This is our all time Favorite Hike, a little bit of everything! Waterfalls, rocks, lots of lizards…read moreand beautiful views

This was a mid/challenging hike depending if there is a lot of mud after the rain. When we came…read morethere were streams that we had to cross over via rock steps. If you're not careful you can easily fall in. Also there was a recent rock slide that occurred but you can easily navigate around. After the 1.75 miles journey up, the view was breathtaking and worth. You can enjoy the great view Santa Barbara and the ocean. Total 3.5-4 mile hike dependent on where you parked. Parking is right at the entrance on the side of street. Luckily it was empty because I went on a Monday but I assume it could be filled up on weekends so probably come early.

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.

Once upon a time, my boyfriend Matt B. brought me on a hike on Cold Spring Trail. This was probably…read morefifteen years ago, when we were in our twenties, and Matt--who I've since married--still brings up how I struggled on that hike. Cold Spring Trail is apparently short and easy and well suited to inexperienced hikers. We went again on a recent Sunday morning, and took our two boys, who are three and six years old. We didn't make it all the way to the top, but I can't say we did the first time, either. The trail was quite pleasant in the morning, before the sun came out in full force (I believe this was what made that long-ago hike so difficult). The grade was never too steep, even for our three-year-old, and there was plenty to see. All kinds of interesting bugs and plants and rocks, and several lovely little waterfalls. There was poison oak, too, but we got away clean, and our six-year-old seemed to enjoy spotting it. We also saw several other hikers and good dogs on the trail, but it never felt overly busy. I'm sure we'll be back to Cold Spring Trail, and maybe next time, we'll make it all the way up. Piece of cake for me, of course, just have to be mindful of the children.

My friend and I hiked this 2 mile easy trail on a Tuesday morning. It was great! Temperature was…read moremild, there is quite a bit of shade throughout the hike. The waterfalls are small but beautiful. There were not a lot of people when we hiked, maybe we saw 8 people max through out the hike. To Note: there is A LOT of Poison Ivy-Oak. I wore light long hiking pants. There are some stretches with no shade so wear sunscreen if sensitive to sun. Great if you are time limited, short hike. Landscape: little waterfalls, there is limited parking.

Absolutely amazing views. It was so serene. All you hear is nature. Beautiful trails.read more

This was a great hike that was a challenge from the beginning. It can be as short as a few miles or…read moretake it up to the tower and add a few more miles, regardless, it's a good work out. The trail is a scramble at times with loose gravel and big boulders but it's clean, and visible. The outlook off to the right about .5 miles is gorgeous on a clear day. Definitely dog friendly and there are a few ponds with clean water that dogs were splashing in. All dogs were off their leashes that we came across, including ours. Everyone was friendly and picking up after their pets, please do the same. Parking was easy and plenty of spaces available right off the trail head. You can choose between two trails that loop together, we took the one to the right, over the bridge, the steepest and most challenging of the two to start. Definitely wear sunscreen as there is no shade, wear a hat and don't forget your water. Take your time and enjoy the small, but peaceful waterfall and ocean views. Enjoy!

The good: I think it's dog friendly (at least there were…read moretons of unleashed dogs there). this was a beautiful beach with soft sand. There were lots of cool sticks and some small shells. I came around 8AM and enjoyed the warm morning glow from the sun as well as easy street parking directly next to the stairs that led to this beach. It's easy to access. My kids enjoyed playing on the sand here. The waves weren't too strong and the water washes up for a long shallow stretch. The bad: There's no bathroom. Luckily, we had an emergency toddler toilet for my kid. The interesting: I did see one butterfly while at this beach. I saw folks come for paddle boarding, swimming, fishing, remote control rock climbing cars, walking their dogs, and scuba diving.

Awesome beach with great views, a great way to escape from all the tourists in Santa Barbara and…read moreenjoy a more intimate and private beach. The houses on that street are stunning , great shallow beach to hang on if you don't want restaurants and shops and people everywhere. Got a tip from a local to check out butterfly beach and it was great !!

Ohhhh my gosh! This is a hidden gem! Seriously HIDDEN! Went for a drive thru the hills of…read moreCarpenteria and Montecito and stumbled upon this park... saw the sign for the turn off and decided to take it! Drove for a while on this gorgeous lush road with so much foliage and trees that you could barely see the sky, that led us to a beautiful park with a ton of trees, and a creek running through it! A wooden bridge crossing over...There was a huge dog park area; A nice bathroom; Playground for kids; There are several picnic areas available to reserve for events... Just lovely!

Only four stars for lack of puppy water…read more.. GPS is a little misleading. Once you see the Toro Canyon Park sign on the road you must keep going. It's definitely worth the extra drive. The fenced in off-leash dog park is big, but all dirt. The entire park itself is Amazing!!, Huge!!!, Clean And nicely done. We lucked out & were the 1st ones in. When we were leaving this nice park ranger type woman asked us if we'd be interested in attending a Rattlesnake Avoidance Training Class ?!?!? Lucky, Blessed, Confirmed! (9/14/22)

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!

11 AM on a Friday yielded no parking spots in the dirt lots allotted for parking. All of the homes…read morearound here are private, so these two sections are the only available parking spots if you drove. We waited a bit and were able to replace someone's spot. The entrance to the hike is a small opening. This is an easy, 1.5 mile hike up to the hot springs and 3 miles round trip. You'll cross a few streams and have to climb a bit, and the end result at the hot springs is amazing. There were several pools available, though the ones at the top are much hotter. The sulfur smell is stronger in certain areas but not overwhelming. This was a lovely hike! Remember that with all hikes, please leave nothing behind!

Hot Take: La Cumbre Peak is home to the best sunset I've seen on the west coast…read more The 7 Falls Hike is enjoyable, but you really have to take in the splendor of Santa Barbara, in all its glory, on the top of the Peak. There are some picnic tables and benches up there as well, and it's (fortunately) not very crowded at the moment. If you can get up there an hour before sundown, you'll have yourself a heck of a time. One tip: there's no gas within like 20 miles of here, so make sure you tank up before you roll up this mountain!

Seven Falls is located along Mission Creek, the same creek that once provided water to the nearby…read moreSanta Barbara mission. If you visit from Dec to May you will see 7 little distinct waterfalls, all flowing into small pools, directly one after another. The waterfalls have been attracting visitors since the 1800s. The trail to reach the falls is about 3-miles out-and-back. Navigating the different trails can be a little tricky and involves multiple trails and unsigned forks so you may want to use AllTrails app as your guide. The first mile you'll walk along an uphill paved road with some really nice ocean views. After you pass a bridge and then a trail kiosk you'll take a left at the fork. After passing Mission Creek you'll take another left up a steep and rocky incline. Eventually you'll reach the point where you'll need to take a sharp right and head downhill to the canyon floor. You can use the assistance of a rope that's attached to a tree. Climbing up the first waterfall is pretty easy but the next 6 should only be attempted with caution. It's best to visit from Dec to May, preferably after a good rain. It's a popular destination so it's best to visit early on a weekday. Parking is limited.