Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tion on the
Big Pines Trail,
skirt a minor summit, and follow the ridgeline on a nar-
row overgrown trail for the next 0.3 mile.
You'll soon cross a steep overgrown
jeep road
(3.3 miles, 2110'), more com-
monly used as a horse trail, which angles right and descends 2.6 miles to
Los Padres
Dam.
A few paces past the road you'll reach an oak-rimmed grassy ridge. In spring
the black oaks sprout vibrant foliage amid a brilliant blanket of flowering poppies,
lupines, shooting stars, and deer vetches.
The trail widens and follows an old road that climbs the Danish Creek watershed
from saddle to ridge. For the most part, you'll have to scrape past encroaching cham-
ise, sage, and broom, so check often for ticks, particularly during the wet season.
You'll quickly pass another old
jeep road junction
(3.4 miles, 2500') on your
left. Also used as a horse trail, this road leads southwest to Danish Creek, 0.3 mile
upstream from Danish Creek Camp. Onward 0.3 mile, you'll reach a third
spur road
(3.7 miles, 2650'), which doglegs right and heads first north-northeast through dense
madrone and oak forests, then northwest on a gravel road to
Blue Rock Ridge.
Bypassing these spurs, the Big Pines Trail continues west across forested slopes
and exposed brush-covered ridges. After a moderate climb that almost tops a
2778-foot ridge, the trail switchbacks and descends to a minor
saddle
(4.9 miles,
2640') capped by a bare outcrop of pale-green serpentine, California's state rock. The
unobstructed views from this open ridge are outstanding, stretching northwest across
Monterey Bay
and the
Santa Lucia Range,
which rise abruptly from the wave-
washed Pacific. A short climb from the saddle you'll reach the signed
Ventana Wil-
derness Boundary
(5 miles, 2680').
CALIFORNIA'S STATE ROCK
Rare elsewhere on Earth, serpentine is common in California, scattered across some
2200 square miles. Originally part of the ocean floor, serpentine was thrust to the sur-
face during ancient shifts in the Earth's crust. Intense heat and pressure metamorph-
osed the rock into a smooth, sometimes soapy green stone.
Due to its unique chemical composition, serpentine supports equally unusual
plant species. In addition to a low water-holding capacity, soil derived from serpent-
ine is low in calcium, phosphorous, and nitrogen and high in such toxic heavy metals
as magnesium, chromium, and nickel. Most plants simply cannot tolerate these con-
ditions.
Regardless, certain “serpentine endemics” have adapted to this soil and thrive
on these shallow rocky outcrops. The rare vegetation in turn attracts birds, reptiles,
amphibians, and mammals that may otherwise not be in the area. Slowly stroll across
these barrens for glimpses of a rare ecosystem.
