Ventana Wilderness

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The Ventana Wilderness is a wilderness area located in the Santa Lucia Mountains along the Central Coast of California. This wilderness was originally established in 1969 by the Ventana Wilderness Act and then subsequently enlarged to its present size of 240,024 acres.

Ventana Wilderness is named for the unique notch called "The Window" on a ridge near Ventana Double Cone.

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 flowing on bedrock or a veneer of boulders. Waterfalls, deep pools and thermal springs are found along major streams. Elevations range from 600 feet, where the Big Sur River leaves the Wilderness, to about 5,750 feet at the Wilderness boundary near Junipero Serra Peak.

Marked vegetation changes occur within the Wilderness. These changes are attributed to dramatic climate and topographic variations coupled with an extensive fire history. Much of the Ventana is covered by chaparral, a fire-prone plant community 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). Deep narrow canyons cut by the fast moving Big Sur and Little Sur rivers support virgin stands of coastal redwood. Small scattered stands of the rare, endemic Bristlecone Fir may be found on rocky slopes and canyon bottoms.

There is an extensive network of trails and several trailheads that provide access into the Wilderness. The Pine Ridge trailhead at Big Sur Station near Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is by far the most popular starting point. Much of the area is very rugged and trails within the Wilderness can be challenging. As is the case in most designated Wilderness areas, motorized equipment and mechanized transport are forbidden.

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