Little Sur River

River in California, United States

The Little Sur River is a 25.4 mile (41 km) added the river to the California Protected Waterways System. Because the upper reaches of the Little Sur River watershed is entirely within the Ventana Wilderness, much of the river is in pristine condition. The California Department of Fish and Game says the river is the "most important spawning stream for steelhead" on the Central Coast. and that it "is one of the best steelhead streams in the county." A U. S. fisheries service report estimates that the number of trout in the entire south central coast area—including the Pajaro River, Salinas River, Carmel River, Big Sur River, and Little Sur River—have dwindled from about 4,750 fish in 1965 to about 800 in 2005. The total number of steelhead in the Little Sur River was estimated at less than 100 in 1991.

The watershed is populated with coastal redwood, Douglas fir, western sycamore, bay laurel, bigleaf maple, and tanbark oak. Mixed in with the redwood and Douglas fir is a riparian habitat containing alder, poison oak, and thimbleberry. The upper slopes are usually a mix of chaparral, covered by coyote bush, ceanothus, chamise, manzanita, sagebrush, and bush lupine. On a few upper slopes may be found patches of open grassland dotted with black oak, canyon live oak, and tanbark oak favored by the early Esselen inhabitants. The Little Sur River watershed contains stands of some of the most impressive uncut coastal redwood trees in the entire Big Sur area, are found on Skinner's Ridge, east of Pico Blanco Boy Scout camp.

The river canyon is deep and narrow, and even in the summer sunshine only reaches the canyon bottom for a few hours. The land is mostly steep, rocky, semi arid except for the narrow canyons, and inaccessible. The upstream river canyon is characteristic of the Ventana Wilderness region: steep sided, sharp crested ridges separating valleys. Upstream from the Boy Scout camp are narrow gorges, waterfalls, and a few large pools. Several northwest trending faults cut across the Little Sur River drainage: the Sur, the Palo Colorado, and the Church Creek faults. The river flows mostly west for much of its length, unlike other rivers in the region which tend to flow to the northwest or southeast. Near Camp Pico Blanco, the river meets the Palo Colorado fault and follows it northwesterly for about 1 mile (2 km), before turning west towards the Pacific Ocean. The lower length of the South Fork follows the Sur fault zone until it meets the North Fork. West of the Sur fault the earth is composed of Franciscan Assemblage rocks, some exposed serpentine, and overlying sandstone. Most of the Little Sur River geology is to the east of the Sur fault. This area is marked by deep canyons cut through granitic and metamorphic rocks of the Salinian Block. Upstream from the Boy Scout camp the gorges are full of mica schist and gneiss (metamorphosed sedimentary rocks), and granodiorite, quartz monzonite, and quartz diorite (granitic rocks). At the river's mouth are some of the largest sand dunes on the Big Sur coast.

The Little Sur River basin climate, protected for the most part from coastal fog by Pico Blanco, is characterized by hot, dry summers and rainy, mild winters. Annual temperatures average to Annual precipitation ranges from , with a pronounced summer drought. This interior is hotter than the coastal region and receives less moisture from fog in summer. Severe spring rains have caused mud slides on steep slopes above roads near the hair pin turns, which briefly closed the road into the Pico Blanco Boy Scout camp during the spring of 1967 and 1969.

The river originates in the area of the Ventana Double Cone and flows to the Pacific Ocean. The upper part of the river's watershed is in the Ventana Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest. The rest, mostly near the coast, is privately owned. Precipitation increases with altitude at Big Sur. Higher elevations can receive over per year, about higher than lower areas. The main river, locally known as the North Fork, is in a bowl shaped watershed, fed by several creeks and surrounded by Launtz Ridge and Pico Blanco (3709 feet (1131 m)) to the west, Devil's Peak (4158 feet (1267 m)) to the north, Uncle Sam Mountain (4766 feet (1453 m)) to the east, and Ventana Double Cone (4853 feet (1479 m)) to the southeast. The North Fork flows mostly over granite bedrock. Upstream tributaries include Skinners Creek, Ventana Creek, Comings Creek, and Puerto Suelo Creek. A one armed man named Vogler built a cabin east of Devil's Peak in the 1880s, later purchased by the Comings family, for whom the location and creek are named today. (They continued to use the cabin until the early 1950s.) The South Fork of the river flows over granite bedrock, with portions of limestone and marble bedrock. The river has eroded the limestone and marble such that it travels underground in several locations. Tributaries on the South Fork include Rocky Creek, Turner Creek, Bixby Creek, Mill Creek, and Lachance Creek, many of them named for former homesteaders like Antare P. Lachance. Bixby Creek was the site of a landing built to transfer tanbark via cable to ships anchored offshore. The South Fork is unrestricted by any man made dams, but an impassable waterfall about 12 feet (4 m) high 11 mile (18 km) upstream prevents steelhead from migrating further.

Camp Pico Blanco is at 793 feet (242 m) elevation on the North Fork. Upstream tributaries include Jackson Creek, Pine Creek, Puerto Suelo Creek, and Comings Creek. A small creek enters the Little Sur River via a waterfall at the location of the seasonal reservoir in the camp proper. The immediate camp environment consists of seven distinct biotic habitats: coast redwood/mixed evergreen forest, white alder riparian woodland, herbaceous vegetation, aquatic habitat, bare alluvium, bare ground, and Sur Complex bedrock. The camp is accessed via the narrow and winding Palo Colorado Road, 7.6 mile (12 km) from the coast, which was closed due to the 2017 Soberanes fire, and as of 2021 remains closed. Some of the redwoods in the vicinity of the camp were planted between 1910 and 1921.

There is a seasonal 11 feet (3 m) high concrete flash board dam on the North Fork of the river in the Camp Pico Blanco. Built in 1953, it creates a small recreational reservoir about in size. In 2002, the California Department of Fish & Game attempted to stop the Monterey Bay Area Council from using the dam. After intervention by Rep. Sam Farr and Senator Bruce McPherson, the Fish and Game retreated from preventing the council from filling the dam, but stipulated that certain regulations must be adhered to. The National Marine Fisheries Service discovered shortly afterward that the Council appeared to have filled the dam in violation of these regulations, "dewatering" the river below the dam and killing at least 30 threatened steelhead trout. The council could have been subject to fines of up to $360,000. The council avoided paying a fine by building a $1 million custom fish ladder.

In 1895, a fishing journal reported that "there are plenty of large fish in the stream, and there are several fine streams running into the North Fork, all full of California trout." A 1903 state report similarly reported that "The Big and Little Sur Rivers are noted for trout fishing." A 1965 report said the stream contained about 30 mile (48 km) of prime habitat for the threatened steelhead. An advertisement from 1910 for the Idlewild Resort at the junction of the North and South forks of the river described the pool at the mouth of the river as "the famous '1000 Salmon trout pool.'" In 2002, Fish and Game staff surveyed the Little Sur River in the vicinity of the Camp Pico Blanco and found "numerous" steelhead fry and fingerlings. They described the river as "probably the most productive steelhead river south of the San Francisco Bay at this time." As of 2011, fishing is limited to the fourth Saturday each month from May through October 31 each year. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.

Other at risk species found in the river's riparian corridor include the California red legged frog (Federally threatened, California Species of Concern), western pond turtle(California Species of Concern), foothill yellow legged frog (California Species of Concern), and the Coastal Range newt (California Species of Concern).

The area was first surveyed in 1905 when the region was set aside as part of the Monterey Forest Preserve. That survey noted that the redwoods achieved their maximum development along the Little Sur River. The Little Sur River watershed contains stands of some of the most impressive uncut coastal redwood trees in the entire Big Sur area,

Fire is an integral part of the Little Sur River landscape. typically covered by chaparral. In one of the first recorded fires in 1894, most of what is now the Monterey Ranger District, including the Little Sur River watershed, was burned by a fire that was unchecked for weeks. In October, 1905 another fire raged for more than a month, consuming all of the Palo Colorado and Pico Blanco area. The Molera Fire in 1972 burned a considerable portion of the watershed, and in August, 1977, the Marble Cone Fire burned the entire area. This was repeated in 2008 when the Basin Complex fire involved the entire watershed. In 2016, the Soberanes Fire once again burned through almost the entire Little Sur River watershed with the exception of areas west of the Old Coast Road.

The Little Sur River area has always been sparsely occupied. The land is mostly steep, rocky, semi arid except for the narrow canyons, and inaccessible, making long term habitation a challenge.

The area was first occupied by the Esselen American Indians who followed local food sources seasonally, living near the coast in winter, where they harvested rich stocks of mussels, abalone and other sea life. In the summer and fall they move inland to harvest acorns gathered from the black oak, canyon live oak and tanbark oak, primarily on upper slopes in areas outside the current camp's location. The Spanish mission system led to the virtual destruction of the Indian population. Estimates for the pre contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially. Alfred L. Kroeber suggests a 1770 population for the Esselen of 500. Sherburne F. Cook raises this estimate to 750.

On June 14, 1771, Father Junípero Serra founded Mission San Antonio de Padua near the current town of Jolon. By about 1822, much of the native Indian population had been forced into the Spanish mission system, and most of the interior villages within the current Los Padres National Forest were uninhabited. Virtually all of the Esselen were baptized and relocated to Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo in present day Carmel, California, where many died from disease, demoralization, poor food, and overwork. The last baptism of an Esselen native was recorded in 1808, and there is evidence that some members may have avoided control of the Spanish mission by escaping into the relatively inaccessible upper reaches of the Carmel and Arroyo Seco Rivers' watershed.

Along with the rest of California, Big Sur became part of Mexico when it gained independence from Spain in 1821. On July 30, 1834, Mexican governor José Figueroa conveyed the Rancho El Sur land grant to Juan Bautista Alvarado. Alvarado later traded his Rancho El Sur to his uncle by marriage, Captain John B. R. Cooper, in exchange for Rancho Bolsa del Potrero y Moro Cojo. After California revolted against Mexican rule and became a U. S. state, a few hardy pioneer homesteaders settled in the Big Sur region, drawn by the promise of free 160 acre (0.6 km2) parcels. They filed United States government patents as early as 1891. One of the original pulleys is mounted under a long plank supporting mailboxes along the road.

At the coast, the tanbark was loaded by cable onto waiting vessels anchored offshore at a dog hole port named Notley's Landing. Notley's Landing was used to ship the tan bark north, and a small hamlet existed at that spot from 1898 to 1907. In 1889, as much as 50,000 cords of tanbark were hauled out from the Little Sur River and Big Sur River watersheds. A one armed man named Vogler built a cabin east of Devil's Peak in the 1880s, later purchased by the Comings family, for whom the location and creek are named today. (They continued to use the cabin until the early 1950s.) Swetnam bought the Notley home at the mouth of Palo Colorado Canyon and also constructed a small cabin on the Little Sur River at the site of the future Pico Blanco camp. Alfred K. Clark built a home on the south fork of the Little Sur River around the turn of the century. He filed a land patent for on June 30, 1906. Clark searched for silver unsuccessfully on his property for many years. Before he died, he told his neighbor and friend Al Geer that he had found a cavern decorated with "elephants with long shaggy hair and curly teeth" and "cats with long sharp teeth."

A travel brochure published in 1890 describes the "embryo Saratoga Springs owned by Mr. Keleher, who discovered them, and Dr. S. M. Archer" of Monterey County Hospital. It states that the springs "are situated nearly fifty feet above the river channel" and reported that, "The ocean, with a beautiful sandy beach, is but two miles distant." In 1893, the Monterey Cypress reported on a visitor who caught a trout in front of Keleher's home on the river. Charles Howland drove the mail stage between Monterey and Big Sur in about 1900. He built the Idlewild Hotel about .25 mile (0 km) east of the Old Coast Road where it crosses the Little Sur River. William T. Mitchell bought the resort in about 1909. He guaranteed guests their full limit of trout from the Little Sur River, bragging that children could catch fish with bent pin hooks. Reports included mention of guests taking advantage of a hot springs upstream from the hotel. W. T. Mitchell sold the hotel back to its original owners, Charles Howland and his wife, in June 1911. The hotel was near John Bautista Henry Cooper's Rancho El Sur. When he died in 1899, his wife Martha Brawley Cooper received of his estate. Their children John B. R. Cooper, Alfred, Alice, and Abelardo each inherited a share of the land. On April 9, 1913, she acquired the land formerly owned by Charles and Hattie Howland along the Little Sur River in a Sheriff's sale for $6,590.60 (or about $ today). When Alfred died in an auto accident on September 2, 1913, his two siblings Abelardo and Alice assigned their interest in his estate including the Rancho to their mother, Martha. The additional land apparently included the location of the Idlewild Hotel on the south bank of the north fork. During the next season, the Howlands moved the Idlewild Hotel to the north side of the North fork of the Little Sur River. Cooper continued to run an ad notifying the public that the Idlewild resort was closed through the end of 1918. Howland similarly ran his ad alongside hers for much of the same period of time. Cooper offered a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone trespassing on the Cooper land. In a report in The Californian on July 1, 1919, Charles Howland is once again named as the owner of the Idlewild. On July 25, 1919, Mignnnette Myers Gruit described the "Hitchcock camp" at Camp Idlewild, entertainment, and a large number of visitors. The of land became the subject of a legal dispute between the Howlands and their partners, John and Anna Brown. A judge finally ruled that they should split the land.

José Castro documented the first trail from Monterey to Palo Colorado Canyon in 1853, when he filed a map of the rancho. Bixby later partnered with William B. Post to extend the road 11 mile (18 km) inland, around Bixby Canyon and up Cerro Hill to the junction of the north and south forks of the Little Sur River, and thence south to the Post Ranch. The 30 mile (48 km) trip was over a rough and dangerous track. A side road into Palo Colorado Canyon was in place by 1900. Prior to the completion of the two lane Carmel San Simeon Highway in 1937, the California coast south of Carmel and north of San Simeon was one of the most remote regions in the state, rivaling nearly any other region in the United States for its difficult access. The United States Army Corps of Engineers began building a road from the end of Palo Colorado Road in 1950 from a location known as "The Hoist" to Bottcher's Gap (2050 feet (625 m)), the site of former homesteader John Bottcher's cabin in 1885–86. The road leaving Bottcher's Gap traverses extremely steep terrain, necessitating four narrow switchbacks. The road reached the Little Sur River in the vicinity of the camp in the summer of 1951. The council turned over the road from The Hoist to Bottcher's Gap to Monterey County in 1958. although current landholders were allowed to retain their property. In January 1908, 39 sections of land, totaling , were added to the Monterey National Forest by President Theodore Roosevelt in a presidential proclamation. Several tanning companies and some homesteaders retained ownership of land within the area which were not purchased by the government. By 1916 the Kron Tanning Company of Santa Cruz and the Eberhard Tanning Company of Santa Clara had acquired most of the acreage along the Little Sur River from the original owners. Interest in preserving the abundant growth of redwoods in the area prompted newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst to purchase the entire acreage. On November 18, 1921, the Hearst Sunical Land and Packing Company paid approximately $50,000 to buy the land from the tanning companies.