The Garcia Wilderness is a

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

within the

Los Padres National Forest Los Padres National Forest is a United States national forest in Southern California, southern and central California. Administered by the United States Forest Service, Los Padres includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast ...

San Luis Obispo County, California San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a County (United States), county on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 282, ...

. The wilderness was created by the U.S. Congress as part of the

Los Padres Condor Range and River Protection Act of 1992 The Los Padres Condor Range and River Protection Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-301) is a Federal law that established five new designated Wilderness Areas and three new designated Wild and Scenic Rivers in the Los Padres National Forest and Angeles ...

(Public Law 102-301). The same legislation also established the

Chumash Chumash may refer to: *Chumash (Judaism), a Hebrew word for the Pentateuch, used in Judaism *Chumash people, a Native American people of southern California *Chumashan languages, indigenous languages of California See also * Chumash traditional ...

, Machesna Mountain, Matilija, Sespe, and Silver Peak Wilderness areas. It is named for the mountain it protects, the east-west ridge of Garcia Mountain, a 3,146 ft. peak of the

Santa Lucia Range The Santa Lucia Mountains (sæntə luˈsiːə) or Santa Lucia Range is a rugged mountain range in coastal central California, running from Carmel southeast for to the Cuyama River in San Luis Obispo County. The range is never more than from t ...

. The area's vegetation includes

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

and

grasslands A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natural ...

to oak forests. The main river drainages are the Salinas River and the Santa Maria River. There are two designated campgrounds and three hiking trails, the longest being the Caldwell Mesa Trail.

Notes and references

* Text of Los Padres Condor Range and River Protection Act, 102-301.pdf

External links

The ''Santa Maria Sun'' newspaper story on historic Avenales Ranch
{{Protected areas of California Wilderness areas of California Protected areas of San Luis Obispo County, California Los Padres National Forest Santa Lucia Ranger District, Los Padres National Forest Santa Lucia Range Salinas River (California) 1992 establishments in California Protected areas established in 1992 IUCN Category Ib