Santa Barbara Hiking Trails - Cold Spring(s) Trail

Cold Spring(s) Trail starts off with a very gentle climb to an area with small waterfalls (the creek bed was a bit low when I was there... so waterfalls were extra small). After you get to a sign for "West Fork Cold Springs Trail", it starts getting a bit more steep and will eventually lead you up to Edison Rd. From Edison Rd, there is a beautiful vista looking down on Montecito and Santa Barbara (in the distance). If you want to challenge yourself a bit further, there is an even steeper trail that leads higher into the mountains. The views from up there are even more incredible and there are some really cool yucca plants that dot the trail. Definitely recommend this hike!

Can still see traces of fire damage on certain trees.

We were actually searching for a waterfall (that didn't exist) and ended up on this boulder trail. After we got to a certain height, we realized that getting down would be much more difficult than going up. Therefore, it was at this point that we decided to turn around and admit defeat (my running shoes were not providing much traction on the boulders)

Santa Barbara Hiking Trails - Rattlesnake Canyon

Santa Barbara has some of the best hiking trails in the US... not only are the views and scenery amazing, but the weather is perfect for most of the year. The images shown here were taken at Rattlesnake Canyon. The trail name doesn't necessarily mean that you'll encounter a rattlesnake (although, I guess you could)... but rather refers to the curvy nature of the canyon/trail (which resembles a rattlesnake). The hike is moderate for most of the way. However, it gets a bit challenging and steep if you steer off the main trail and go away from the creek. Before you get to the steep part, there was a beautiful little meadow with thousands of yellow flowers blooming. Hope you enjoy the photos!