Editing Santa Lucia Range

{{short description|Mountain range in California, United States}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Santa Lucia Range
| photo = Conepeak 135711.jpg
| photo_caption = November 2005 view from summit of [[Cone Peak]], the highest coastal mountain in the lower 48 US states.
| country = United States
| state = California
| region = [[Monterey County, California|Monterey County]]<br>[[San Luis Obispo County, California|San Luis Obispo County]]
| topo_map = Cone Peak
| topo_maker = [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]]
| border =
<!-- *** Locations *** -->
| range_coordinates = {{coord|36|3|3.861|N|121|28|8.769|W|type:mountain_scale:300000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| highest = [[Junipero Serra Peak]]
| elevation_ft =  5,857
| coordinates = 
| length_mi = | length_orientation =
| width_mi = | width_orientation =
| area_mi2 =
<!-- *** Features *** -->
| map = California
| map_caption = location of Santa Lucia Range in [[California]]<ref name="gnis">{{cite gnis |id=273555 |name=Santa Lucia Range |access-date=2009-05-03}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Sta Lucia range near Sta Margarita.jpg|thumb|Santa Lucias in the clouds, near [[Santa Margarita, CA|Santa Margarita]] ]]
[[File:San Simeon 2015 010.jpg|thumb|[[Hearst Castle]] was built atop Cuesta Ridge, the first ridgeline in from the ocean in that part of the Santa Lucia range.]]
[[File:Sitting area by office (Tassajara).jpg|thumb|[[Tassajara Zen Mountain Center]] was built in the heart of the Santa Lucia range, in Monterey County.]]
The '''Santa Lucia Range''' (sæntə luˈsiːə) or '''Santa Lucia Mountains''' is a rugged [[mountain range]] in coastal [[Central California]], running from [[Carmel, California|Carmel]] southeast for {{convert|140|mi|km}} to the [[Cuyama River]] in [[San Luis Obispo County, California|San Luis Obispo County]]. The range is never more than {{convert|11|mile}} from the coast.<ref name="norman">''Big Sur: Images of America'', Jeff Norman, Big Sur Historical Society, Arcadia Publishing (2004), 128 pages, {{ISBN|0-7385-2913-3}}</ref>{{rp|11}} The range forms the steepest coastal slope in the contiguous United States.<ref name=norman/> [[Cone Peak]] at {{convert|5158|ft|0}} tall and three miles (5&nbsp;km) from the coast, is the highest peak in proximity to the ocean in the lower 48 United States.<ref name=mcinney/> The range was a barrier to exploring the coast of central California for early Spanish explorers.

== Geography ==

The Santa Lucia Range is part of the Outer South [[California Coast Ranges]], in the [[Pacific Coast Ranges]] System. The coastal side of the range rises directly from the shoreline, with oceanfront ridges rising directly {{convert|4000|to|5000|feet}} to the crest of the coastal range. The crest of the range is never more than {{convert|11|mile}} from the coast.<ref name=norman/>{{rp|11}} Cone Peak is the steepest coastal elevation in the contiguous United States,<ref name=mcinney>{{citation|title=Walking California's Central Coast: A Day Hiker's Guide|first=John|last=McKinney|publisher=HarperSanFrancisco|year=1996|isbn=9780062586360|page=128|quote=Steepest coastal slope in the continental United States}}.</ref> rising nearly a mile (1,609 m) above sea level, only three miles (5&nbsp;km) from the Pacific Ocean.

The range's northern section runs parallel to the southern section of the [[Diablo Range]], part of the Inner South Coast Ranges, which lies to the east across the [[Salinas Valley]]. The range's highest summit is [[Junipero Serra Peak]], {{convert|1784|m|ft}} in [[Monterey County, California|Monterey County]] and the [[Los Padres National Forest]].<ref name="gnis-jsp">{{cite gnis|id=271844|name=Junipero Serra Peak|access-date=2009-05-03}}</ref>

===Major peaks===<!-- All elevations are NAVD88 -->

* [[Junipero Serra Peak]], {{convert|5,857|ft|0}}.<ref name="ngs">{{cite ngs |id=GU3676 |name=Santa Lucia |accessdate=2014-03-04}}</ref>
* [[Cone Peak]], {{convert|5158|ft|0}}.<ref>{{cite peakbagger |id=1206 |name=Cone Peak, California |access-date=2014-03-04}}</ref>  
* [[Ventana Double Cone]], {{convert|4856|ft|0}}.<ref>{{cite peakbagger |id=32406 |name=Ventana Double Cone, California |access-date=2014-03-04}}</ref>
* Mount Carmel, {{convert|4420|ft|0}}.<ref>{{cite peakbagger |id=1203 |name=Mount Carmel, California |access-date=2014-03-04}}</ref>

== History and toponymy ==

The first [[Europe]]an to document the Santa Lucias was [[Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo]] in 1542 while sailing northward along the coast on a Spanish naval expedition. Cabrillo originally named the southern portion of the range the ''Sierras de San Martín'', as he was passing the area on November 11, the feast day for [[Martin of Tours|Saint Martin]]. He named the northern part ''Sierras Nevadas'' because there was snow on it.<ref name=CPN>{{cite book | last = Gudde | first = Erwin G. | title = California Place Names | publisher = [[University of California Press]] | year = 1949 | location = Berkeley, California | page = 316 | asin = B000FMOPP4  }}</ref>

The present name for the range was documented in 1602 by [[Sebastián Vizcaíno]], who had been tasked by the Spanish to complete a detailed chart of the coast. Passing by the range around December 14th, he named the range ''Sierra de Santa Lucia'' in honor of [[Saint Lucy|Saint Lucy of Syracuse]], for whom many Christians celebrate the feast of [[Saint Lucy's Day]] on December 13th.<ref name=CPN />

The first European land exploration of [[Alta California]], the Spanish [[Portolá expedition]], camped on the coast near [[Ragged Point (California)|Ragged Point]] in present-day San Luis Obispo County on September 13, 1769. The  expedition was forced to bypass the inaccessible coast and travel inland through the San Antonio Valley. The rough trail required much improvement by the scouts, and it was September 24 before the party emerged from the mountains at the [[San Antonio River (California)|San Antonio River]] near today's settlement of [[Jolon, California|Jolon]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Bolton |first=Herbert E. |pages=190–194 |year=1927 |title=Fray Juan Crespi: Missionary Explorer on the Pacific Coast, 1769-1774 |url=http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000288788 |publisher=HathiTrust Digital Library |access-date=September 7, 2016}}</ref> They traveled north through the [[Salinas Valley]] before arriving at Monterey Bay, where they founded [[Monterey, California|Monterey]] and named it their capital.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bolton |first=Herbert E. |year=1927 |title=Fray Juan Crespi: Missionary Explorer on the Pacific Coast, 1769–1774 |url=http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000288788 |publisher=HathiTrust Digital Library }} (This book also contains a translation of Crespi's diary from the Fages 1772 expedition.)</ref>

== Natural history ==

=== Climate ===

Like other [[Pacific Coast Ranges]], the mountains' close proximity to the [[Pacific Ocean]] cause moisture to be deposited on the west-facing slopes, creating a suitable environment for conifers. This creates a [[rain shadow]] over [[Salinas Valley]] to the east, which is considerably drier. The higher peaks receive some snowfall during the winter.

The climate is classified as ''dry summer subtropical'', or [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]]. Rainfall varies from {{convert|16|to|60|in|cm}}  throughout the range. Most of the precipitation falls during the winter on the higher mountains in the north.  During the summer, fog and low clouds are frequent along the coast up to an elevation of 2–3,000 feet.  [[Surface runoff]] from rainfall is rapid, and many streams dry up entirely in the summer, except for some perennial streams in the wetter areas in the north.<ref>{{cite web |title=Santa Lucia Range ecological subregion information |publisher=U.S. Forest Service |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/projects/ecoregions/261aj.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050315224046/http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/projects/ecoregions/261aj.htm |archive-date=2005-03-15 |access-date=2014-02-22}}</ref>

=== Flora ===

The western slopes of the range facing the [[Pacific Ocean]] are moist with growths of [[coast redwood]], [[Douglas fir]], [[ponderosa pine]], [[Pacific madrone]] and the [[Endemism|local endemic]] species such as [[Abies bracteata|Santa Lucia fir]] ''(Abies bracteata)'' and [[Gowen cypress]] ''(Cupressus goveniana var. goveniana)''. The east side is drier, with [[chaparral]] and open woods of [[pine]] (including [[Coulter pine]] and [[gray pine]]) and [[California oak woodland|oak woodlands]] of several ''[[Quercus]]'' species.

The range is the southernmost native location of about 225 plant species including the coast redwood trees and the northernmost home for about 90 species. The southernmost naturally occurring grove of redwoods is found within the [[Big Sur]] region in the [[Southern Redwood Botanical Area]], a {{convert|17|acre}} reserve located in the Little Redwood Gulch watershed adjacent to the Silver Peak Wilderness. It is just north of the Salmon Creek trailhead.<ref name="Redwoodhikes">{{cite web|url=http://www.redwoodhikes.com/Big%20Sur/Los%20Padres.html|title=Los Padres National Forest|publisher=Redwoodhikes.com|access-date=2012-08-07|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928002104/http://www.redwoodhikes.com/Big%20Sur/Los%20Padres.html|archive-date=2012-09-28}}</ref> The southernmost tree is about {{convert|15|ft}} from Highway 1 at the approximate coordinates {{coord|35|49|42|N|121|23|14|W|region:US-CA|display=inline}} About 57 plants are only found in the Santa Lucia Mountains.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ventanawilderness - Pelican Network - Living With NaturePelican Network – Living with Nature |url=http://www.pelicannetwork.net/ventanawilderness/ |website=www.pelicannetwork.net |access-date=2 April 2022}}</ref> This range is the only known habitat of the [[Systenotheca|Vortriede's spineflower]].

== Geology ==

[[File:Junipero Serra Peak, California.JPG|thumb|right|[[Junipero Serra Peak]]]]
The rock of the Santa Lucias is dominated by [[granite|granitic]] basement of the [[Salinian Block]], between the [[San Andreas Fault]] and [[Sur-Nacimiento Fault]].  The core of the Salinian block formed as part of the same [[batholith]] which forms the core of the [[Sierra Nevada|Sierra Nevada Mountains]] and the [[Peninsular Ranges]] of [[Baja California Peninsula|Baja California]].  It was separated from the [[North American Plate]] and transported north by the action of the [[San Andreas Fault]] from an original position.  It is predominantly [[Mesozoic]] granitic and pre-[[Cretaceous]] [[metamorphic rock]]s.  There is some Cretaceous [[sedimentary rock]] of the [[Great Valley Sequence]], considerable [[Miocene]] marine sediments, and some other [[Cenozoic]] sediments.  Units west of the Sur-Nacimiento Fault are dominated by rocks of the [[Franciscan Assemblage]].

The basement rocks of the Santa Lucia Range contain [[Franciscan Assemblage|Mesozoic Franciscan]] and [[Salinian Block]] rocks.<ref name=usfsbar/> The Franciscan complex is composed of [[greywacke]] sandstone and [[Greenschist|greenstone]], with [[serpentinite]] bodies and other [[Ultramafic rock]]s present. Small areas of marble and limestone lenses form resistant outcrops that are prominent landscape features, often white to light gray in color. The Salinian block is made up of highly fractured, and deeply weathered meta-sediments, especially [[biotite]] schist and [[gneiss]], intruded by plutonic (granitic) rocks such as quartz diorite and granodiorite. Both formations have been disrupted and tectonically slivered by motion on the [[San Andreas Fault|San Andreas]] and associated fault systems. The Palo Colorado and Church Creek faults are prominent features influencing the linear northwest–southeast alignment of primary drainages.<ref name=usfsbar>{{Cite web|url=https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/home/showdocument?id=14136 |title=DRAFT SOBERANES 2 BURNED AREA REPORT FS-2500-8|date=October 20, 2016|publisher=USDA-FOREST SERVICE|access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref>

The Palo Colorado-San Gregorio fault system transitions onshore at Doud Creek, about {{convert|7|miles}} south of Point Lobos,<ref name="leech" />  exposing the western edge of the Salinian block. Stream canyons frequently follow the north-westerly trending fault lines, rather than descending directly to the coast. The Salinian block is immediately south of the [[Monterey Canyon|Monterey Submarine Canyon]], one of the largest submarine canyon systems in the world, which is believed to have been an ancient outlet for the Colorado River.<ref name="leech">{{cite web|last1=Leech|first1=Mary|title=Geology of the California Central Coast|url=http://funnel.sfsu.edu/courses/geol426/Big%20Sur%20field%20guide.pdf|access-date=26 September 2016|date=April 21–22, 2006|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525052534/http://funnel.sfsu.edu/courses/geol426/Big%20Sur%20field%20guide.pdf|archive-date=25 May 2017}}</ref>{{rp|14}}

The region is also traversed by the Sur-Hill fault, which is noticeable at Pfeiffer Falls in [[Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park]]. The {{convert|40|ft}} waterfall were formed when the stream flowed over the hard gneiss of the Salinian block and encountered the softer Santa Margarita Sandstone. The falls were formed when the softer sandstone was worn away.<ref name="henson">{{cite web|last1=Henson|first1=Paul|author2=Donald J. Usner|title=The Natural History of Big Sur|url=http://sulcus.berkeley.edu/wjf/m/NaturalHistoryOfBigSur.pdf|publisher=University Of California Press|access-date=12 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617070622/http://sulcus.berkeley.edu/wjf/m/NaturalHistoryOfBigSur.pdf |archive-date= June 17, 2010|date=1993}}</ref>{{rp|325}} The interior canyons are typically deep and narrow, and even in the summer sunshine only reaches many of the canyon bottoms for a few hours. The land is mostly steep, rocky, semi-arid except for the narrow canyons, and inaccessible. The Little Sur River canyon is characteristic of the Ventana Wilderness region: steep-sided, sharp-crested ridges separating valleys.<ref name="pico">{{cite web|title=Pico Blanco Scout Reservation|url=http://camppicoblanco.org/files/Pico_Overview.pdf|publisher=Monterey Bay Area Council, Boy Scouts of America|access-date=3 July 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103234653/http://camppicoblanco.org/files/Pico_Overview.pdf|archive-date=3 January 2015}}</ref>  At the mouth of the Little Sur river are some of the largest sand dunes on the Big Sur coast.<ref name="henson" />{{rp|355}}

About 50 streams flow out of the mountains into the sea. A few of them, including the Big Sur and Little Sur Rivers, Big Creek, Garrapata Creek, and Salmon Creek, are large enough to support anadromous and resident fish.<ref name=bigsurlcp>{{Cite news|url=https://bigsurlcp.com/what-is-the-local-coastal-program/|title=Big Sur Coast Land Use Plan|date=2015-04-04|work=Big Sur LCP|access-date=2017-12-30|language=en-US|publisher=Monterey County Planning Department|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230115431/https://bigsurlcp.com/what-is-the-local-coastal-program/|archive-date=2017-12-30}}</ref>{{rp|5}}

== Transportation ==

[[California State Route 1 (Big Sur)|California State Route 1]] runs along the [[Big Sur]] coast on the coastal slopes of the range, while [[U.S. Route 101]] lies in the [[Salinas Valley]] to the East, and crosses the southern Santa Lucia Range over [[Cuesta Pass]] to reach [[San Luis Obispo, California|San Luis Obispo]]. [[California State Route 41]] crosses the range from [[Atascadero, California|Atascadero]] to [[Morro Bay, California|Morro Bay]] and [[California State Route 46|Route 46]] crosses from [[Templeton, California|Templeton]] to [[Cambria, California|Cambria]]. The only other paved road across the Santa Lucia Range is [[Nacimiento-Fergusson Road]], connecting Lucia to [[Jolon, California|Jolon]].<ref>{{citation|title=Moon California Beaches: The Best Places to Swim, Play, Eat, and Stay|first1=Alan|last1=Bisbort|first2=Parke|last2=Puterbaugh|edition=4th|publisher=Avalon Travel|year=2009|isbn=978-1-56691-614-1|page=305}}; {{citation|title=California|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]|first=Andrea|last=Schulte-Peevers|edition=3rd|year=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/california00schu/page/665 665]|isbn=978-1-86450-331-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/california00schu/page/665}}.</ref>

== Folklore == 

Since at least the 1930s, accounts of encounters with [[Dark Watchers]] or ''Los Vigilantes Oscuros'' have been associated with the Santa Lucia Range, described as shadowy figures which watch hikers from atop mountain ridges.{{cn|date=October 2023}}

The Lost Padre Mines of the [[Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo|Carmel Mission]] have become part of local folklore, with their legacy recounted through various accounts, including those within Randall Reinstadt's works such as ''Ghosts, Bandits, and Legends of Old Monterey, Carmel and Surrounding Areas'' and ''Tales and Treasures of California Missions.'' These narratives suggest that indigenous communities held knowledge of abundant gold deposits concealed within the untamed terrain of the Santa Lucia Mountains. As legends of these riches were passed down over time, the Lost Padre Mines attracted attention. Versions of these legends appear to have originated from long-time residents of [[Carmel Valley, California|Carmel Valley]]. The stories if ghosts may be attributed to descendants of and the last residents of the native people who remained hidden deep in the mountains after the missions failed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.carmelresidents.org/assets/docs/VoicePDFs/CRANews2011_05_06.pdf |title=Legends of the Lost Padre Mines Ghosts and Gold in the Santa Lucia Mountains|publisher=Carmel Residents Association |place=Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|date=June 2011|page=5|access-date=2023-08-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Reinstedt|first=Randall A.|url=https://archive.org/details/talestreasuresof0000rein_l7f7/page/54/mode/2up?q=%22padre+mine%22|title=Tales and Treasures of California Missions|publisher=Ghost Town Publications |place=Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|date=1992|pages=54–55|access-date=2023-08-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Reinstedt|first=Randall A.|url=https://archive.org/details/talestreasuresof0000rein_l7f7/page/54/mode/2up?q=%22padre+mine%22|title=Ghosts, Bandits, and Legends of Old Monterey, Carmel and Surrounding Areas|publisher=Ghost Town Publications |place=Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|date=1995|pages=50–51|access-date=2023-08-10}}</ref>

== Contemporary history ==

[[Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771]] crashed in the mountains near [[Cayucos]] on December 7, 1987 after a gunman killed both pilots, causing the aircraft to crash. A total of 43 people were killed with no survivors.

=== Wine ===

The [[Santa Lucia Highlands AVA]], an [[American Viticultural Area]] and producer of [[California wine]], is located on the southeastern slopes of the mountains, above the Salinas valley.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.winespectator.com/articles/navigating-the-santa-lucia-highlands-45919|magazine=Wine Spectator|title=Navigating the Santa Lucia Highlands: California's mountainous Central Coast region is known for its distinctive Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays|first=Tim|last=Fish|date=November 2, 2011}}</ref>

=== Winds ===
Like the well known [[Santa Ana winds]] of Southern California or the [[Sundowner winds]] of Santa Barbara, Santa Lucia's Cuesta Grade on Highway 101 has potential to produce some powerful [[Katabatic wind|katabatic winds]]. Temperatures <ref> [https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/weather-news/article246135295.html Record winds]</ref> have been recorded jumping 40 degrees F, to 110 F, in just three hours.

==See also==
*[[Tierra Redonda Mountain]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Santa Lucia Range}}

* [http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/lpnf/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=10903&actid=50 Los Padres National Forest — '''Monterey Ranger District'''] 
* [http://www.ventanawild.org Ventana Wilderness Alliance] 

{{Authority control}}
{{Big Sur}}

[[Category:Santa Lucia Range| ]]
[[Category:California Coast Ranges]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Northern California]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Monterey County, California]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of San Luis Obispo County, California]]
[[Category:Monterey Ranger District, Los Padres National Forest]]
[[Category:Los Padres National Forest]]
[[Category:Saint Lucy's Day]]