This sounds like a hell of a find, Peter.
What direction is the clear, level, panoramic view location from the
parking lot? I'd hate to get lost on one of the "many trailheads"
looking for it.
Here's some more data on this site, and a "virtual tour."
Christopher
Location: Big Sur Coast
Description: Surrounded by Oak and Madrone trees. Offers excellent view
of the Ventana Wilderness
Number of Sites: 11 units
Elevation: 2,100 feet
Directions: Located 8 miles off of highway 1, take Palo Colorado Road
(18S05) inland, fifteen miles north of Big Sur and 11 miles south of Carmel.
Activities: Hiking, scenic viewing, equestrian, entry point to Ventana
Wilderness, camping,
Facilities: Vault toilets, trailhead parking, fire ring, and barbecues
available.
Special Rules: 14 day maximum stay. No more than 8 people per site.
Fees: $12.00 per site. Adventure Pass accepted for day use (this
includes trailhead parking).
Reservations : First come, first served.
Seasonal Use: Open all year
Managed by: Concessionaire, Parks Management Company. Camping
information 805-434-9199 FAX 805-434-1986
District: Monterey (831) 385-5434
Helpful Hints: Bring water.
Pictures: Los Padres National Forest
6755 Hollister Ave., Suite 150
Goleta, CA 93117
Voice: (805) 968-6640
Fax: (805) 961-5729
TTY:(805) 968-6790
http://www.r5.fs.fed.us/lospadres/visitor/monterey/bottchers_gap_camp.htm
Virtual Tour
http://www.virtualguidebooks.com/CentralCalif/BigSurCentralCoast/BixbyLittleSur/BottchersGapFog.html
Marek Cichanski wrote:
Marek Cichanski wrote:
>By some strange coincidence, I was briefly at Bottcher's Gap campground at
>about the same time as Peter Natscher. A caving buddy and I were using it
>as a trailhead to hike southward to a peak called Pico Blanco, where we
>searched for caves. (We didn't find any, but it was a fun trip anyway.)
>
>I haven't seen the dirt area with the good sky views, but I can attest to
>the general spectacular-ness of the spot. If you had a clear night there,
>you'd have an "up in the sky" feeling, I think. Bottcher's Gap is up on a
>ridge, surrounded by deep valleys and other ridges of similar (and
>sometimes greater) height. Some of the higher peaks in the Santa Lucia
>Range are nearby, such as Pico Blanco (3700') and Ventana Double Cone
>(about 4000', I think). Bottcher's Gap CG is at 2050'. To give you a sense
>of how deeply dissected the landscape is, our hike southward to Pico Blanco
>involved dropping 1200' into the valley of the Little Sur river, then
>immediately up 1400' to a saddle, then 700' into the valley of the south
>fork of the Little Sur. Going anywhere in that country is like walking
>along a string of connected W's. Bottcher's Gap is like being up on the
>middle part of the W.
>
>If the powers that be are amenable to astronomy use, I suspect that it
>would be similar to Fremont Peak in terms of fees. There's a $5/day fee to
>park in the parking lot - this seems to be a standard national forest thing
>at most trailhead-type parking lots. Hard to say whether they'd accept a
>single $5 fee for a night of observing, or if they'd require 2 such fees if
>you stayed past midnight - this might be the sort of thing that's been
>dictated at a higher level. There's some sort of annual pass available, I
>think. Camping there was $12/night, I think. Again, I suspect that's a
>Forest Service (USDA) thing.
>
>
>--- Marek Cichanski
>
>
>
>