small scattered stands of the rare, endemic Bristlecone Fir
Bristlecone Fir
The Bristlecone Fir or Santa Lucia Fir is a rare fir, confined to slopes and the bottoms of rocky canyons in the Santa Lucia Mountains on the central coast of California, USA. A small remnant community exists on the highest northern slopes of the Santa Susana Mountains in Southern California.It is...
may be found on rocky slopes and canyon bottoms. Mountain lion, bear, deer, fox and coyotes range the wilderness, as does the California condor, reintroduced to the region by the Ventana Wildlife Society
Ventana Wildlife Society
Ventana Wildlife Society is a 5013 non-profit organization founded in 1977 by a group of private citizens to restore endangered species native to central California. VWS has five full-time staff biologists, together with seasonal interns, monitoring, tracking and researching endangered species,...
.
Human use
The area was first occupied by the EsselenEsselen
The Esselen were a Native American linguistic group in the hypothetical Hokan language family, who resided on the Central California coast and the coastal mountains, including what is now known as the Big Sur region in Monterey County, California...
American Indians who followed local food sources seasonally, living near the coast in winter, where they harvested rich stocks of mussels, abalone
Abalone
Abalone , from aulón, are small to very large-sized edible sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae and the genus Haliotis...
and other sea life. In the summer and fall they moving inland to harvest acorns gathered from the Black Oak, Canyon Live Oak
Quercus chrysolepis
Quercus chrysolepis, commonly termed Canyon Live Oak, or Golden Cup Oak, is a species of evergreen oak that is found in the southwestern part of North America, notably in the California Coast Ranges. This tree is often found near creeks and drainage swales growing in moist cool microhabitats...
and Tanbark Oak, primarily on upper slopes in areas on the upper slopes of the steep canyons.
Pico Blanco, which splits the north and south forks of the Little Sur River
Little Sur River
The Little Sur River is on the Central Coast of California. The river drains a portion of the Big Sur area, a thinly settled region of the Central California coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean...
, was sacred in the native traditions of the Rumsien
Rumsen
Rumsen is one of eight language divisions of the Ohlone Native American people of Northern California...
and the Esselen, who revered the mountain as a sacred place from which all life originated. The Spanish mission system
Spanish missions in California
The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...
led to the virtual destruction of the Indian population. Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially. Alfred L. Kroeber
Alfred L. Kroeber
Alfred Louis Kroeber was an American anthropologist. He was the first professor appointed to the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and played an integral role in the early days of its Museum of Anthropology, where he served as director from 1909 through...
suggests a 1770 population for the Esselen of 500. Sherburne F. Cook
Sherburne F. Cook
Sherburne Friend Cook was a physiologist by training, and served as professor and chairman of the department of physiology at the University of California, Berkeley...
raises this estimate to 750. A more recent calculation (based on baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
records and density) is that they numbered 1,185-1,285.
During the 1930s, the United States Civilian Conservation Corp constructed an extensive network of trails and trailheads that provide access to the Wilderness. The Pine Ridge
Pine Ridge Trail
The Pine Ridge Trail is a popular hiking route in the Ventana Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest. It can be hiked both ways, but the consensus route is China Camp to Big Sur Station since that is the downhill direction.-Trail Guide:...
trailhead at Big Sur Station near Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is a state park in Monterey County, California near the town of Big Sur on the state's Central Coast. It covers approximately of land. The park is centered around the Big Sur River. It has been nicknamed a "mini Yosemite."...
is by far the most popular starting point. Other trailheads include Bottchers Gap, Los Padres Dam, China Camp, and Arroyo Seco. Much of the area is very rugged and trails within the Wilderness are frequently overgrown and challenging to follow. Off-trail travel can be extremely difficult due to the steep, unstable terrain, and dense vegetation, like Madrone
Pacific Madrone
Arbutus menziesii, commonly known as the Pacific Madrone, is a species of Arbutus found on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia to California...
, manzanita
Manzanita
Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus Arctostaphylos. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from southern British Columbia, Washington to California, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and...
, and Ceanothus
Ceanothus
Ceanothus L. is a genus of about 50–60 species of shrubs or small trees in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. The genus is confined to North America, the center of its distribution in California, with some species in the eastern United States and southeast Canada, and others extending as far south...
. As is the case in most designated Wilderness areas, motorized equipment and mechanized transport are not allowed. Hunting of feral pigs (Sus scrofa) or European boar, which were introduced into the Carmel Valley area in 1927, is permitted by license.
See also
- Wilderness Areas, Los Padres National Forest
- A Brief Land Status History of the Monterey Ranger District, David Rogers (2002)
- Hiking the Big Sur Country, Jeffrey P. Schaffer (1988) ISBN 0-89997-083-4
- Map of Ventana Wilderness, Los Padres National Forest, USDA Forest Service (1987)
- Trail Guide to Los Padres National Forest, Ventana Chapter, Sierra Club (2003) ISBN 0-9650652-0-0