San Rafael Wilderness

About this campground

n 1968 the San Rafael became the first primitive area in the Nation reclassified as wilderness under the Wilderness Act of 1964, additional acreage added in 1992 by the Los Padres Condor Range and River Protection Act. The San Rafael Wilderness is located in the San Rafael and Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges in southeastern Santa Barbara County (northern part of Santa Barbara District and Southern part of Santa Lucia District). This wilderness is mainly covered by chaparral, which consists of chamise, buckthorn ceanothus manzanita, scrub oak and yucca. You will also find potreros (grassy meadows). The two main corridors into the wilderness are the Sisquoc River and Manzana Creek. Most trails follow the creeks and rivers. These areas are called riparian zones and provide food, water, and shelter for most species of wildlife. In the water are rainbow trout, western pond turtles, and aquatic garter snakes, to name a few. Bordering the water you may find the western toad or hear the call of the pacific and California tree frogs From April through June you can hear the many songbirds that nest in riparian zones, such as the yellow warbler, house wren, orange-crowned warbler, and plain titmouse. Further from the creek, up in the brush, you will hear the scrub jay, California quail, and mountain quail. Other points of interest include the Manzana Schoolhouse and the standing ruins of homesteads along the Sisquoc River. These sites are all that remain of a vigorous farming community that settled the flats along the river around the turn-of-the-century. The South Fork Cabin is a historic Forest Service line shack that has sheltered generations of backcountry rangers. The Dabney Cabin, nestled on a small terrace above Manzana Creek, was built in 1914 as a retreat for the family of Charles Dabney.