Camp Cottam from Cold Spring Trail, Santa Barbara

The ridge above Santa Barbara...you know that mountain range that encompasses Montecito and Santa Barbara, bringing a warmth to the already quaintness of the red tile roofs and woodsy-ness of the area?   I have always wanted to walk on the crestline, and this week we did it!  

Parking at top of East Camino Cielo by the mushroom
shaped water tank.  We had 19 people in our
meetup....so all the cars here are from our group.

I discovered Salinas Street offramp, a street that of the 20 years that I lived in Santa Barbara and surrounding areas, I have never been on....and is apparently the gateway to the beautiful back mountain ranges behind the city.  First there are the Santa Ynez mountains, and just behind them are the San Rafael Mountains.  Hiking downhill first, a reverse hike, is scary in itself, because you wonder if you will have enough of what it takes to hike back up the mountain!  The destination is in a meadow, nestled in between canyons, and on top of the Santa Ynez faultline. Look for shell fossils in the rock, an indication of the forces of the fault, as uplifting over millions of years has brought up layers of bedrock laden with shell remnants.  Another bit of history happened in the 1820's when the Chumash Indians revolted and fled to the San Joaquin Valley and the shelter of the tule marshes, and soldiers took this route to round them up and bring them back.  The best view by far is at the beginning of the hike, overlooking Santa Barbara Lagoon, Stearns Wharf, and beyond, at 3000 feet is just  breathtaking.  

Trailhead at top 

The meadow at the bottom is Camp
Cottam!

The hike down to Camp Cottam is 3.8 miles, about 4 hours with lots of breaks on the way back up.  There are a few forks in the trail, veer right, and remember which way you went!  We went with a hiking group, and a few of them got lost on the way out, and ended up taking a different trail out and ran across deer and snow! The trail is narrow but well-maintained and shady on the way down, early morning, and the meadow was full sun.  Dress in layers!  We passed a few groups of backpackers, and I found out later as I was gathering information for my blog, that tacking on another 5 miles total would have taken us to Caliente Hot Springs.  Maybe next time!! 

To get there, take exit 95 onto South Salinas Street.  At traffic circle take second exit to Sycamore Canyon Road. Continue to Foothill Road/Stanwood Drive 1.2 miles.  Then turn right on El Cielito Rd for .3 miles.  Turn left to stay on El Cielito Rd at 358 feet.  Another right to stay on El Cielito Rd at .2 miles.  Take the first right onto Gibraltar Road and stay on this for 6.2 windy miles.  Turn right onto East Camino Cielo and drive for another 3.3 miles to trailhead parking area and mushroom shaped cement water tank.  

Saddle Peak via Backbone Trail from Piuma Rd.

I know I keep saying this, but I swear the hike from Piuma to Saddle Peak is my FAVORITE!!  And by far it is the one I keep revisiting over and over again.  I don't know what makes it my favorite...is it the different ecosystems, ranging from woodlands to chaparral to fern covered rocks, or is it the amazing rock face that I scramble up on to have my turnaround celebration, with views of the entire valley below me and the swiftly moving clouds above giving me vertigo...it may be the challenge to make it up the mountain.....or it may be the amazing geological rock formations at the top....but regardless it is a beautiful hike and it seems every time I visit, it is a different experience.  

Saddle Peak is second only to Sandstone Peak in elevation in the Santa Monica Mountains.  That said, you will have an elevation gain of 1750 ft. on a  4.4 mile one way trek up.  This hike will take about 4 hours total.  It is a perfect combination of shade and sun.  However, the last part of the ascent is all sun, and the challenging part of the hike.  So bring lots of water and sunscreen to this one!  In the summer, I suggest an early morning or late afternoon hike.  

About 3/4 of the way up, there is only one junction and a chance to get lost....at the junction veer to the right to continue up to Saddle Peak.  If you go straight .3 miles, you will discover Stunt Road.  You will know you are on the right path when you hit 1.3 miles of switchbacks, but your reward is at the end! After you pass the first set of boulders that will be on both sides of the trail,  look for a boulder straight ahead with a 90 degree face.  If you turn right at the boulder instead of following the trail that will turn to the left, you will find a tiny trail that hugs the boulder, and you will be able to climb up the boulder and have amazing and private views of the valley.  I love to lay down and watch the clouds from this vantage point.  And to be honest with you, I don't continue the hike from here.  Although if you go back on the trail and continue, you will have a view of the ocean from the peak!  

From Pacific Coast Highway, take Malibu Canyon Road north approximately 4.6 miles to a stoplight for Piuma Rd.  Turn right on Piuma, and follow it up about 1.2 miles, where the road turns sharply right.  Look for a small dirt turnout, enough for two cars to park, on the right.  Park there and go back towards the turn, across the street and take the small trail that goes up to the left of the large dirt pullout.  Within 10 to 15 minutes, you should be in a wooded area and crossing Cold Creek.  

Corral Canyon to Castro Motorway

This is one of my local favorites, possibly because I am accustomed to a glass of wine atop my sandstone cliff perch at the halfway mark, before I turn around and come back down!!  It is a relatively easy hike, a little over a mile if you go and rock scramble first, with a total 400 ft. elevation gain on the way up the motorway. From your vista you will be able to see Malibou Lake, Malibu Creek State Park, and the ocean.   It is a partial sun hike, the north side of the mountain is shady, and the wind that picks up through the canyon can make it chilly on the cliffs. I suggest to bring water and a windbreaker, if not a heavier jacket on cooler days.  

The view from Castro Motorway looking down
at the parking area and the sandstone rock
formations and the first part of the hike.

We did this hike on a very popular hiking weekend.  We wanted to go to Solstice Canyon, but it was very congested with cars and people.  We continued up Corral Canyon to the very end, the road becomes dirt, and there were 5 or 6 cars tops in the dirt parking area!!  YES!!!  
I suggest going east from the parking area towards the sandstone rock formations.  Look for an  unmarked path heading towards the rock spires, and head east on the ridge above the road you just drove in on.   Scramble rocks and pass a shady area and look for car ruins...then continue onto a second scramble and further to a legit man-made rock spiral.  

The shady side of the hike!

Once you are done playing on the rocks, go back to the parking area and head to the north end of the lot and look for "Castro Peak Motorway" signs, heading up the fire road.  At the use trail junction, there are many options to choose from.  Keep to the right to continue on the Castro Peak Motorway.   You will continue to climb in elevation, and will come to another junction for Bull Dog Motorway.  Stay on Castro Peak Motorway past this sign about a quarter of a mile to a sandstone cropping.   Scramble up the rocks and find a place to have lunch or a happy hour sunset.  If you went to the end of the road and the barbed wire fence with threatening trespasser signs, you went too far!  

Bishop Peak San Luis Obispo

Bishop Peak is the highest peak of  the Nine Sisters, nine prominent volcanic plugs that are in close proximity to each other and stretch from Morro Rock (one of the Nine!) to Islay Hill, within the city limits of San Luis Obispo.  This chain of volcanic plugs were formed 20 to 25 million years ago, consisting of congealed lava that filled in the deep parts of the vents of an even more ancient string of volcanoes.  

The hike begins at an elevation of 340 feet and the summit of the peak is at 1559 feet.  Its a moderate 3 to 4 hour hike (2.2 miles one way), mostly sun, and can get very hot, so bring lots of water and sunscreen!  I suggest bringing a snack too, because once you get to the top, the views are amazing, and you will want to take a few moments to savor it before the trek down.  

Once at the top, you are afforded views of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Morro Rock and  Laguna Lake.  It is breathtaking and a little scary for us people that are afraid of heights.  I hugged the cliff of our lunch spot, and braved it for the incredible view of the countryside!  Coupled with Thursday night Farmers Market, it makes quite the getaway.  


Take US 101 and navigate to 800 Patricia  Drive San Luis Obispo 93405.  There will be a large open area to your left.  Look for a trail sign and 4 black posts to your left.  Continue approx 150 feet to the Bishop Peak Trailhead, which will go left up the hill.  Enjoy!!