Ventana Wilderness
Ventana Wilderness is a 236,726-acre wilderness area in Monterey County, California. It rises from about 189 to 5,842 ft. The nearest town is Carmel Valley Village, 5.6 miles away in a straight line.
Ventana Wilderness map
Ventana Wilderness boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
Fire restrictions
Fire restriction orders for this unit are not tracked here yet. Restrictions change with the season, so check the current orders before any campfire, stove or target shooting.
Common questions
- Carmel Valley Village, CA is the nearest town, 5.6 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance).
- The highest ground in Ventana Wilderness is about 5,842 ft, and its lowest about 189 ft (USGS 3DEP elevation model). Its highest named summit is Junipero Serra Peak, about 5,842 ft.
Who manages Ventana Wilderness
| Agency | Acres | Permit | Group size | Stay limit | Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLM | 719 | Not on record | Not on record | Not on record | Not on record |
| Forest Service | 236,007 | Not on record | Not on record | Not on record | Monterey Ranger District, 831-385-5434 |
Getting to Ventana Wilderness
- Carmel Valley Village, CA is the nearest town, 5.6 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance). (US Census places, accessed 2026-09-29)
Trailheads at Ventana Wilderness
- Church Creek Trail (inside the boundary, 2,702 ft), at 36.2686, -121.5782 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
- Cone Peak (inside the boundary, 4,101 ft), at 36.0556, -121.4938
- Pine Ridge Trailhead (0.03 mi outside the boundary, 4,311 ft), at 36.2948, -121.5667 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
- Horse Pasture Trailhead (0.11 mi outside the boundary, 2,356 ft), at 36.2472, -121.5489 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
- Marble Peak Trailhead (0.11 mi outside the boundary, 1,150 ft), at 36.2184, -121.5001 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
- Arroyo Seco Trailhead (0.15 mi outside the boundary, 1,031 ft), at 36.2341, -121.4874
- Santa Lucia Trailhead (0.19 mi outside the boundary, 1,032 ft), at 36.2336, -121.4874
- Vincente Flat Trailhead (0.38 mi outside the boundary, 182 ft), at 35.9901, -121.4948 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
Trailhead locations: Forest Service recreation sites layer , accessed 2026-09-29. Elevations from USGS 3DEP.
Trailheads mapped on OpenStreetMap: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License , accessed 2026-09-29. The extract used here, with distances from the boundary: osm-trailheads-ca.json. Where an agency layer lists the same trailhead, the agency's point is shown instead.
Named summits, canyons, and springs in Ventana Wilderness
- Junipero Serra Peak summit
- Pinyon Peak summit
- South Ventana Cone summit
- Hiding Canyon canyon
- Middle Fork Devils Canyon canyon
- Carrals Spring spring
- Redwood Spring spring
Features whose official location is inside the boundary, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, accessed 2026-09-29. Summit elevations measured on the USGS 3DEP elevation model, which can read a few feet under a surveyed summit height.
Public lands next to Ventana Wilderness
- National forestVentana Wilderness lies inside Los Padres National Forest.
- State parkVentana Wilderness borders Andrew Molera State Park.
- State parkVentana Wilderness borders Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
- State parkVentana Wilderness borders Limekiln State Park.
- State parkVentana Wilderness borders Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.
- BLM unitCalifornia Coastal National Monument is 0.2 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
- State parkJohn Little State Natural Reserve, a state park, is 0.2 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
- Wilderness areaSilver Peak Wilderness is 0.7 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.
Other wilderness areas in California
- https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/?ID=625 (accessed 2026-09-29)
- https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/Elevation/1/TIFF/current/n36w122/USGS_1_n36w122.tif (accessed 2026-09-29)
- https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/Elevation/1/TIFF/current/n37w122/USGS_1_n37w122.tif (accessed 2026-09-29)
- https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/GeographicNames/DomesticNames/DomesticNames_CA_Text.zip (accessed 2026-09-29)
- https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2025_Gazetteer/2025_gaz_place_06.txt (accessed 2026-09-29)
- https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_InfraRecreationSites_01/MapServer/0 (accessed 2026-09-29)
- https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright (accessed 2026-09-29)