Cold Springs Trail to Montecito Peak

California, United States, North America

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Montecito Peak
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Cold Springs Trail to Montecito Peak

Page Type:	Route
Lat/Lon:	34.47129°N / 119.63494°W
Route Type:	Hiking
Season:	Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Time Required:	Half a day
Difficulty:	class one
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Overview

Montecito Peak seen from Camino Cielo Rd

Montecito Peak seen from Camino Cielo Ridge

Summit Register

This is another extremely popular trail located in the Santa Ynez Mountains to the northeast of the city of Santa Barbara, California. On any weekend and holidays dozens of hikers are seen making their way to the top. The pyramidal shape of Montecito Peak is unmistakeable from many miles away. There are two options for the first one and a half miles of the hike. The first, the original, follows, more or less, the east fork of Cold Springs Creek with two creek crossings. Following a heavy rain these creek crossings become difficult, if not dangerous. For these occasions there is a second option that avoids creek crossings all together. Both of these options will be explained in this page.

Getting There

Trailhead

From the intersection of 101 and Hot Springs Road drive 2.2 miles to it's intersection with East Mountain Drive.
Turn left onto East Mountain Drive and drive 1.1 miles to where it crosses Cold Springs Creek. About two hundred yards before the creek you will see a wide turnout on the right side of the road. Park here and walk up the road to the trailhead.

Route Description

Montecito Overlook

Fork on the trail to Montecito Peak

Option one: Start your hike some fifty feet to the east of where the creek crosses the road. There is a trailhead sign, a trashcan and a small plaque giving the distances of the different points of interest from the trailhead. The trail follows the creek for about a mile passing by many swimming holes in the shade of the trees. It crosses the creek twice with second crossing near the largest pools and the steepest rocks. Be careful going down a very steep hillside to the water. The trail continues for about another one half of a mile to some power lines and dirt service road. This is Montecito Overlook and your first view of the ocean.

Option two: After a heavy rain the creek crossings of "option one" become difficult. The trailhead for "option two" is located some fifty yards to the east of the "option One" trailhead. There is no trailhead signs on this one. This trail has no creek crossings and leads to the same power lines, service road and Montecito Overlook.

From Montecito Overlook the trail rises steeply for another one and a quarter of a mile to two Eucalyptus trees visible from at least a mile below. This spot gives you the best view of the coastline of California in either direction. Looking in the opposite direction, Montecito Peak and its pyramidal shape is clearly visible.

The last stretch of the hike is the shortest, but it includes the steepest part of the trail. From the two-trees spot continue up the trail until it becomes virtually level. Just before the end of the level section, you will see another trail forking steeply to the right. This fork will take you to the summit of Montecito Peak. The summit register is located between two rocks within a clump of boulders a few feet below the actual summit. From here, you will have an uninterrupted view of the coastline in one direction and Camino Cielo Ridge on the other.

Points of Interest	Coordinates	elevation	distance from trailhead
Trailhead	34.45556 N 119.65189 W	662 ft	0 miles
Montecito Overlook	34.46084 N 119.64561 W	1607 ft	1.5 miles
Eucalyptus Trees	34.46923 N 119.64577 W	2410 ft	2.75 miles
Trail fork to summit	34.47343 N 119.63948 W	2815 ft	3.25 miles
Summit	34.47129 N 119.63949 W	3105 ft	3.6 miles