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Looking for adventure? Check out some of outdoors writer Dan McCaslin’s favorite local treks.
When most people look at Santa Barbara, they see art galleries, Spanish-style architecture, sandy beaches, and glittering ocean waves. But Dan McCaslin, a 78-year-old Santa Barbara local, looks north to the mountains.
Dan, a retired teacher, is a local wilderness guide, author, and outdoors writer for the local news site Noozhawk. Here are his favorite hikes in the Santa Barbara area.
No. 1: Rattlesnake Canyon Trail (Hard)
To Tunnel Connector: 1.6 miles one way, 949-foot elevation gain
To Gibraltar Road: 2.2 miles one way, 1,590-foot elevation gain
Roadside parking on Las Conas Road
Rattlesnake Canyon Trail is one of the most popular hikes in Santa Barbara. It can get crowded, especially on weekends. It’s easy to see why.The trail snakes along the canyon next to a gentle creek, which sometimes houses California newts and toads, then slowly drops to the first water crossing. When the path starts to rise again, it reaches a second creek crossing, a great place for a cold-water plunge. The final, steeper stretch before Gibraltar Road can get slippery.
The trail hosts some unusual foliage, including sage, ceanothus, and poison oak. Oak trees protect hikers from the hot sun, and wide footpaths make it one of the nicest family trails in Santa Barbara.
No. 2: Jesusita Trail to Inspiration Point (Hard)
6.6 miles round-trip, 1,461-foot elevation gain
Parking at Cater Water Treatment Plant on San Roque Road
Jesusita Trail is a lesser-known but stunning trail. From the parking area at San Roque Road near the Cater Water Treatment Plant, the hike descends to a creekbed. It steepens after that before hitting the final exposed mile leading up to Inspiration Point. There are a few eroded sections along the creek that require extra caution.
The trail, Dan says, is “the back door hike to get to Inspiration Point,” a local favorite viewpoint from which, on a clear day, you can see all the way to Santa Cruz Island.
No. 3: Elings Park (Easy)
Around 2 miles round-trip
Parking on Cliff Drive, Calle Andalucia, Calle Montilla, and Jerry Harwin Parkway
Elings Park is located in Santa Barbara’s West Mesa neighborhood and has two public access points, on Calle Andalucia and Calle Montilla. The park has “very much of a community kind of feel,” Dan says.
The upper area of the park is perfect for an afternoon stroll. Dirt trails overlooking the Pacific crisscross the grassy area. Hikers can watch paragliders sailing peacefully in the ocean breeze as they practice takeoff and landing.
Elings Park is also home to the area’s most popular downhill mountain biking trail, with flowing trails that riders of all ages enjoy. Hikers should avoid the steeper downhill trails and the bikers riding down them whenever possible, and instead enjoy the trails — and the views — from the top.
No. 4: East Camino Cielo to Forbush Flat Campground (Hard)
Day 1: 1.6 miles one way, 1,000-foot elevation loss
Day 2: 1.6 miles one way, 1,000-foot elevation gain
Although Dan enjoys training on frontcountry trails, his true love is the backcountry. One of his favorite backcountry expeditions starts with the Forbush Flat trail. A small pullout on Camino Cielo leads to a marked trail that drops 1,000 feet in about a mile, ending in the Forbush Flat Campground. Backpackers can then choose to camp or continue exploring the network of trails. Non-backpackers and frontcountry explorers can take the oceanside Cold Springs Trail.
“It’s the side that doesn’t get as much sun,” Dan explains, “so back there is a whole kind of vegetation that you don’t see on the front side of our mountains, like madrone trees,” a distinctive native variety with smooth, reddish bark.
Dan says it’s also a great group trip. “I took my son there when he was 3. You feel like you’re way far away, and you’re actually not. As the crow flies, you’re 4 to 5 miles away from downtown Montecito.”
No. 5 Nira Campground to Manzana Narrows (Moderate-Hard)
14 miles round-trip
Day 1: 1,600-foot elevation gain
Day 2: 500-foot elevation gain
Parking at the end of Happy Canyon Road
Though he enjoys the local trails, Dan loves to see the stars, and his all-time favorite trailhead, Nira Campground, 45 miles from Santa Barbara, offers some of the best stargazing in the region. From the campground, hikers can easily access the Manzana Creek trail network, which snakes through the San Rafael Wilderness and offers more than 40 miles of wild unmarked trails.
One overnight out-and-back trail runs from Nira Campground to Manzana Narrows along Manzana Creek, which flows along a shallow riverbed. Sacred Chumash sites and artwork are scattered throughout the greater Los Padres National Forest, and centuries-old oak trees cast shade and beauty along the trail.
The campground has an outhouse, fire ring, picnic bench, and creekfront tent spots, and, Dan says, is a magical place to stay.
All trail elevation and mileage statistics are taken from the Strava map. Always check trail information and weather before hiking, as well as road conditions, on the U.S. Forest Service website.
