Southern Redwood Botanical Area
The Southern Redwood Botanical Area is a ecological preserve in the southern region of Big Sur in Monterey County, California, just north of the national forest's Salmon Creek trailhead. Established by the Los Padres National Forest of the United States Forest Service, it contains the southernmost naturally occurring Redwood. The trees are located in the Little Redwood Gulch watershed adjacent to the Silver Peak Wilderness. The area is just north of the Salmon Creek trailhead.
In 2008, scientist J. Michael Fay published a map of the old growth redwoods based on his transect of the entire redwood range. The southernmost tree is about from Highway 1. The reserve is north of San Carpoforo Creek. It is unmarked and is not open to the public. The botanical area is classified as a special interest area under Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 294.1 due to its unique botanical resources for public and scientific purposes.