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WHERE TO RIDE

Our Favorite Rides

Whether you join us for a ride or go out for a solo adventure, here are a few of our favorites we would like to share!

Road: Hope Ranch + East Mountain Drive


This ride combines some of the most beautiful riding Santa Barbara has to offer.

Starting at Dolphin Statues near the pier (an SB local meet up spot), you'll first climb up to Hope Ranch, a community full of multi-million dollar homes with gorgeous views of the ocean. Continuing through town, you can stop for a treat at Mission Street Ice Cream, or cup of coffee at the Daily Grind. As you pass the Santa Barbara Mission, you'll take on a short climb up to Mountain Drive where you'll be rewarded with rollercoaster descents through the "American Riviera" and inspiring vistas. Heading back towards the beach you'll have a few more thrilling descents, before following our coastal bike path back to the pier. 

If you only have one day to ride in Santa Barbara, this is an ideal route!

Road: Up and Over - Gibraltar + East Camino Cielo


Known as the classic "Up and Over" route, this is a challenging Santa Barbara favorite. 

Starting at the Santa Barbara Mission, you'll climb almost 5K feet up Gibraltar road to East Camino Cielo that snakes its way above the Los Padres mountains over the clouds. After that challenging climb, you'll be treated to an equally thrilling descent down Painted Cave and Old San Marcos road, with tight switchbacks and amazing views. 

We recommend bringing layers, snacks, and plenty of water for this ride as there are no re-supply points on this route. There can be a pretty big difference in temperature at the top, and descending can be chilly depending on the time of day. It can also be very hot in the summer and there's very little shade going up Gibraltar. This loop is also popular in reverse! Many people prefer to descend Gibraltar instead as it's not quite as steep or technical as Painted Cave and OSM.

MTB: Jesusita Loop


This is one of the most popular MTB loops in town. This version climbs up a fire road and Inspiration Point trail to the top of the trailhead, but it can also be done as an out and back.

Jesusita is a Blue/Black trail with everything you could want in a Southern California ride: steep and loose descents, technical rock gardens, and tight switch backs. If you do it as a loop, you'll first climb up Tunnel Road, a double track fire road that eventually splits off to Inspiration Point trail. Going to the left will take you to the trailhead, but if you wants some extra credit you can continue the fire road to the Tunnel/Jesusita Connector known as "Little Tunnel" to locals. As you climb up Inspiration Point, you'll encounter many hikers and a few hike-a-bike sections so be sure to use a bell and practice trail courtesy.

At the top of Inspiration Point there is a small section of single track that is loose and technical that you can also add on, or just take the fire road over to the top of Jesusita. The descent starts off with tight switchbacks, followed by a few technical features that you may want to look at before bombing down. There's a nice mixture of flow and technical riding, and is partially shaded on almost the whole descent.

After the recent rains there are several places of dangerous exposure on the trail, so please exercise caution! This trail is also very popular with hikers, so please use a bike bell (we have them at the shop!) 

Jesusita Loop on Trailforks.com