INSPIRATION POINT SANTA BARBARA PLUS

Its difficulty is only moderate, but you’ll need to be prepared to scramble over some rockier areas.

On average, it takes an hour and 45 minutes to complete the trail.ĭespite being one of the shorter trails on our list, this hike does present its fair share of challenges. The Seven Falls Trail is perfect for those who prefer to keep their hikes under 2 hours. It’s also suitable for horseback riding, and dogs are permitted on a leash. If you can handle steep, rocky paths, though, Rattlesnake Canyon trail makes for a great 3 hours of hiking. However, don’t be put off this trail by a fear of snakes – the canyon gets its name from its winding paths, not because of any snake populations. Those who are averse to steep inclines might want to give this hike a miss since it’s rated hard in terms of difficulty. The opinions expressed are his own.If you head to Rattlesnake Canyon Park, you can take on the challenge of the Rattlesnake Canyon trail. He welcomes reader ideas for future Noozhawk columns, and can be reached at Click here to read previous columns. Forest Service in Los Padres National Forest. He serves as an archaeological site steward for the U.S. His latest book, Autobiography in the Anthropocene, is available at. Dan McCaslin is the author of Stone Anchors in Antiquity and has written extensively about the local backcountry. » Map: Ray Ford’s A Hiker’s Guide to the Santa Barbara Front Country Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “In Memoriam, Canto 56” includes the oft-quoted lines, “Nature is a world of strife and conflict and violence - ‘red in tooth and claw’ …” There is alternate parking at Stevens Park, 258 Canon Drive add one mile to your round-trip if you do this. Drive less than a mile to the entrance of well-marked Jesusita Trail next to Lauro Reservoir (Cater Water Treatment Plant, 1150 San Roque Road). Return to Foothill Road/Highway 192 and drive back toward Santa Barbara, and after Mission Canyon you will see the San Roque Road stoplight. » Directions: Since this is a shuttle hike, park your first vehicle at the top of Tunnel Road (parking is limited there!). You’re also likely to meet others near Inspiration Point. The trail is well-marked and there are mountain bikers, so remain alert. at Moreno Ranch, whose properties hikers legally pass through. While on the early Jesusita phase of this trek, please respect the private landowners, e.g.

INSPIRATION POINT SANTA BARBARA PLUS

On this late May morning, cool and foggy, I brought along two liters of water plus energy snacks, as well as the usual medical kit, windbreaker and gloves. and 4 p.m.īut what about times we’re just civilians zooming up to Rattlesnake Canyon after work, or to the Cold Spring or Jesusita trails? I check my list anyway, consider the time of day and local weather conditions, and plan to tote water.

Forest Service aegis, we have to carry a satellite phone and make regular call-ins at 8 a.m. Whenever we’re volunteering for a Partners in Preservation activity under the U.S. Yet, sometimes we rush out into the hills from our towns and plan to get a couple of hours of hiking in, then return quickly to “town” and resume our urban lives.īut 21st century-nearby nature can be just as ruthless as the one 19th century poet Alfred Lord Tennyson described as “red in tooth and claw” - despite all of the supposed advances of Western civilization (4-1-1).Įxample: When I’m planning a backpacking trek, I use a special list, I confer with hiking buddies, we go over our safety procedures, and we figure out who is carrying what emergency gear and the amount of water needed. Bears and mountain lions are now our near neighbors. Today, we face situations where (fairly) raw nature runs right up against the urban interface. I’ve often introduced the local hiking term adjacentcy, my own neologism, to highlight a new situation in our encroaching Anthropocene with so many people crammed into cities and frantic to get away from town (which is what all these On The Trail columns advise). A view of Arlington Peak from Inspiration Point.

Inspiration point santa barbara