This is one of the coolest hikes I've done. The reward is a natural hot spring, which makes the…read moredestination feel truly unique and well worth the effort. The hike itself is moderate, with a constant incline and uneven terrain. The biggest challenge is navigation. The first part of the trail is straightforward and fairly enclosed, but as you get closer to the hot springs, the route becomes confusing and isn't well marked. I talked to several other hikers who also got lost before eventually finding the springs. In general, stay close to the creek and continue uphill. Eventually you'll reach a fork where the trail goes left uphill away from the creek or right toward it. Go right and cross the creek. Continue until you see the Montecito Water Company sign and begin to smell the sulfur from the hot springs. From there, you can go either left or right; walk to go left even though it doesn't seem like a path. It looks more like a rocky stream crossing than a trail, but keep going for a few more minutes and you'll reach the springs. There are several pools. The upper pools are the hottest, and the temperature gradually cools as you move downstream. Most people were wearing swimsuits when I visited, although I've heard clothing optional use isn't uncommon. Insider's tip: Bring a towel! Parking is limited. You'll have the best chance to find parking on weekdays or very early morning on the weekend.

This trail is so nice and leads to beautiful hot springs!…read more Parking is limited so get here early or come mid day during the week. The hike up to the hot springs has a lot of rocks and a bit of a steady incline, so wear closed toe shoes. You can get some beautiful views of the ocean from high up on the hike right before you take the trail to the hot springs. Breathtaking. Love the layout of the hot springs. The very top one is scorching hot!

Lake Los Caneros is excellent for bird watching as well as cross country running. Despite ample…read morefoot traffic, you can still find places where you are entirely alone.

Really pretty park; lots of trails; saw birds, baby bunnies, and beautiful wildflowers. Found a few…read moregeocaches along the way.

A fun quick stop to take a breather and take in nature…read more My husband said the bathroom was gross. The view was nice (but it's not a lot to see).

So we found this little gem while on a mini vacation to San Luis Obispo... gps took us through the…read moremountains and we came across this vista point. It was nature at its best. We just took a moment to enjoy the view and each other's company. Oh and to get my karate kid move on... lol

This is a great hike about four miles give or take. It's an actual loop. It's great if you want to…read morehave a great run or a jog to have a great workout. It's also fun if you want to bring your kids or dogs.

The hike was not difficult and provided some gorgeous views wild flowers…read more We took the lower trail to start and lived it

All Trails rates this hike as moderate by I say it's more towards hard. It is a steady steep…read moreincline for 3+ miles. All trails also says it's only 3.5 miles, that is one way! So your looking at 7 miles round trip. It's rocky but with shade the first 2 miles. After that bye bye shade and hello dry and dusty trail. You will want to wear hiking boots has it's very easy to loose gripping on the rocks and roll your ankle. I called it quits at 3 miles and went back down the trail. I was exhausted from the steady climb. I am not the most in shape person right now but I am fairly active. I just hiked 5 miles last week too. So unless you are in decent shape, be prepared to not make it all the way to the top. Bring plenty of water. As someone else said, walking through the private property portion until hitting the split off of the McMenemy trail is filled with dog poop and abandoned dog poop bags. It seems people don't take their dogs on the San Ysidro as I no longer says dog poop or bags unless they just kick it off the cliff side. On my way back down I saw a Gardner snake just off of the trail path. We started at 10:45 am and arrived back at the car at 1:42 pm.

Favorite hike in the region. Shaded, cool breeze up the ravine even though we were there in heat…read morewave during our visit. Moderate to easy hike. Loved the creek to put feet in at end and cool down with splash of water. Plenty of little critters, water striders, and other insects to entertain our kiddoes.

Peyton the Lifeguard is the GOAT! Bro saved me from getting pulled out into the abyss, and the…read morehelp me not eat crap when coming back ashore though rocky terrain. Good looking out Peyton!

Another year, another great trip!…read more We planned this trip last minute as we usually do. We were able to snag a last minute reservation and got a pretty decent space. We didn't get our top pick which was 29, but we got 58 which is nice as well. Not too many people around us either which was a nice surprise. We brought our pup this time and he's been having a blast so far. Bathrooms in the middle section need the token machine replaced but other than that, everything is great!

Just finished hiking the entirety of Tunnel Trail from Tunnel Road to East Camino Cielo Road--about…read more9 miles round trip. If you're a runner and used to measuring distance by road miles, be advised, you will not be completing this in the 75 minutes or so it takes you to do 9 miles on paved roads. We hiked at a pretty decent clip today and this took us close to five hours (without more than a two minute break to enjoy the juncal formations at the top). The first 4.5 miles climb steadily uphill, reaching an elevation of about 3,700 feet. It's up up up and mostly exposed to sun. Trails are single track and rocky, so you'll need to stay focused and tread carefully. This is a strenuous trail. Prepare yourself accordingly. You probably won't enjoy this hike if you're not in at least semi-decent shape. And even if you are, you'll feel it. Though difficult, the rewards for this effort are well worth the time and fatigue. Tunnel Trail is a hike through the fascinating geological history of Santa Barbara. You'll see plenty of Matilja and Coldwater sandstone, Cozy Dell Shale and (my favorite) juncal formations near East Camino Cielo Road. These are formations from the Eocene Age. That is, you're looking at stuff that formed about 50 million years ago--pretty amazing. Be advised, the descent is a bit of a relief, but no walk in the park. You can pick up the pace, but on tired legs, stay focused as there are a lot of slippery rock areas and it's SO easy to misstep. At 9 miles out, bring water for sure and maybe even a snack. We didn't and probably could have used a little boost at some point--you'll expend a lot of energy on the way up. Send me a message for more specific directions to the trail head. Happy hiking!

Great hike. Took me about 5:30h roundtrip, but that's b/c I did take lunch and take time to eat at…read morethe top. A tough, sweaty 3h up, and a relatively easy 2h down. I did go all the way to the summit of La Cumbre Peak at 3995ft from sea level, about 3000ft from the Tunnel Trail trailhead. The description of the trail on santabarbarahikes.com was surprisingly accurate and did help me know which way to go more than once. The only part where I went the wrong way for a bit was at the very beginning -- the fork where Tunnel Trail goes to the right, and 7 falls & Jesusita Trail go to the left, so watch out for that. I am in pretty good shape and do a decent amount of hiking, and I would rate this as a tough hike -- it was very much like the Bright Angel Trail coming out of the Grand Canyon, a continuous 30 degree ascent with lots of step rocks (but about half the total distance as the BAT). I only took 3L of water and I think that was about 1L less than I should have. I took my water filter but this was a bone dry hike -- no water source to filter and drink on Tunnel Trail. Also, I started at 12:30pm which was fine, I got back with plenty of sun left, but I also hiked during the hottest part of the day. My recommendations for anyone considering this hike: 1. Definitely plan to go all the way to the summit, that will be about 11 miles roundtrip, plan on that taking 5-6h at least. The summit is cool b/c there are picnic tables, a pit toilet, and an old abandoned outpost of some sort. And you get amazing views of not only Santa Barbara but also of the vast backcountry and of the Gibraltar Reservoir (see pics of all). 2. Take food, have lunch at the summit on one of the picnic tables. 3. Take at least 4L of water per person. 4. If at all possible go with someone. I went alone but there a lot of potential things that could go wrong on a long, tough, and relatively remote hike (I didn't see another human after the Rattesnake Trail fork and the remaining 3 miles or so to the summit) like this -- sprained ankle, fall, snake bite (see pic of snake I saw on trail). But if you're smart and tough you could do it alone. I have to comment on Kali's critique that you can do easier hikes in CA for equally good views. That is very true. But me I hike for 1. The workout and 2. The view (as a reward for the tough workout), so this kind of hike is my favorite -- tough, but well worth it. Highly recommended.

PRELIMINARY FOREWARNINGS: - Three and a half mile,…read moreintermediate to advanced hike with 700-800 foot elevation gain. - This is 30 minutes from Santa Barbara and Goleta within Los Padres National Forest. - Bring $10 in cash bills for the entrance/parking fee. - Drive a 4WD or SUV because you do need to drive over a river wash. - There is very little shade so bring a hat and plenty of water. - Don't confuse it with the "Aniso Trail" which is between El Capitan and Refugio State Beaches along the PCH. This is well within the Los Padres National Forest lands. - A flushing toilet with running water and picnic tables are at the trailhead. - WHAT THE SHALE! Beware when transverse up/down the trail since the ground consists of a lot of shale (fine-grained rock that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments) which is super slippery. Now with all the 'important' information covered, I will share this Aliso Canyon and Loop is within my top three favorite hikes around Santa Barbara. There is natural beauty with 360-degree views of the greener Santa Ynez and stony San Rafael Mountain Ranges. Along my hike I have seen turkeys, deer, skunks, and many bird species, plus skeletons, scat and foot prints galore. The trail begins as a mile long interpretive trail along a creek and travels through Aliso Canyon (unfortunately I've never seen the tour maps to match the points of interest). Continue in either direction another 2.5 miles to make the loop which climbs out of the canyon and up along the hill crest. At the highest point (1,700 foot elevation) you can enjoy some relaxation on a bench (thanks to the memory of Blanche 1924-1996) with views over the Santa Ynez Valley and both mountain ranges. Directions: Your best bet is to set your GPS to Sage Hill Campground. While it isn't difficult to find the trailhead, it can be potentially confusing at first. Drive on the 154 and turn onto Paradise Road which eventually enters Los Padres. Continue on the winding road until you see the Los Prietos Ranger Station on the left side. (You went too far if you reach Rancho Oso). Turn left and follow the road down and U to the right then left before crossing the Santa Ynez River wash. You will reach the payment area and signage. After depositing your ten dollars, continue to the right until the pavement ends. Cost: - $10 Day Use (CASH ONLY, no checks--they should really modernize and have a machine or even a code that accepts Venmo or Cash Apps!) - No passes accepted (i.e. Golden Age, Interagency, State Park, Federal National Park, or any other pass you can display) - No holidays are observed! Enjoy your time and remember to pack out what you pack in.

Family Friendly - The Aliso trail is located in the Sage…read moreHill Campround. You'll need to buy a day use pass ($10) to park and hike here. Just put the cash in one of their envelopes and put your pass on your dashboard. Is it worth ten bucks? Well, while I love free hikes I do think this was a good loop trail and worth the fee. Start the loop trail on your right up the mountain ( you'll see the sign) and soon you'll be hiking counter-clockwise along the ridge, and back down into the Aliso canyon. There are some great views along the way and the final decent into the canyon along the side of the hill is exhilarating fun for the whole family. Yes this is kid friendly, but it's not easy. Be prepared for some complaining going up. We came after a large rain yet the river that runs through the Aliso canyon was mostly dry. - 3.3 miles total - Little shade so come early or late.. - Good Shoes are recommend as some of the trail is small rubble.