The Ventana is a designated wilderness just inland from the resort area of Big Sur on the central coast of California. The Ventana Wilderness covers a total area of 375 square miles. For comparison, it is about the size of New York City or one of the smaller Hawaiian Islands. The wild, rugged terrain is in stark contrast with the surroundings, which include nearby major highways and several medium sized cities. And the Ventana becomes wilder every year.

I’m sure the Native Americans who lived here until sometime in the mid-nineteenth century never thought they were living in a wilderness. Food was abundant and several sandstone caves provided convenient housing. Life was good. The holes in which they ground acorn meal and their wall paintings can still be seen.

In the past, there was an extensive network of maintained trails connecting scores of campsites. As funding for the National Forest Service declined, that agency abandoned trail maintenance. Trail work is now done by a volunteer trail crew that is sponsored by the nonprofit Ventana Wilderness Alliance. These selfless souls are not able to maintain all the trails, so many of the original trails and campsites have disappeared into the chaparral. Other events have conspired to make these mountains wilder and lonelier. Recent fires have closed large areas, and landslides have wiped out sections of trail and blocked roads that lead to trailheads. And the wilderness just gets wilder.

A Recent Hike in the Ventana Wilderness

On my most recent penetration into the Ventana Wilderness, I drove down Tassajara Road to the eastern end of the Pine Ridge Trail. This is one of the best remaining trails that are still accessible. The access road is one of the worst. The trailhead is reached by way of seven of miles steep, winding dirt road that clings to the mountainside and is lacerated with deep eroded ruts. I made it in a two-wheel drive car, but not without some anxiety and careful maneuvering.

The trail began with an easy ascent from the trailhead at 4,300 feet to the high point at 4,900 feet. The winter’s snow was almost melted. This section of trail traverses a north facing slope and is often covered in ice and snow into the early spring. Sweeping views out toward the Carmel and Salinas Valleys were very picturesque – and this is the least scenic section of the Pine Ridge Trail.

Just past the summit, I rounded the end of the ridge and started working my way down the south slope. I was soon out of the trees and looking out across a vast expanse of wilderness. The view was down through the varied shades of green in the Church Creek Valley and then out across peak after peak of the Santa Lucia Range. The blue of the mountains became paler and paler with distance. The most distant peak I could name with certainty was 5,200-foot Cone Peak at a straight line distance of nearly 20 miles. I could also see 5,800-foot. Junipero Serra Peak, the high point of the Ventana.

The trail drops and climbs again before the long descent to Church Creek Divide at 3,600 feet. This stretch of trail is gorgeous. I have hit the peak of the spring wildflower bloom. California poppies, lupines, owl’s clover, and paintbrush carpet the two stretches of open meadow in orange, blue, pink, and red. I reach a point where I can see the fantastically shaped rock outcroppings that march along the sides of Church Creek Valley to the left and Pine Valley to the right.

The divide resembles a peaceful village park. Large oak and madrone trees are scattered among the grass and flowers. This spot divides the watersheds of two rivers. To the right is the beginning of the Carmel River that meets the ocean near the city of Carmel; the Salinas River begins on the left and flows past the city of Salinas on its way to the sea. Trail signs point the continuing Pine Ridge Trail straight ahead, the Church Creek Trail to the left, and the Carmel River Trail to the right. I follow the latter for two miles down to Pine Valley at about 3,000 feet.

As the trail levels off, the valley floor spreads out and is bordered by the infant Carmel River on the left and sculptured sandstone cliffs on the right. Ponderosa pines tower over the grassy meadow. Nestled in the trees is the adorable one-room cabin built by Jack English. He started building it in the late 70s, and spent his last years living here until his death in 2016 at the age of 96. This is one of the few enclaves of private land in the Ventana. Somehow the cabin does not detract from its natural surroundings.

The Carmel River Trail follows the river for another 11 miles to the trailhead at Los Padres Dam. The middle part of the trail is reported to be in poor condition. There is a very unique feature on this trail near Hiding Camp, called Hiding Canyon. A half-mile wade upstream from the camp brings you to a sharp left turn in the river and a waterfall in a tributary entering from the right. Looking left you see a bigger waterfall at the end of a narrow, rock-walled canyon. The smooth, polished walls are vertical, multi-colored, and sculptured.

I set up camp by the river in Pine Valley and headed downstream to get a look at Pine Falls. The route covers a difficult three-quarters of a mile. My choice was between walking in the stream or climbing up and down an uncomforting use trail on the side of the ravine. I alternate. At the falls, I realize that the best waterfall pictures are taken from perches with exposure which I avoid. My photos aren’t the best.

Let me explain the “Alone” part of the title. The trail I hiked today is in probably the best condition of any in the Ventana. The weather was perfect, the wildflower bloom was at its peak, and it was the end of a weekend. I saw a total of four couples that day. The next three days I saw no one. The next morning I packed up and hiked up the steep, brushy connector trail to rejoin with the Pine Ridge Trail. When I hit the trail, I turned right and to the southwest. Two miles of fairly good trail brought me to Pine Ridge Camp. On the way I took in panoramic views of the Coast Ridge and the fog-shrouded Pacific Ocean beyond. Silhouettes of large trees lined the ridge top. There is an all year spring at Pine Ridge Camp, which is puzzling because it is located just below the local high point. I refilled my water bottles and headed back toward Church Creek Divide.

If I had continued on the trail toward the coast, in a few hours I would have arrived at storied Sykes Camp. In the recent past, Sykes was the only place in the Ventana where you could never, ever be alone. Hot springs at this camp attracted hordes of people up until a recent landslide wiped out the trail. People had built dams to create hot pools. In the more distant past, a hiker could have a very pleasant soak in the company of only a few strangers. As more and more people learned about Sykes, it turned into a crowded scene, resulting in pollution and piles of abandoned trash. Now that the trail has reopened, damming up the springs is forbidden. The Ventana however, has other hot springs that are so remote few people have found them.

I spent the next two nights in a cave that only a handful of people know about. Those who know how to get there tend to be tight-lipped about directions, and the chances of stumbling on it by accident are slim (although that is how I found it). The walls are sandstone, and the floor is flat sand. Native Americans lived in this cave at one time. It is sad that they will never return. They must have been very happy here, there’s even a hole in the ceiling that allows smoke from a fire to exit but does not allow rain to get in. Staying here feels like house sitting for ghosts. Perhaps it is respect for the aboriginal past that encourages the few visitors to the cave to take such good care of it.

After returning to Church Creek Divide, I spent some time hiking up and down Church Creek Valley. The valley was mostly covered in lush green grass, oaks with bright green spring leaves, and still more wildflowers. On my last day, I hiked back to the Pine Ridge Trail and through the wildflowers to my car.

About the fauna: A few lions roam the Ventana. There are also bears and wild pigs here, but they are usually even more reclusive. With some luck you might see a California Condor soaring overhead. Other accessible trailheads not mentioned above are at the end of Tassajara Road, at the end of Arroyo Seco Road, and along Highway 1 south of Big Sur Station. Two roads once used to access many more trailheads are now closed: Nacimiento-Fergusson Road and Palo Colorado Road.

The end of Palo Colorado Road is the jumping off place for trails to several excellent destinations, including what some consider to be the most prized spot in the Ventana – The Window! This is a large, rectangular notch in a high, narrow ridge. The floor of the notch is flat, with two small tent sites. One can watch the sunset from one side of The Window and catch sunrise from the other. It is a magical place. The route to The Window goes up the Little Sur River and then up a creek canyon with no trail. After that, the quest is all uphill through trackless chaparral and steep gravel slopes. I have tried to get there four times and made it only once. In The Window, I was very much alone. And – by the way – Ventana is Spanish for Window.

Need to Know

Information

The Monterey Ranger District can give you up-to-date information on road conditions and closures by phone: (831) 385-5434. Dogs are permitted in the wilderness. Fire permits are required and can be obtained online.

Best Time to Go

Spring: wildflowers, good temperatures, high river crossings. Summer: high temperatures and biting flies. Fall: good temperatures and lower river crossings. Winter: most likely time to encounter rain and snow. Year-round you can expect poison oak and ticks.

Getting There

From Hwy. G16 in Carmel Valley: NW end of Carmel River Trail –Turn onto Cachagua Rd. 5 mi. E of Carmel Valley Village. Tassajara Rd. trailheads – This road is 12 mi. E of the Village. Arroyo Seco trailheads – Arroyo Seco Rd. is 30 mi. E of the Village. W end of the Pine Ridge Trail is on Hwy. 1 at Big Sur Station 28 mi. S of Carmel.

Maps

I like the National Geographic Trails Illustrated 814 map. The Wilderness Press Big Sur and Ventana Wilderness map is another option. The Hiking & Backpacking Big Sur guidebook offers information on the Ventana Wilderness.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue 51 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.