San Rafael Wilderness
San Rafael Wilderness | |
---|---|
wilderness area) | |
Location | Santa Barbara County, California, United States |
Nearest city | Santa Barbara, California |
Coordinates | 34°48′41″N 119°51′46″W / 34.81139°N 119.86278°W |
Area | 197,380 acres (799 km2) |
Established | 1968 |
Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
The San Rafael Wilderness is a
Geography
Most of the wilderness lies between the crests of two parallel mountain ranges, the
Rock formations in the wilderness are predominantly
Climate
The climate of the wilderness is Mediterranean, although the distance from the coast allows for cooler winters and hotter summers than are found in the coastal strip. Snow is common on the higher peaks in the winter, although it rarely lingers except on north-facing slopes. Rain is extremely rare in the summer, and dry lightning from the occasional thunderstorms can start fires.
Vegetation and wildlife
The typical vegetation in the wilderness is
History
The region has been continuously inhabited by humans for over 10,000 years. Rock art by the resident
In the 1880s, a group of about 200
The wilderness is often closed to entry during fire season, the exact dates of which vary but usually include the late summer and early fall. Most of the wilderness was burned in the 1966 Wellman Fire, and during July, August, and September 2007, the western, southern, and eastern parts of the wilderness were burned for the first time in 41 years (for the western portion) and for more than 100 years (for the remainder), in the Zaca Fire. [2]
At its creation in 1968 the San Rafael Wilderness consisted of only 149,170 acres (604 km2). Originally it was the San Rafael Primitive Area. Due to a disagreement between the Forest Service, US Congress and conservationists over 2,200 acres (8.9 km2) of natural grass openings called portreros, which contained pictographs from the Chumash Indians, it took a long time for the wilderness designation.[7] In 1992, after the passage of the Los Padres Condor Range and River Protection Act, Congress added an additional 48,210 acres (195 km2) adjacent to the original area on the northwest. The wilderness is also adjacent to the Dick Smith Wilderness to the east; this protected area was created in 1984.
References
- Gagnon, Dennis R. Hiking the Santa Barbara Backcountry. The Ward Ritchie Press, Pasadena, California, 1974. ISBN 0-378-03542-8
- Charles W. Jennings and Rudolph G. Strand. Geologic Map of California, Los Angeles Sheet. State of California, Division of Mines and Geology. 1969.
Notes
- ^ Gagnon, p. 14
- ^ Jennings/Strand, Geologic Map of California, Los Angeles Sheet (1:250,000 scale).
- ^ Gagnon, p. 47
- ^ Manzana Schoolhouse
- ^ Gagnon, p. 13, 39
- ^ From San Rafael Wilderness description page at Los Padres National Forest web site [1]
- ^ Godfrey, Anthony The Ever-Changing View-A History of the National Forests in California USDA Forest Service Publishers, 2005 pp 444-5