Kinevan Canyon
Map SatelliteNear the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountain on the seaward side, this canyon, on a generally north-facing slope, supports a southern relict of the usually more northerly mixed evergreen forest. Here are excellent examples of madrone, Arbutus menziesii, and tanbark oak, Lithocarpus densiflorus, the latter being only a few kilometers from its southernmost limit in Ventura County and the former in one of its few scattered stands in Southern California. California bay, Umbellularia californica, is also present. While there are stands of incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens, in this area, they are probably old plantations. Huckleberry, Vaccinium ovatum, here is found in one of its infrequent occurrences south of northern Santa Barbara County.
There is a scattering of chaparral in the area, with Ceanothus spp. and Arctostaphylos spp. present.
Integrity: A few unpaved access roads thread through the canyon, but the roads and the few structures present are well hidden by the area's vegetation.
Use: Private
April 1976
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman