Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sandstone cliffs rise above the broad pine-studded meadow at Pine Valley.
Trip Description
See
TRIP 50 Hiding Canyon & Round Rock Camps
for the first 9.2 miles of this route
to
Hiding Canyon Camp.
The
Puerto Suelo Trail
(9.6 miles, 1740') begins atop a flat bench on the west
bank just downstream from camp. Those bound for
Ventana Double Cone
will climb
this trail toward the
Puerto Suelo
saddle and the
Ventana Trail junction.
In drought
years it's best to fill water bottles here.
You'll begin a steep climb west through a minor gully and across a small creek,
then wander through several other minor gullies, dry practically year-round. In half
a mile the trail begins a series of switchbacks, ascending a brushy slope to a minor
saddle. Continue past fragrant stands of bays and tanoaks and across small tributaries
to
Uncle Sam Creek.
The trail crosses and then recrosses the creek, which may be
your last opportunity for water between here and the summit.
Continue climbing northwest through overgrown ceanothus thickets. The last 0.3
mile of the Puerto Suelo Trail ascends very steep, short switchbacks. Just 0.1 mile
from the saddle, clear water bubbles up from two neighboring springs, reliable in all
but the driest months.
Climb the final 200 feet to the Puerto Suelo saddle and
Ventana Trail junction
(12.2 miles, 3530'). The Ventana Trail branches left at this junction and climbs above
the saddle toward Ventana Double Cone.
See
TRIP 38 Ventana Double Cone via Ventana Trail
for the final 3.7 miles to the
summit (15.9 miles, 4853').
WINDOW ON THE WILDERNESS
Ventana Wilderness owes its name to the rugged twin peaks of 4853-foot Ventana
Double Cone. Legend relates that a rock arch once spanned the deep cleft between
the peak's sister spires, forming a natural window on the wilderness. Arriving in the
area in the late 1700s, early Spanish inhabitants named the double summit
Ventana
(Spanish for window).
Descendents of the native Esselen people believe the legendary arch served as a
gateway for the souls of all native people as they left their earthly existence. Others
claim it was the portal through which the Great Spirit heard humankind's collective
prayers.
The magnificent double summit still dominates the Ventana Wilderness skyline,
inspiring newfound reverence among modern-day visitors.
