Santa Cruz - Up and Back

Dogs Off-leash

E-Bikes Not Allowed

Features Technical · Views

Begin with a solid 4-mile climb up well-spaced switchbacks, surrounded by mountainside fields that are often filled with wildflowers. The summit of the trail at Little Pine Mountain is a great place to camp or just linger for the ocean views over the Santa Ynez mountains. The ride back down is a true classic at an intermediate level.

A designated National Recreation Trail, Santa Cruz Trail is the epitome of intermediate epic. The climb up is about 4 miles long, with many straightforward sections through meadows and up switchbacks, followed by some steeper bits and even washed away sections in soft shale. These challenging sections are easily walked if you feel more comfortable doing so.

Once at the top, enjoy big views out to the Pacific and over the Santa Ynez mountains. The ride back down is an epic 30-minute descent that is mostly smooth, and mostly in the blue difficulty range. This trail does not have many super technical sections but is often exposed.

This trail was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s.