Los Padres National Forest (North) Hiking or the solitude of quiet

or the solitude of quiet wilderness areas

Beginning with the Yuman-speaking tribes encountered by the Spanish in the sixteenth century

As he grew older

a hapless prospector idly hammered a rock from an outcrop

Some of the reported gold and gold districts are included as far back as 1850

Los Padres National Forest (North) Hiking or the solitude of quietThe forest stretches across almost 220 miles north to south from the spectacular Big Sur coast in Monterey County to the western edge of Los Angeles County and includes two separate land divisions. Major ecosystems include chaparral (68% of the land area), oak woodland, mixed conifer, coast redwood, grassland, pinyon juniper, semi desert scrub and riparian. The forest provides habitat for about 500 animal species and nearly 1200 plant species. 2014