Land Management Plan - Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy

Land Management Plan Part 2
Los Padres National Forest Strategy
September 2005
The Willow Creek Watershed contains a stand of Douglas-fir and groves of redwoods that follow
the creeks up the hillsides where they merge with the grassy meadows found on the upper slopes.
Steelhead
trout still spawn in the lower reaches of Willow Creek. The North Fork of Willow
Creek and its tributaries wind through steep canyons on their way to the sea, some eight miles
away.
Dramatic scenery, steep terrain, and coastal redwood groves characterize this area. Hiking is
available on moderate to strenuous trails.
Ventana Wilderness Places: Big Sur, Ventana,
Arroyo Seco
232,411 acres
In 1931, the chief of the Forest Service set aside 45,520 acres known as the Ventana Primitive
Area. This was enlarged to 55,884 acres in 1937. Since then, the area was renamed the Ventana
Wilderness when it became part of the National Wilderness System in 1969, and has been
enlarged four times
(in 1978, 1984, 1992, and 2002); bringing its total up to the present 232,411
acres. The 1992 enlargement added 38,000 acres in the Horse Creek and Rocky Creek areas on
the eastern edge of the wilderness. The Big Sur Wilderness and Conservation Act of 2002 added
37,110 acres. The wilderness lies entirely within Monterey County. Elevations range from 600
feet, where the Big Sur River leaves the Wilderness,
to about 5,750 feet at the summit of
Junipero Serra Peak. There are numerous access points to over 260 miles of trails.
Steep-sided, sharp-crested ridges separating V-shaped valleys characterize the topography of the
Ventana Wilderness. 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.
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
Wilderness is covered by chaparral. This brushy vegetative cover is typical of that found
throughout southern California's fire susceptible mountains. The contrast of annual grass
meadows and open pine stands may be found throughout the wilderness. 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 endemic bristle cone fir may be found on rocky slopes.
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