Love this hike, always a bit nervous of running into a mountain lion. Great hike. Start in the left side and loop around when you get to the peak. The views are beautiful going down, so worth it. 6.40 miles, know led it out in 2hours. Take water, wear pants and bring your 4x4 shoes lol. read more

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I always enjoy a great trail and this fits for a great workout. The trails have a great mix of flat and steep and can accommodate from beginning to moderate. It's also great for a bike ride as well. read more

This is such a great hike! 4 miles up and 4 miles back (despite AllTrails saying 6 miles round trip). You can go the same way back or around the other side via Trespass Trail. I have done this hike twice, both in the last month or so. The first time we did the gravel way up and back. The second time we did Trespass Trail up and the gravel way back. My bf really liked the latter (lots of big steps/rocks) , but I did not and would rather do the gravel route. However, it is noteworthy to add that the gravel route has essentially no views and Trespass Trail has views of the ocean almost the whole time. The view at the top is gorgeous and well worth the hike. I recommend going on a cooler day as there is not much shade. read more

Gaviota Peak Trail - View from Trespass Trail - Hiking Near Me - Goleta, California

Exciting adventurous and amazing wind caves Exposed so need sun protection but challenging without intimidation read more

The 3.1-mile one-way with 2150' elevation gain Gaviota Peak Trail is an evenly graded dirt road with sporadic shade and views of the Santa Ynez Valley. The trail is boring until reaching Gaviota Peak with an unobstructed vista. Thankfully, the hike can be done in a loop by using the 3.5-mile one-way Trespass Trail. Despite being longer which generally means less steep and therefore easier, Trespass Trail is harder than Gaviota Peak Trail. Trespass starts easier but the final mile to Gaviota Peak ascends a steep 1000'. Trepass is also buggier and a bit overgrown in a couple spots but better because it has views of the ocean. If lucky, a not-very-wild wild turkey hangs out in this area. The parking lot requires a $2 parking permit. Personal check or exact cash is accepted in the iron box. Alternatively, a new program lets public library card holders "check-out" a California State Parks pass from their local library for free much like is done when borrowing a book. read more

Gaviota Peak Trail (GPT) is about a 6 mile there and back hike. It is best to go early morning as the temperature can get pretty warm. It is recommended to bring layers of clothes as some areas can get chilly in the shade. Don't forget your water and sunscreen. On this trail you have the ability to venture off to the hot springs if that is to your liking. On this hike I enjoyed the fact the path was wide and pretty maintained. Individuals of all ages can do the hike. Enjoy read more

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This is one of my favorite trails in the Los Angeles area...BUT....Do it in the winter after some rains. I have done this trail at the end of March and it was green, lush, and absolutely gorgeous. The mountains/hills at the top (just past the peak) were full of water so it looked like mini lakes which rippled in the breeze at the top. I hiked this trail again in July and it was dry and not as exciting or pretty to look at. Some cool points.... - I love that this trail varies from rolling meadows, to the peak with ocean views, to a cave, and groves of California live oaks. - I love the cave!! So fun to climb around in! - The hot springs on this trail is an added bonus. It's maybe 1/4 mile up the trail off a small, almost hidden side trail. We did the loop and then hiked back up to soak in the hot springs. - Take Trespass trail back down. It's a little more narrow/overgrown but you get some great ocean views. Things to know: - The hot springs can get crowded on the weekend. There were about 10 people there the first time I went, but no one during the week. - Wear long pants and watch out for poison oak. read more

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I highly recommend to hike during spring or summer. The views are just amazing. This is an all uphill hike, be prepared. The higher you get the better the view. read more

Excellent little hike to catch some sweet California coast and mountain views. We got there around 9AM and didn't get to park at the trailhead, but were still able to park closer to the highway, about a 2 minutes walk. Overall the hike seemed manageable at around 7 miles round trip, and ~2000 ft elevation. On the way up there's a nice tromp through grasslands and dustier trail with a little shade. Plan on coming earlier in the day because there isn't much shade, so it gets a bit hot. I loved walking along the peak ridges and checking out the views at the top. At a moderate pace, we made it up to the top in 1:15 and spend 3-4 hours total, including a stop at the hot springs at the bottom and some snack breaks in between. read more

You will get a good workout on this trail , moderate difficulty ,3 mile to get to the peak , first 2 miles are ok but the last mile is steeper . You can go down trespass trail for the scenic ocean view but make sure you wear hiking shoes and long pants , the trail is very narrow and steep with plenty of bushes, uneven slopes with rocks, it can be quite intimidating for beginners. Going up walking will take about 1 hour . There's a lot of flies at the peak , maybe because the marker also serves as a trash can. read more

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I love this hike because it is so difficult and the view is pretty good at the top. There's not much shade and it's uphill most of the way. Bring a lot of water!The only con is that the parking lot is not safe. My car (&others) were recently broken into there. Even if parking spots are available in the lot, park along the road in front of the ranger station/building before the parking lot. The ranger station has cameras outside so it's a little safer. I wish I had know this before! read more

Being active seniors, we attempted this moderate rated hiking trail. Although we did not make it to the peak due to the tremendous incline, our round-trip on the trespass trail ended up being 8 miles. I don't know how all trails comes up with their distance. We did not deviate off onto the side trails. There were some spectacular views on the way up of the ocean and the surrounding mountains sides which was very enjoyable. Although the trail started out very wide, it narrows to merely a foot path and at one point becomes a death trap because there is barely room for 1 foot in front of the other because of the erosion which would make it easy to lose your footing and slide off the cliff. We had hoped to also see the Hot Springs, but by the time we got back down the hill to the .7 hiking path to them, we had hiked four hours and will save it for another day. We parked on the side of the road when we saw a line of cars, figuring that the parking lot ahead was full. This turned out not to be the case. Although the parking lot is not very big, there is parking. It is easy to find this hiking area, it is right off of exit 132 of the freeway and the parking is right by the sign on the side road. Even if you are not an avid hiker, this trail is worthwhile to go up for a moderate distance just to enjoy the surrounding beauty. We determined that the tunnel trail loops around and connects with the trespass trail from the lower part to the midway part. This looks like it would be a nice little hike as well and an easy one. Hiking boots are recommended because of the inclines and mud in areas as well as rocks in others. This is not a trail to bring young children on. Dogs are prohibited and I can understand why. There are no restrooms in the area, even in the parking lot, and there is no where to sit and take a break during the hike. read more

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No dogs allowed :( This is a great hike with fantastic views. Most of the people you meet on SB trails are very nice but I don't take chances and I don't hike alone without my dog. There is a sign at the trailhead but I swear I thought it was a picture of a horse! Okay so I'm a dork but I think people should be warned before they make the hour long car trip. My hiking book said nothing about dogs not being allowed on the trail. read more

Gaviota Peak Trail - At the Peak - Hiking Near Me - Goleta, California

One of the hardest hike I ever had... as a beginner.. just started hiking this year, probably this is my 4th hike but my first time to do almost 6.5 miles. It was a non stop walking climbing up the peak.. Beautiful scenery all around, so green and flowers everywhere.. The pathways were wide and clear. It was definitely an experience! read more

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Gaviota Peak is a challenging hike very good exercise and the hot springs are cool spot to check out to on the way up to the peak read more

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Hiked this trail during thanksgiving week. This trail sucked and I'll forever refer to it as my death hike. With that said the views Are totally worth it and would've been the highlight of my day if I had been a bit more prepared for this death hike. Be sure to bring plenty of water, lunch and sunscreen oh and a camera cause those views are awesome. read more

We started our hike around 2pm on Sunday and veered to the left of the fork toward the peak. This was our first time hiking here and didn't know what to expect. It's about 3 miles pretty much straight up, so wear comfortable shoes. My husband wore hiking boots and had blisters by the end. We got to the top of the peak and signed our names to a notebook in the metal box. We decided to take Trespass Trail coming down which faces the ocean and was absolutely beautiful. It gets narrow in places and can be rocky, so I also recommend walking sticks if you have them. I also wore light long sleeves and pants, since I wasn't sure about poison oak and ticks. All in all, it took us about 4 hours to complete the trails. PLEASE NOTE! When we got to the bottom, our car was broken into. Someone had smashed our passenger side window and also 2 other cars. Apparently, the same culprit has been hitting several parks in the area and stealing things while the owners are hiking. Thankfully, my wallet was locked in the glove box so he didn't steal anything valuable but PLEASE BE AWARE. The park rangers were notified of the crimes and helped us file a report. read more