WHERE TO RIDE

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" ridge 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!) 

MTB: Cold Springs West Fork

This is our favorite trail to ride after a long day at the shop. While this trail can be shuttled we typically ride it as a loop, starting where Gibraltar Road meets Mountain Drive. 

The West Fork of Cold Springs Trail is a Blue/Black multi-use trail with steep and loose descents, technical rock gardens, and tight switch backs. There is one uphill section of trail in middle of the descent, and a number of rock gardens and river crossing as you get further down. Parts of this trail have changed significantly in the last few years due to erosion and debris flows.

To ride this trail as a loop, we recommend starting at the bottom of Gibraltar road, and climbing up to the hairpin turn with several "No Shooting" metal signs where the trail starts. Once you have completed the single track, take a right on mountain drive and follow it back to the base of Gibraltar. *Please note the the bridge at the Cold Springs trailhead is currently being replaced, so you will want to exit the trail on the west side of the river basin to make the loop possible*

MTB: Camuesa Connector

The classic Camuesa Connector loop takes riders from the parking area on Paradise Road before the first day use crossing*, up the Camuesa Buckhorn fire road (multiuse - shared by motos), to the Camuesa Connector singletrack trail. The singletrack trail is shared with horses, and during the wet season the trail can be pitted with horseshoe prints. During the dry season this trail can get very sandy and loose.

The fire road climb has a few steep pitches, as does the single track. The singletrack ends at a river crossing, which is dry through most of the year, but is sometimes too deep to ride through depending on rain and the upstream reservoir. After the river crossing this loop follows the paved Paradise road back to the parking area. Depending on the time of year this road can be closed to cars at the first river crossing area.

*The parking area does have a fee required for day use. More info available here.

MTB: Arroyo Burro (Backside)

This trail starts off of Paradise road in the Santa Barbara Backcountry. Parking is not available at the trailhead, so we recommend parking at the first day use crossing area* which will add about 2 miles to the route. The route starts by crossing the Santa Ynez river, which is dry through most of the year but is occasionally too deep to ride through. This route follows the Arroyo Burro fire road up nearly to East Camino Cielo road, where the singletrack starts. 

The single track starts fast and flowy, with some exposed edges, and a few tight sudden hairpin turns. As the trail descends it encounters more rock gardens and several stream crossings which are typically dry. The trail deposits you back on the fire road about 1 mile away from Paradise road. Alternatively, this trail can be started from East Camino Cielo road, starting with the singletrack downhill and ending with the fire road climb. 

*The parking area does have a fee required for day use. More info available here.