segment of the Coast Ranges (see Pacific mountain system), west-central California, U.S. The rugged range extends southeastward for about 140 miles (225 km) from Carmel Bay to the Cuyama River in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties. Lowest in the south, the range rises to 5,862 feet (1,787 metres) at Junipero Serra Peak in the north. The range parallels the Pacific Ocean (west) and the Salinas Valley (east). The mountains, named in 1602 by the Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno, are heavily wooded and embrace a division of Los Padres National Forest. A scenic highway runs along the ocean just west of the range.