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    San Ysidro Falls Trail

    4.2 (21 reviews)

    San Ysidro Falls Trail Photos

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    A river of greenery.
    Gen M.

    A moderate level hike that takes about an hour round trip to the falls. After a rainy season, the falls are actually there and parts of the hike are blanketed in a lush green blanket. Wear long pants since there is poison oak everywhere. There is also great rock climbing about midway up the hike. You need to park in a residential area and walk in. Just looking at the houses in that area is fun in itself. There aren't any bathrooms or potable water at the trailhead. A good hike to do with kids or if you only have an hour or two.

    Hayeon Y.

    Cute hike!! Hard to find parking, but the drive there and views from the hike are gorgeous. Montecito is a beautiful area!

    Rainy hike
    Jennifer N.

    Hiked this trail last week. Still one of my favorite hikes but quite muddy right now in the beginning from all the rain. The last bit of the trail before you reach the waterfall is washed out so if you want to get up close to the waterfall you have to hike in the creek bed and climb/jump some rocks.

    A variety of views along the trail up to the falls at the back of the canyon
    Jennifer N.

    I always like to check out a new trail while on vacation. With the rainy winter we've had in California, a falls hike seemed like the perfect option during my long weekend in Santa Barbara. Now (or soon) is the time to go, since the falls are flowing and there are a lot of small pools and a smaller waterfall to enjoy. First off, logistics! The trail head is not as hard to find as I thought it would be. You will see cars parked alongside of the road (at least on a weekend morning) and a sign simply marked "Trail" on the right hand side. There is a narrow path you follow that runs along side private property but there are several markers telling you where to stick to the trail. After going around a gate and walking up a wider fire road, you will have the creek to your left and start heading up hill. There are a few junctions but for the most part follow the the trail to the right and up. At one point it seemed wrong to head to the right because it briefly led away from the creek, but that's short lived and you will connect back with it soon enough. The trail itself is short, but scenic and well shaded. Don't let the tree canopy fool you though-it gets warm out here and I went through about 40 ounces of water in a 2.5 hour hike. Once you arrive at a smaller waterfall, you can rest and enjoy the small pool and for families with children that might just be enough. However, for the 80 foot fall at the back of the canyon, you will see a narrow trail that curves up to the right-follow that and in less than half a mile you will be at the larger falls. This is a well traveled trail and later in the morning it seemed to get more crowded. I was glad we started our hike around 10 a.m. because we had the falls nearly to ourselves. By the time we were headed down, we passed several groups heading up. I had worn regular running sneakers but actually could have used something with a good grip-there are a lot of loose rocks on the trail so be careful of your footing. The trail was moderate for experienced hikers but the elevation gain sneaks up on you-you are basically going up hill the first half of the hike. I believe the entire out and back hike is 4 miles or less and the 2.5 hour journey included some time relaxing at the falls and plenty of photos stops. So glad I made it over here and perhaps on another trip I would do some more research and try out some of the longer trails. There were definitely connections to other hiking options and one that I believe even leads to Los Padres National Forest. What a nice little free and wonderful find.

    Trail map from San Ysidro Ranch. Sunday afternoon 2016-06-19
    Ziyan C.

    We had a nice hike up the main San Ysidro Falls Trail - it can get hot here, so this is a good choice to maximize shade. We only went about 1.5 miles up. Unfortunately, we didn't get sweeping views of Santa Barbera and the ocean below that I was hoping for - the trail winds behind some of the mountains. However, you get a variety of vegetation (cacti, forests, grassy areas) and the path follows running water so you get some little falls. There are some nice views of the other side of the mountain, some exposed rock that look like fun for scrambling/climbing. FYI, the first half quarter mile or so of the trail goes through some residential areas before it gets to the more remote areas!

    Looks so nice after the recent rain!
    Nancy T.

    Ahhh!! Perfect time to do this hike and see the waterfall is RIGHT NOW! San Ysidro Falls is a beautiful hike with a gorgeous and totally-worth-it waterfall view at the end. Apparently there are two locations to start the hike since I did read reviews about the 9 mile roundtrip one but our hike was only 3.3 miles roundtrip. It definitely felt like longer since it was mostly uphill the entire time. Took us about 2 hours total. We went around 10 am on a Sunday morning. Parking wasn't hard to find at all and the trail leading up to the waterfall was relatively easy to find as well. Stick to the trails that keep going up and there were plenty of friendly people we encountered on the way who were able to point us in the right direction when we were uncertain. Keep in mind that if you plan on walking around in the water or taking pictures underneath the waterfall it might be a good idea to bring sandals or another change of shoes since we decided to walk around in the water and ended up getting our shoes wet.

    N D.

    First of all June 2017 no water at the tall fall at the end of the hike. Still a nice hike 2 things I feel other reviews didn't accurately portray: Difficulty - I'm in pretty good shape and was expecting an easy 1-2 mile hike. Definitely more moderate and four miles to the last big waterfall (or waterless fall in June) and much of it uphill. Scenery- much prettier than I expected. Lots of greenery and wild flowers. Tons of small little water holes to play in. Watch out for bugs, almost all shaded. Overall I recommend checking it out. Gorgeous houses at the beginning of the trail.

    Richie D.

    I am extremely hesitant to say the San Ysidro trail is "open", however, I was able to make it all the way to the dried up falls. It is one of the few hikes besides Rattlesnake Canyon that is shaded. However, I highly recommend only skilled or experienced hikers go. I was able to witness the damage caused by the Montecito mudslides and then Thomas Fire first hand from this trail. The damage was not only devastating to the families and homes but also to the surrounding trails and nature. What use to be a creek is now a widened, carved out river. Many trees are toppled and burnt while the trail is unsteady and has given way to the cliffs. There are multiple sections of the trail that are best traveled along the riverbed versus using the trail along the riverside. Multiple hikers, including myself, have laid stone markers to distinguish the path, however, many confusing and unsafe areas remain. A hiking post from Santabarbara.com has a detailed description of the trail, yet towards the end it does not help much due to the changes. San Ysidro Falls trail is spectacular yet it is sad to see so much damage. Hopefully volunteers will fix it up with time since it is a diamond in the rough!

    View from the summit.
    Yusaku K.

    The 4.5 mile climb is not easy but the view at the top makes up for it. The second half of the climb is mostly in the sun but the shaded spots are nice places to take short breaks. There are some loose spots on the ground which made me and my friends slip a little bit on the way down. It's very dry up there so be sure to hydrate and wear shoes that can get dirty! 7/10 (The 5 star system on Yelp sucks)

    Amy P.

    The trailhead was a bit hard to find at first so look up a map of the area to make sure you know exactly where you need to be. It's located on E Mountain drive to the left of Park Lane. We got lost driving around Montecito looking for it for about 20 minutes and there's poor/no cell reception to get a gps reading up there. Getting lost wasn't so bad considering the estates in the area were breath taking. The locals on the streets were very friendly and gave us directions. Listen to the directions carefully because there are many trails in the area and you might end up following the wrong trail! Do your research before you get there and make sure to print out a map. I found this website useful: http://www.santabarbarahikes.com/hikes/frontcountry/directions/index.shtml?san_ysidro The San Ysidro Falls trail follows paved road for a slight part of the trail's beginning and becomes quite steep at many points in the trail. The path is well carved by all of the previous visitors so it's easy to follow without losing the tracks. There is a lot of tree cover and shade which is a blessing because you will definitely break a sweat going up. At later points in the trail closer to the waterfall you'll get to extremely large high steps so if you're not into making a climb then this isn't the trail for you. It isn't that difficult though unless you're just plain lazy. The trail does go up pretty high in the mountains so it's slightly tiring but is definitely doable with a few rest stops. Most people of average physical fitness should be able to do it with no problems. The trail is approximately 2 hours upwards and 1 hour to go back down if your ending destination is the waterfall. Make sure to bring a lot of water and a face towel to wipe sweat with. I hiked with one other person and we each carried a backpack of 4 water bottles which we ended up finishing 6 of the 8 bottles. There are some flying insects like ladybugs and butterflys but all of the insects are pretty much harmless. If you don't like them flying near you then make sure to put on some insect repellent. The waterfall is beautiful and definitely worth the climb. The coloring of the waterfall is much more spectacular in person than it is in the pictures. I walked into the pool of the waterfall and it was amazing. The water was pretty cold but you get used to it. There's plenty of areas and large rocks to sit on and enjoy it.

    Flowers blooming everywhere
    Jo M.

    This definitely a nice hike! My six year old was able to do it with us... a lot of challenges like getting into rocky steep narrow paths, but it was all part of the fun! Will do it again.

    View from the very top

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    Wonderful Hike. Moderate difficulty, as some of the trail was washed out. I recommend it.

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    Ask the Community - San Ysidro Falls Trail

    Review Highlights - San Ysidro Falls Trail

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    Montecito Peak Hike - Creek.. I guess?

    Montecito Peak Hike

    4.9(7 reviews)
    1.4 mi

    She came from out of town and said she wanted to do something fun…read more.. The conversation shifted to the hot springs in this neck of the woods... From the tone of my voice... She said I was unenthusiastic about it. But then I thought..... On our way to this place... The first thing that came off weird to me was parking.. Their isn't much parking This is about the only negative thing I have to say... I'm not an avid hiker I really don't go hiking at all In the middle of the day I was walking towards "The peak" Out of all days that could be chosen I found gold The weather was superb... Of course it had it's weird breaks (heat and sun) For the most part it was great And if you want a great experience Choose a day featuring great weather.. The hike up had lots of elevated climb to it I loved it... Their was lots to look at I didn't encounter any strange animals/ indigenous people or what have you I did see a bright blue dragon fly that seemed to follow me Wherever I went... The people along the hike we're friendly and nice We all seemed to share the same thoughts "Lost and confused " Not sure what hikes are to entail But this one would definitely called for strength, calories and hydration... You will need all that.. There was off beaten paths that led to points of scratching my head.. And in those moments I just turned around and went the way I came... While all this was happening I was reminded how far we have come along as humans How tough things were for our ancestors Just how appreciative I am for the life I have

    (I am more than confused with what trail(s) are actually located here, and need to state that sadly…read moreI hadn't hiked here pre-fire and flood.) My first trip I was trying to locate Tangerine Falls, which may or may not be located on the other side of the washed out area of E. Mountain Drive. So once I turned my car around and was heading back to Olive Mill/Hot Springs Road I found a very small place to park. (NOTE: If that small area is full, you can park on Riven Rock Drive.) I began the trail, again fully thinking I was heading for Tangerine Falls. (But even today, as I check Google Maps, they call this: HOT SPRINGS CANYON TRAIL HEAD.) - so doesn't that constitute a name change? As a very beginner hiker the trail starts fast. I had boots and walking poles, which helped my footing immensely, Once I realized I had no idea where I was headed to I asked a few people for help who were on the trail, too. They informed me that now (post fire and flood) the way to access Tangerine Falls is via Gibraltar Road. Lots of dark green trees, lots of black burned trees, too. There is a place where you cross the road and then continue on the trail. After about 1/2 mile, I believe, there are 2 signs that gave direction to HOT SPRINGS trail, and I think there may have been a bridge (since washed out) where you could cross the creek to hike another trails? SEE PHOTO - Not too sure about this though, only inferring from the signs and what *looked like where a bridge may have been. I wasn't confident crossing over fallen trees and logs to cross the creek to literally "see what was on the other side". I did hike just a bit past this sign - and the trail is very narrow and drops off steep to the creek. Since I am a big newbie I turned around from there ASAP, but quite a few people flew right past me. Again, this review is from a newbie hiker. I'm in love with this place regardless and am determined to figure out what exactly is up there still and what trails a hiker has access to. (Cold? Hot? Tangerine? San Ysidro? Saddle Rock? What else?) Since I'm not a local I am putting together piece by piece on my own as I can. Apparently there are hotel ruins up higher as well? Expect more pictures ASAP! And bring water, good shoes, and maybe a trekking pole if you're a newbie like me. :)

    Photos
    Montecito Peak Hike
    Montecito Peak Hike - Wonderful hike to the top!

    Wonderful hike to the top!

    Montecito Peak Hike - Burned tree 5/15/2020

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    Burned tree 5/15/2020

    7 Falls Hike

    7 Falls Hike

    4.3(38 reviews)
    5.4 mi

    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.

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    7 Falls Hike - 7Falls parking lot

    7Falls parking lot

    7 Falls Hike
    7 Falls Hike

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    Douglas Family Preserve - Pearl and a too-big stick.

    Douglas Family Preserve

    4.8(188 reviews)
    7.4 mi

    We had no idea that this nice easy trail existed when he headed out to Santa Barbara with our 9year…read moreold lab mix for a 4 night vacay. What a great find this place was. Parking is Free and Plentiful -- In early August 2025 we showed up at 6:30pm on a Monday (to hike the preserve). There was tons of parking in the lots that abut The Boathouse, and the lots are always free for the public. There is also free street parking on the street just past the traffic circle. The hike/trail (The Douglas Family Preserve): A nice easy trail, and really fun for the doggos as it is an off-leash area. I'd say that half the people we saw on the trail had a pup, while the other half had no pets. The loop from the ground to the top and back is 1.5miles. There is 150 feet of elevation gain over a distance of about 1/3 of a mile; the rest of the hike is flat (w/ a large mesa at the top with lots of interconnected trails if you want to make the hike more extensive than a 1.5mile loop). Our dog not only enjoyed the walk, but had lots of fun trying to start some small play sessions with other dogs that she saw on the trail. Bonus: this trail uses the same parking lot as Hendry's Beach (Arroyo Burro Beach), which is leash free along the coastline east of the lifeguard tower (to the left of the lifeguard tower if you are facing the ocean).

    It's nice to see how different the ocean views and the vegetation on this trail changes in…read moredifference seasons. I had previously visited in September and this visit it is May. Still a nice day to walk and enjoy the cool ocean breeze, friendly people and dogs on the trail.

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    Douglas Family Preserve - Me and Cooper

    Me and Cooper

    Douglas Family Preserve
    Douglas Family Preserve - ** Dogs Welcome ** ** on and off leash ** Starting the BarkDay celebration early!

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    ** Dogs Welcome ** ** on and off leash ** Starting the BarkDay celebration early!

    San Ysidro Falls Trail - hiking - Updated May 2026

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