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
PeakJunipero Serra Peak
Elevation5,857 ft (1,785 m)
Geography
Santa Lucia Range is located in California
Santa Lucia Range
Santa Lucia Range
location of Santa Lucia Range in California[1]
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
Region(s)Monterey County
San Luis Obispo County
Range coordinates36°3′3.861″N 121°28′8.769″W / 36.05107250°N 121.46910250°W / 36.05107250; -121.46910250
Topo mapUSGS Cone Peak
Santa Lucias in the clouds, near Santa Margarita
Hearst Castle was built atop Cuesta Ridge, the first ridgeline in from the ocean in that part of the Santa Lucia range.
Tassajara Zen Mountain Center was built in the heart of the Santa Lucia range, in Monterey County.

The Santa Lucia Range (sæntə luˈsiːə) or Santa Lucia Mountains 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.[3] The range was a barrier to exploring the coast of central California for early Spanish explorers.

  1. ^ "Santa Lucia Range". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
  2. ^ a b Big Sur: Images of America, Jeff Norman, Big Sur Historical Society, Arcadia Publishing (2004), 128 pages, ISBN 0-7385-2913-3
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference mcinney was invoked but never defined (see the help page).