Inspiration Point Hike

We throughly enjoyed ourselves hiking inspiration point. This is a great hike for beginners like myself. We did the hike in about an hour and half round trip. I read some other reviews that the trail was not well maintained, but I did not feel this was the case.
Views from the tail were absolutely stunning! If we lived near by I could see this being a regular hike for us.
It was only around 68 degrees and it felt very warm. There is not much shade along the trail so come prepared for a lot of sun. Only other downside was the minuscule amount of parking, I would imagine weekends fill up very quickly.

Perfect! Great hike for all levels! A little muddy after the rain but tons of fun and beautiful setting. Perfect for kids and dogs — didn’t make it to the top due to timing but plan to go back next time we are in SB!

Trail in much need of maintenance. Rains have taken their toll. MTF apparently no longer permitted to perform maintenance by SB Co. Great hike when trail healthy and the views are spectacular.

Positive: A really great hike with a beautiful view at the top.
Negative: Nearly impossible to find parking and locate the gates of the trail.

Good hike w/​the Mrs. 1.5 hrs. Nice view of SB. Wish it was longer

Great short-​ish hike for families. Starts very easy (paved trail, moderate grade) and then turns into a steep, rocky single-​track trail to the look-​out. Could be difficult for very small children. Bring a water bottle or 2, its very exposed and hot in parts. The view of the coast and the Santa Cruz islands is worth it. Took us 1h 15min with kids 10 and 12, and we clocked it at 3.5 miles out and back from the water tower/​gate.

3.5 Stars
We used the intersection of Tunnel Rd and Mission Rd for the GPS. As the road forks, we stayed toward Tunnel Rd and parked on the right side. A regular told us that they love to tow here, and if you’re sticking out just a little or if your wheels aren’t turned… byebye to your car. He also told us that even if you make it out while they are hooking up your car and they haven’t exactly towed it away yet… it costs $ 450 to get it unhooked. OMG. We parked as close as we could to the little hillside without falling off and completely turned our wheels.
After you carefully park, head toward the iron gate/​go through the iron gate and you’ll be on your merry way. Follow signs for Jerusita Trail when the road forks and shortly after, you’ll be at the top.
This route is pretty easy, I would say level 4 out of 10. I may have been overly mentally prepared as I didn’t do thorough research and I was expecting a 7 mile hike. Taking the Tunnel Rd route felt in the neighborhood of 4.25 miles It took my husband and I (and our 7 year old chiweenie) about 1 hour and 45 minutes round trip.
Pros:
* Dog Friendly!
* Quick turn around time
* Friendly peeps
Cons:
* Bugs! Bring Bug Spray.
* Little to no shade
* the actual Inspiration Point is tiny, you wouldn’t be able to stand around and enjoy for long if there are lots of hikers.

Great hike!
I don’t workout regularly, if at all, with that being said, this hike wasn’t too bad. It’s actually a pretty short hike if you kept a good speed. Even if you took your time, you’ll be up and down in not even 4 hours — and that’s a lot. Nothing too steep or strenuous. It’s good beginner hike. I think there was actually some good shade in some areas. The trail is pretty easy to follow cause there’s arrows on the ground. When you’re on the road walking up before the dirt trail, you’ll already get a taste of the view and how nice it is. Too bad we have a drought because the little streams that we cross is dried up and would’ve added a nice touch. Once you reach the top, the view is spectacular. Very inspiring ;) I say, if you go around 9AM, you’ll be up and down by noon.

An hour-​and-​a-​half hike with beautiful views up top. Probably a level ⁷⁄₁₀ since the whole way up is uphill. Make sure to go on a cool day otherwise a hot day would make the uphill climb very difficult!

I went there with my wife to hike. Spent 3 hours going up (slow walk) and 1 hour going down. The trail was nice and not hard and the views are breathtaking.

Clean hike for a breathtaking view of the city. From mountains to ocean there was a great reward at the top.
Hike is average difficulty and very clean.
There are plenty of people on the trail and parking on the side up to the entrance.
It’s a quick trip up and back… worth a shot and not to be missed.

Beautiful hike! I wish the creek had water but anyways it was nice for running up and trail running down! If you’re into trail running it’s pretty exciting jumping over boulders and rocks on the trail!
Once at the top you can go down from the main peak to a more private area. It’s nicer and not a lot of people come down for some reason.
Beautiful panorama view! Highly recommend.

Great view! We hiked Jesusita trail up to Inspiration Point, it was 7.44 miles round trip. About 10 minutes before we made it up, I was ready to quit, but I am so glad I didn’t. It’s worth it. Go early, there is parking and it isn’t as hot. There isn’t much shade once you gain elevation.
Seriously, go hike it. You will be glad you did.

This is a real hike!
Dogs are allowed! HELL YA!
Uphill and half paved/​half trail.
The view is truly inspiring. ;]
Wilderness and no worries about being in someone’s backyard or trespassing.
No water which just proves California is in a serious drought, but it was still pretty none the less.
Parking is street parking and not very much of it. I got lucky, but I would prepare for a bit of a walk from your car to the trail head if you don’t find a good spot.
Poo bags are available at the beginning of the trail head so please pack out your dog’s poop!
There is one trail and then it forks off at the trail sign and you can either go left to the water and then up a hill again or right and straight up another hill to a tower. I chose right and my hike was short, but steep. I’ll be back to check out the left trail.

Map to the Mission church at 2201 Laguna Street. From there, head up Los Olivos toward the mountains. The road makes a jag and becomes Mission Canyon Rd.
At the stop sign, turn right on Foothill Rd.
At the stop sign and fire station, turn left onto Mission Canyon Rd.
At the fork in the road, stay left on Tunnel Rd.
Drive to the end of Tunnel Rd. and park your car. Be careful to park with your tires completely within the line or you will be towed. They are not kidding about that.
Hike up to the end of the road by the large water tank and metal gate across the road. This is the trailhead (go between the iron gates).
To stay on the right trail, basically keep forking left, and choose signs for Jesusita Trail. There will be a part where you dip down to cross a (now dry) creek /​riverbed, but keep going and you’ll hit the mile of uphill switchbacks. That takes you to the view you wanted to see!

As far as hikes near major population centers go, the inspiration point hike in Santa Barbara exceeds expectations.
A mile or so beyond the trailhead, the civilized world – houses, roads, etc – falls away, obscured by shrub-​covered and copper-​colored mountain on all but one side. The main trail basically switches back and forth inside a little glen and watershed area before soaring up to the top of a ridge that affords both views of the town and ocean to the west and of a singularly majestic «plate of armor» rock formation and the mountains rising in the east.
This isn’t a difficult hike, but the trail isn’t clearly marked and at one point where the path splits, a right turn leads up to a utility tower. That side trail, unfortunately, is downright steep, with dry, loose soil making it a tough backtrack for beginners. Stay left to avoid this, as another reviewer recommends.
Be prepared to park up to a mile from the trailhead on Tunnel Rd., especially if you are arriving after mid-​morning.
All in all, this conveniently located, 2 – 4 hour hike provides an excellent way to get wrapped up in nature’s embrace.

Signs are very difficult to understand. Go in the morning so there’s plenty of people to help direct you. I meant to get to 7 falls but the bottom was dry (no water on bottom) and someone said it may be better with a hiking buddy to help boost you up rocks. They said there was water up too.
Got to the top and it was a decent view. Not easy but not hard. I usually like a burn and I got some. Rolling hills in the beginning. Paved in the beginning and then trail higher. Google maps has good trail lines on it so use that to help guide you. Try Alltrails or Mapmyhike app too.

Depending on the weather, this can be an easy to tough hike! I have no shame in sharing that when it is hot, and the sun is shining brightly, this hike can be a real pain in the booty for me.
When a friend comes for a visit and wants to go for a hike, although they haven’t hiked for a year, I generally steer them to an easier one. The whole point is to enjoy your experience, right? If you are in good shape and hike often, this hike will be no problem for you. For those of you that are in decent shape and never hike, it could go either way.
The view is truly inspirational and worth the sweat. Be sure to bring lots of water and be mindful of the bikes!

I had wanted a hike in Santa Barbara that would work up a bit of a sweat, had awesome views and wasn’t too long, being that I was only in town for a weekend and had a lot of other activities on the agenda. Thanks to my fellow Unilocalers, I found that Inspiration Point fit the bill.
As others have mentioned, parking is very limited and to get to the trailhead you essentially end up on a dead end street. As you make your way to the trail, and start to see a lot of cars parked along side the road, grab the first spot you see, making sure your tires are within the white lines and not blocking a driveway!
Now to the hike… On a warm day, even in the early morning, it gets hot pretty quickly. We got to the trail around 9:30 and it already was quite toasty, even in late November. The first portion of the trail is paved and winds it way up towards the junction of Tunnel Trail and the Jesuita Trail. At that point, the pavement ends and you’re on rougher terrain. To make it to the Inspiration Point summit, bear left (I think it’s the Jesuita section) and that heads up to to the summit. At one point, you will go straight over a creek, which was dry this time of year and you pick up the trail directly on the other side. Nearing the summit, you do have some minor rocks and loose gravel to contend with, but overall, I considered this a «moderate» trail.
It was fairly well travelled and we ran in to a lot of friendly hikers. In that sense it felt safe enough to possibly hike alone, albeit, telling others of your plans. Along the way we were rewarded with a variety of bird sightings, lizards and of course views galore. Once you hit the top, take a breath and then take in the magical views of Santa Barbara, the ocean and additional mountain views. Lots of photo ops, naturally and it was a crystal clear day.
Wear sturdy shoes. Even though it’s not a long hike (less than 4 miles I’d say-​we ended up just doubling back the way we came up), you still have some slippery terrain, smaller boulders to scramble around and some loose gravel on the trail. Lovely scenery but be mindful of keeping to the trail and others coming up towards you or behind you-​there were several runners that we had to move for, which was fine-​just make sure to pay attention.
A great, shorter hike to start your day off right. We felt the burn from going up-​which is not a straight up, but a gradual series of switchbacks. It was enough to work up a decent sweat but definitely not something you are completely out of breath for.
Overall, highly recommended. Hooray Nature!

Inspiration Point trail is a easy to moderate hike.
The trail can be reached from the Tunnel Road trail (I’ve done it and this review is based off that) or from the Jesusita Trail (which I have not done).
About the hike– Approximately 4.5 miles roundtrip, the trail does not loop. Perfect for morning or late afternoon, although there are few shaded areas you don’t want to be hiking in the strong midday sun. The trail is not just uphill but varies between level, uphill, and downhill throughout all while making an elevation gain of about 800ft.
How to get there– Take Foothills Road Mission Canyon Road, when the road forks keep left onto Tunnel Road which you will take until the end and park. Walk along the paved road until you reach the trail head.
At the top– Once you reach the top the view is, well, inspirational. Spectacular views of Santa Barbara and the ocean. Great picture opportunity.
There are reptiles, birds, and other wildlife on the hike.
It’s a great location with other trails in the area to try as well.