Santa Lucia Range

Santa Lucia Range
November 2005 view from summit of Cone Peak, the highest coastal mountain in the lower 48 US states.
Highest point
Peak	Junipero Serra Peak
Elevation	5,857 ft (1,785 m)
Geography
location of Santa Lucia Range in California[1]
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Monterey County San Luis Obispo County
Range coordinates	36°3′3.861″N 121°28′8.769″W
Topo map	USGS Cone Peak

The Santa Lucia Mountains (sæntə luˈsiːə) or Santa Lucia Range is a rugged mountain range in coastal central California, running from Carmel southeast for 140 miles (230 km) to the Cuyama River in San Luis Obispo County. The range is never more than 11 miles (18 km) from the coast.^[2]: 11 The range forms the steepest coastal slope in the contiguous United States.^[2] Cone Peak at 5,158 feet (1,572 m) tall and three miles (5 km) from the coast, is the highest peak in proximity to the ocean in the lower 48 United States. The range was a barrier to exploring the coast of central California for early Spanish explorers.^[3]

References

1. "Santa Lucia Range". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
2. Big Sur: Images of America, Jeff Norman, Big Sur Historical Society, Arcadia Publishing (2004), 128 pages, ISBN 0-7385-2913-3
3. McKinney, John (1996), Walking California's Central Coast: A Day Hiker's Guide, HarperSanFrancisco, p. 128, ISBN 9780062586360, Steepest coastal slope in the continental United States.

Other websites

• Los Padres National Forest — Monterey Ranger District
• Ventana Wilderness Alliance