Hike and Ramble On | It’s a Great Time to Get Outside and Enjoy Santa Barbara’s Trails

The incessant roar came from a cascading a waterfall still unseen, but its cacophony increased as my pace quickened while hiking toward a massive volume of water cloaked within a deep riparian corridor on one of Santa Barbara’s front-country trails.

When hiking in Santa Barbara County, trailheads are plentiful. That goes for the diversity of environments too. They range from islands, sand dunes, coastal mountain ranges, tranquil creeks, chaparral-choked foothills, wave-battered bluffs, and remote beaches. Stunning scenery awaits from virtually every hiking destination for those who have rambled to an epic overlook or a trail’s highest point, and hiking in Santa Barbara County is no different.

Hiking Logistics

Some of these hikes require some planning, and maybe only one hike can be had in a day. However, two hikes a day are possible for the most ambitious trekkers looking to enjoy the most of Santa Barbara County.

Last time I checked, day hikes still require dressing in layers, water, food, a hat, a buff, a beanie, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm, and a headlamp. Don’t forget a camera and maybe some binoculars for spotting elusive wildlife.

Remember, take only pictures, and please leave the trails cleaner than you found them. Be respectful of wildlife while sharing the trails with other hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers.

Franklin Trail, Carpinteria

The entire out-and-back trail is about 15 miles but is easily broken up into shorter hikes. Over the years, the Franklin Trail has become a community favorite for hikers, trial runners, and mountain bikers. The trail quite possibly offers the best views of Anacapa, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa Islands. There are seven benches to rest on between the first switchbacks and the 5.2-mile marker. There’s also a swing mixed into the middle of those benches. Beginning at the 5.2-mile marker is the Los Padres National Forest, and beyond the Santa Ynez Ridgeline is the Santa Barbara backcountry.

Cold Spring Trail and Montecito Peak

It’s about a 7.5-mile round-trip, out-and-back hike from the trailhead on East Mountain Drive in Montecito to scree-covered Montecito Peak. Another community favorite, it can also be broken up into shorter hikes. Cold Spring Creek is a nice diversion beneath the shaded canopy of sycamore and California bay trees, but the exposed summit of Montecito Peak is also stunning with stellar views of Santa Barbara, the shimmering channel, and the ever-present islands.

Coasteering the North County

It’s known as the De Anza Trail, named after Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto, who was a successful Spanish expedition leader in the 1760s and 1770s into what was then Alta California. However, this portion of the coast has no trail at all. It’s just wet, hardpack mud, beach walking at its best on a remote, wind-groomed beach. It’s best to walk during outgoing and minus low tides. From Jalama Beach County Park south to Point Conception it’s a 10-mile, out-and-back beach walk. On high tides, beach-walkers will get wet and may have to turn around if the surf is big on a fast-moving, incoming high tide. If hikers aren’t careful, it’s possible to get stuck against the steep, eroding cliffs. Keep an eye out for rafts of southern sea otters wrapped in kelp and possibly a glimpse of the weathered Point Conception Lighthouse. This is also where the east-to-west Santa Ynez Mountains extend into the Pacific Ocean, one of the most volatile stretches of the California Coast.

Guadalupe-Nipomo Sand Dunes National Wildlife Refuge

After leaving the car park just south of the Santa Maria River Mouth, you might as well ditch hiking boots and trail shoes and enjoy gritty sand between the toes while hiking out to Mussel Rock at the most-southern fringe of this magnificent refuge. The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes are one of the most unique and gorgeous regions of the California Coast. There’s simply nothing like it. It’s the best, most intact coastal dune habitat throughout the Golden State. From the car park to Mussel Rock is roughly five miles round-trip. The largest dunes are 500 feet tall, and literally jut right out of the ocean. Because of perpetual northwest winds, the curvature of the dunes are constant works of shifting natural wonders with groomed, artistic wind lines, creeping shadows, and steep, cascading troughs. Besides your own footprints, the only other blemishes on the waves of sand are left by a whole array of critters that have adapted to life in the dunes. If you want to learn more about the dunes, see dunescenter.org.

Cavern Point, Potato Harbor, Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

After disembarking the Island Packers ferry (islandpackers.com) at Scorpion Anchorage, the main hub of one of the least-visited National Parks, it’s a 1.5-mile loop hiking from the pier to the jaw-dropping overlook at Cavern Point. After a short, steep ascent out of Scorpion Canyon, the rest of the hike is flat and slightly rolling across an ancient marine terrace. However, don’t sell yourself short. Continue along the North Bluff Trail west to Potato Harbor, arguably one of the prettiest natural anchorages throughout the entire northern chain. To link up both hikes, it’s 4.4 miles round-trip. After leaving the pier, there’s a trailhead at Scorpion Ranch, or simply walk up Scorpion Canyon to the upper campground and take the path on the right to Potato Harbor. There’s good signage along the entire route. Keep an eye out for bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and one of the rarest birds in the world, the island scrub jay. Listen for the spouts of whales in the Santa Barbara Channel and try not to trip over the endemic island fox.

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