SANTA LUCIA RANGE

segment of the Pacific Coast Ranges, west central California, U.S., extending southeastward for about 140 mi (225 km) from Carmel Bay to the Cuyama River in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties. Lowest in the south, the range rises to Junipero Serra Peak (5,863 ft ) in the north. It parallels the Pacific Ocean (west) and the Salinas Valley (east). The mountains, named in 1602 by the Spanish explorer Sebastin Vizcano, are heavily wooded and embrace a division of the Los Padres National Forest. A scenic highway runs along the ocean just west of the range.