Pine Valley

Jack English’s passing on March 3 at the age of 96 brought back memories of my first visit to the Ventana Wilderness in November 2009, a point-to-point run from China Camp down the Carmel River to Los Padres Dam with Gary Gellin and Jim Moyles. It was an amazing introduction to the Ventana and I feel grateful to have met Mr. English. Jim Moyles has a wealth of knowledge on the Ventana, some of which he shared on this trip and sparked my interest in the region that would only grow in the coming years. We started at China Camp and descended to beautiful Pine Valley where we met Jack English, who warmly welcomed us into his cabin for tea and cookies. Jack English is a legend of the Ventana Wilderness and built the cabin in Pine Valley with his wife in the late 70s after becoming enamored with the valley.  He lived in the cabin for the next 30+ years and even in the last couple years when he could no longer live in the cabin independently or walk the 5.5 miles from the China Camp trailhead to the valley, a helicopter would drop him off in Pine Valley so he could spend time at his favorite spot over the weekends. Back in 2009, Jack showed us the exceptional violin bows that he made. His masterful craftsmanship resulted in demand for his bows from world class violinists. Jack told us stories about his beloved wife Mary, who passed away in 2001, and life at Pine Valley, including the quiet winters with few visitors and the fires that periodically swept through the valley.  Jack thoroughly enjoyed living in the valley, and unlike some folks who live off-the-grid, Jack was incredibly welcoming to all visitors. I included a few clips and photos of our visit in a video that I made at the time, included below (the English cabin starts at 1:24). The English cabin still stands in Pine Valley and Jack’s spirit will continue to be felt throughout the valley. This video also reminds me that fall is a wonderful time in Pine Valley with some of the best fall color in the Ventana to be found on the oaks and maples in Pine Valley and along the Pine Ridge Trail west of Church Divide.

I have been to Pine Valley several times since 2009, including twice this spring. It’s a magical spot with the towering Ponderosa pines, pretty meadows, spectacular sandstone rock formations and a pretty waterfall downstream along the Carmel River. Like Jack English, it’s become one of my favorite spots in the Ventana. In addition, the area has great opportunities for exploration including the Pine Ridge Trail toward Pine Ridge, Bear Basin and Church Creek. Complete photo albums:

• Pine Valley & Falls
• Pine Ridge, Pine Valley, Pine Falls 
• Church Creek
• 2015 Trip to Pine Valley and Church Creek

The Church Creek Valley is particularly enjoyable with more spectacular sandstone formations, meadows, oak woodland and scenic vistas. Church Creek sees a fraction of the visitation of Pine Valley so the trail contains much more brush and faint tread, particularly the southern portion which has non-existent tread in some of the meadow areas.  

Pine Ridge is another fascinating spot with a remnant forest of Ponderosa pine, Coulter pine, incense cedar and Santa Lucia Fir. Before the Marble Cone and Basin Fires the forest was more expansive, but a good swath of the forest remains intact on the northern side of the ridge. The southern side of the ridge was largely obliterated by the fire, however a clump of ancient ponderosa pines stands near the top of Pine Ridge and is visible from many parts of the Ventana Wilderness. Many of the trees along this ridge are contorted and grizzled manifesting the harsh weather conditions on the ridge including strong winds, frigid winter temperatures, and scorching summer heat. 

Bear Basin is a location I have yet to explore, but look forward to visiting. It appears the greatest grove of incense cedar remaining in the Ventana is in the basin with the distinctive shape and light green color of the incense cedar visible from the Pine Ridge Trail. Similar to Pine Ridge, a good deal of the forest in Bear Basin was burned in the fires, but many of the old growth trees did make it out alive. A trail used to traverse Bear Basin but has long been lost with virtually no tread remaining.