The Joshua Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve in

Big Sur, California Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...

, is owned by to the

California Department of Fish and Wildlife The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), formerly known as the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), is a state agency under the California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages and protect ...

. It is located between Big Sur Coast Highway to the west,

Palo Corona Regional Park The Palo Corona Regional Park is a park owned by the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District on land east of Big Sur Coast Highway and Garrapata State Park in California. The property stretches southeast about from the near the Carmel Rive ...

and Mitteldorf Preserve on the north, and

Santa Lucia Preserve The Santa Lucia Preserve () or The Preserve (formerly Rancho San Carlos) is a private, gated development permitting 297 homesites. It is located in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Range between Palo Corona Regional Park and Carmel Valley, C ...

and U.S. Forest Service land to the east. It is only accessible through the Santa Lucia Preserve, a private, gated, community of about 300 homes on in

Carmel Valley, California Carmel Valley is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States. The term "Carmel Valley" generally refers to the Carmel River watershed east of California State Route 1, and not specifically to the smaller Carmel V ...

. The Big Sur Land Trust purchased the

Palo Corona Ranch The Palo Corona Ranch, also known as Fish Ranch, was once a private ranch located on the northern end of Big Sur, California, between Garrapata State Park to the west, Carmel Valley on the north, and Santa Lucia Preserve to the east. The ranch ...

in 2002 and 2004 for $32 million from Craig McCaw. The southern portion comprising was used to form the Joshua Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve. All ecological reserves are maintained for the primary purpose of developing a statewide program for protection of rare, threatened, or endangered native plants, wildlife, aquatic organisms, and specialized terrestrial or aquatic habitat types. Visitors are required to obtain "Daily or Annual Lands Pass for Authorized Uses other than Hunting".

References

{{Big Sur, state=collapsed Big Sur Protected areas of Monterey County, California