Hiking the Big Sur Country: The Ventana Wilderness
Think of Big Sur and you most likely conjure images of sea-swept cliffs and expansive ocean views, the hideout of Beat poets and dropouts. To the east, however, is a surprisingly bountiful landscape of forests and mountains traversed by hiking trails. These trails follow cool canyon streams or switch back up sun-baked peaks. It's a beautiful region that sees far less use than other more publicized areas. Jeffrey Schaffer's guide to the Big Sur country, complete with trail descriptions and topographic maps, can help you discover this more remote territory of a fabled land.