Southern California Coastal · Southern California Deserts · Central California Coast · Sierra Nevada & Eastward · San Francisco Bay Area · Northern California
Central California Coast
Maps of Parks & Forests, Monterey to San Luis Obispo
 |
Garland Ranch Regional Park
No commercial map available of this Carmel Valley park, but if you are interested in plant life, see our illustrated plant catalog for this Carmel Valley park, online at this link.
Los Padres National Forest
Forest Service Los Padres National Forest, Monterey and Santa Lucia Ranger Districts
Large colorful map printed on two sides show the northernmost sections of Los Padres National Forest in California's Coast Ranges. One side shows the Monterey Ranger District, which features the Ventana and Silver Peak wildernesses and portions of the Big Sur coast. The Santa Lucia Ranger District on the reverse shows the forest lands south of Atascadero and east of San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, and Los Olivos. This includes the Santa Lucia, Garcia, Machesna Mountain, and San Rafael wildernesses. The map also includes the northern portions of the Santa Barbara and Mt. PInos Ranger Districts.Text and photos give you a feel for the features and beauty of the area, as well as the regulations you need to follow to keep it preserved. The maps show trails, roads, backpack sites, campgrounds, and numerous other features of interest. (See image at right.) Each side of the map shows an inset with an index to the USGS topo maps which cover the areas.
Scale, 1:126,720 (1 inch = 2 miles). Size: about 39 x 36 inches. Folded. Paper.
USDA, Forest Service; 1996.
Item #USFS-LP-MON. Shipping weight: 0.4 lb. Publisher's price: $7.50. Your price: $6.75
Wilderness Press Big Sur and Ventana Wilderness Recreation MapAlso covers Andrew Molera State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Limekiln State Park, Silver Peak Wilderness
New, detailed topographic map printed on two sides. On one side is the northern part of the region, the south on the reverse. Combined, the map coverage ranges from Garrapata State Park and Carmel Valley south to the Monterey - San Luis Obispo County line, and includes the western part of Hunter Liggett Military Reservation. Elevation contours show the form of the land. Trails are plotted and labelled, roads of all kinds are indicated. Special symbols locate campgrounds, backcountry campgrounds, fee collection areas, information stations, picnic areas, ranger stations, trailheads, points of interest, gas stations, and more.Insets show details of Andrew Molera State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. A text section describes "Top Hikes in Big Sur" with four short hikes, three day hikes, and four backpacking trips covered.
There are a few problem features on this new map: Hastings Natural History State Reservation, which is a part of the University of California's Natural Reserve System, is colored a brown tint which the legend indicates is for State Historic Parks. But it is not a State Historic Park. Also, another unit of the UC Natural Reserve System, Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve, is mislabelled "Big Creek State Reserve." It is not a State Reserve (which would be a unit of California State Parks, like Point Lobos), and has much more limited access than any unit of California State Parks. It is colored a tint of green which the key indicates is used for National and State Parks, and it is neither. It should be tinted the same color as Hastings Reservation. Then there are several ambiguous areas; Black Rock Ridge north of the Ventana Wilderness is colored a hue of green identical to that of the National Forest, but is shown outside of the forest boundaries. What gives? There can be private land within the boundaries of the National Forest, but can the National Forest own land outside of its own boundaries? Or is it managed by some other agency? So it seems that land management color tints are a problem with the map—of secondary concern to most users—but other more important features look accurate, as far as I can tell.
This map will be a very useful tool for Big Sur - Ventana Wilderness hikers, since it is probably the first recreation map with elevation contours to cover the entire area.
Scale, about 1:66,528 (1 inch = about 1.05 miles). Contour interval = 80 feet. Size: about 39 x 24½ inches. Folded. Plastic.
Published by Wilderness Press, 2005. New.
Item #WP-BSVENT. Shipping weight: 0.3 lb. Publisher's price: $9.95. Your price: $9.00
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary wall mapThough not strictly speaking a park, and certainly not a National Forest, this seems to be the best place to show this splendid wall map. Shaded relief is used to depict both the undersea and terrestrial topography, with the former also 
indicated by detailed depth contours (see sample at right). Above the sea, color tints show major elevation levels, but no contours. The area depicted extends from Point Reyes in the north to the Cambria region on the south coast, including San Pablo, San Francisco, and Monterey bays.
indicated by detailed depth contours (see sample at right). Above the sea, color tints show major elevation levels, but no contours. The area depicted extends from Point Reyes in the north to the Cambria region on the south coast, including San Pablo, San Francisco, and Monterey bays.Important physiographic features above and below water are labelled, and a brief text description introduces you to the Marine Sanctuary.
Scale, about 1:488,000 (1 inch = about 7.7 miles). Size: about 24 x 36 inches. Rolled. Paper.
Published by Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation, 1999. New.
Item #MBSF-MBNMS. Shipping weight: 1.5 lbs. Publisher's price: $19.95. Your price: $18.00
Sent rolled at tubed map rate only. Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. Rolled maps require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee.
Pinnacles National Monument
Since we know of no single commercially available topographic map of this inland park, we are offering these two USGS quads which cover it:
USGS Bickmore Canyon (north Pinnacles) 7.5' topographic map
Detailed topographic quadrangle map printed on one side only covers the northern portion of Pinnacles National Monument, which is the area most of the recent additions from the Clinton administration were made. (Since the map pre-date the expansion, the new boundaries are not shown.) Shows the National Monument from the Balconies north, including the more remote sections of Chalone Creek. The upper 3/4 of the map is largely private land, and shows Bickmore Canyon and the east side of Gloria Road within it, Bear Valley, San Benito River, and state highway 25.Contour lines show elevation, a solid green tint shows woodlands while a dotted green tint shows chaparral (prevalent in the dry climate of the Pinnacles). Also shows roads of all classes, trails, caves, drainages, isolated buildings, land lines, and more.
Scale, 1:24,000 (1 inch = 2000 feet = about 0.38 mile). Contour interval = 40 feet. Size: about 21½ x 27 inches. Rolled. Paper.
Published by US Geological Survey, 1968, photorevised 1984. New.
Item #USGS-43381. Shipping weight: 1.0 lb. Publisher's price: $6.00. Your price: $6.00
Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. Rolled maps require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee.
USGS North Chalone Peak (south Pinnacles) 7.5' topographic map
Detailed topographic quadrangle map printed on one side only covers the southern portion of Pinnacles National Monument, and many adjacent private lands. Shows the National Monument from Machete Ridge south, and features the popular High Peaks Trail and the Pinnacles themselves, the ancient eroded remnants of a volcano—rare in this region. Besides the namesake summit, North Chalone Peak (which I have fond memories of visiting in the starlight one December night), the map also shows South Chalone Peak and the few developed areas within the park. Outside the boundaries, it shows most of the western access road (state highway 146), and ranges southward to Miner's Gulch and Topo Creek.Contour lines show elevation, a solid green tint shows woodlands while a dotted green tint shows chaparral (prevalent in the dry climate of the Pinnacles). Also shows roads of all classes, trails, caves, drainages, springs, isolated buildings, land lines, and more.
Since the Bickmore Canyon quad is precisely adjacent to the North Chalone Peak quad map, you can cut or fold the border of one of them and tape them together to make one big complete map of Pinnacles and vicinity.
Scale, 1:24,000 (1 inch = 2000 feet = about 0.38 mile). Contour interval = 40 feet. Size: about 21½ x 27 inches. Rolled. Paper.
Published by US Geological Survey, 1995. New.
Item #USGS-44879. Shipping weight: 1.0 lb. Publisher's price: $6.00. Your price: $6.00
Please order rolled maps separately from other kinds of items on this website. Rolled maps require separate packaging and a separate shipping fee.
Original content copyright © Lee Dittmann of Mindbird Maps & Books.
Images may be copyright © by the creator of the items depicted. Essential ordering details, including phone, fax, mail, and online options, shipping fees and delivery times, returns, special orders, privacy policy, and more are described on the How to Order page. |