La Misión de María Santísima, Nuestra Señora de la Soledad is located in the Salinas Valley near Soledad, California. Founded in 1791 by Father Fermin Lasuen, Mission Soledad is the thirteenth mission to be founded in California. It is nestled in the heart of the wine country known as the Santa Lucia Highlands and there are three wineries within two miles of the mission. Los Padres National Forest is to the south of the mission and the Pinnacles National Monument is to the east. Monterey Bay is fifty minutes to the northwest.