Ventana Wilderness
| Ventana Wilderness | |
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IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
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| Location | Los Padres National Forest, Monterey County, California, United States |
| Nearest city | Monterey, CA |
| Coordinates | 36°15′0″N 121°40′0″W / 36.25000°N 121.66667°WCoordinates: 36°15′0″N 121°40′0″W / 36.25000°N 121.66667°W |
| Area | 240,026 acres (971 km2) |
| Established | August 18, 1969 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service / Bureau of Land Management |
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 redesignated the 55,800-acre (226 km2) Ventana Primitive Area as the Ventana Wilderness and added land, totalling 98,000-acre (400 km2). In 1978, the Endangered American Wilderness Act added 61,000 acres (250 km2), increasing the total wilderness area to about 159,000 acres (640 km2). The California Wilderness Act of 1984 added about 2,750 acres (11 km2). In 1992, the Los Padres Condor Range and River Protection Act created the approximately 14,500-acre (59 km2) Silver Peak Wilderness and added about 38,800 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 35,000 acres (140 km2), increasing the total acreage of the wilderness to its present size of 240,026 acres (971 km2).
The Ventana Wilderness is named for the unique notch called "The Window" on a ridge near Ventana Double Cone. According to local legend, this notch was once a natural stone arch.
Three tribes of Native Americans—the Ohlone, Esselen, and Salinan—are believed to have been the first people to inhabit the area. The Ohlone, also known as the Costanoans, are believed to have lived in the region from San Francisco to Point Sur. The Esselen lived in the area between Point Sur south to Big Creek, and inland including the upper tributaries of the Carmel River and Arroyo Seco watersheds. The Salinan lived from Big Creek south to San Carpoforo Creek. Archaeological evidence shows that the Esselen lived in Big Sur as early as 3500 BC, leading a nomadic, hunter-gatherer existence.
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