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U.S. Forest Service


Pacific Southwest Region Viewing Area

LOCATION and PHOTOS

Purple shooting stars on Figueroa Mountain. Purple shooting stars on Figueroa Mountain. Photo by Teresa Prendusi.

Pitcher sage. Pitcher sage. Photo by Teresa Prendusi.

Bluedicks. Bluedicks. Photo by Teresa Prendusi.

Figueroa Mountain Recreation Area

Forest: Los Padres National Forest

District: Santa Lucia District

Description: At Figueroa Mountain recreation area visitors will be treated to panoramic view of San Rafael Wilderness and the Santa Ynez Valley and spectacular wildflower displays.

Springtime (February through April) on Figueroa is a season of fantastic flower displays. Late March brings out the early blooming specimens such as purple shooting stars (Dodecatheon clevelandii ssp. clevelandii). Later arrivals on the mountain include chocolate lilies (Fritilaria biflora), and the scarlet Indian paintbrush (Castilleja spp). The open grassland areas support a profusion of annual species including goldfields (Lasthenia spp.), sky lupine (Lupinus nanus), and California poppy (Eschscholzia californica). Other favorites include pitcher sage (Salvia spathacea) and blue dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum). The plant community here is an inland central oak woodland dominated by valley oak (Quercus lobata), blue oak (Quercus douglasii), interior live oak (Quercus wislizenii), and gray pine (Pinus sabiniana). The companion shrub species are manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), coffeeberry and redberry (Rhamnus spp.) and gooseberry and currants (Ribes spp.).

Figueroa Mountain Wildflower Guide (.pdf, 607KB)

Safety First: Wear layers of clothes, good hiking boots and bring plenty of water. Drive slowly and cautiously on Figueroa Mountain! It is a narrow road.

Directions: The Figueroa Mountain recreation area lies thirty minutes north of Los Olivos and can be reached by the Figueroa Mountain Road or the Happy Canyon Road. From Hwy 154: At Los Olivos take Figueroa Mtn. Rd. 12.5 miles northeast.

Ownership and Management: U.S. Forest Service, Los Padres National Forest, Santa Lucia Ranger District, 805-925-9538.

Closest Town: Los Olivos, California.

For More Information:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/regions/Pacific_Southwest/FigueroaMountain/index.shtml