California’s Big Sur South Coast
Silver PeakWilderness Conservancy
Protect the land. Preserve its story.
Dedicated to the conservation, stewardship and understanding of the Silver Peak Wilderness and California’s Big Sur South Coast.
A living landscape
Where Mountains
Meet the Pacific
A federally designated wilderness above California’s Big Sur coast.
From the Pacific coast, the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly into one of California’s most extraordinary landscapes. Redwood canyons, chaparral-covered ridges, rare forests, wild watersheds, historic trails—and generations of human stories nearly reclaimed by the landscape.
A shared responsibility
More Than Wilderness
A place of extraordinary natural beauty,
rich history and an enduring responsibility.
Conservation
Protecting the ecological character of the Silver Peak region.
Stewardship
Caring for the land through responsible, hands-on action.
History
Preserving the stories, places and people that shaped the South Coast.
Education
Making the natural and cultural history of Silver Peak accessible to everyone.
U.S. Geological Survey, Cape San Martin quadrangle, edition of 1921; surveyed 1917. Detail.Layers in the landscape
Before It Was
Wilderness
Gold brought prospectors to these mountains more than a century ago. For a brief period, a mining town called Manchester stood among these ridges. Its mines, trails and communities left a remarkable legacy—one that still shapes the landscape today.
Explore the History