Dick Smith Wilderness

Dick Smith Wilderness was established in 1984 by the California Wilderness Act. Deep within the Santa Barbara Backcountry lies a knot of mountains topped by Madulce Peak. The Dick Smith Wilderness comprises 64,700 acres of diverse topography with elevations ranging from 3,700 to 6,541 feet. While chaparral is the predominant vegetation, the Madulce Peak area has some of the most beautiful stands of mixed conifers found in the Forest. The Rancho Nuevo area is more open with massive sandstone rock formations, chaparral, big cone Douglas fir and Great Basin sagebrush.