Rattlesnake Canyon

We hiked to the meadow, and then continued to make our way up to the Gibraltar Road.
First, the trail to the meadow consisted of large rocks and crossing of the creek at least three times. To me, this is great, because I love rocks and creeks. However, some parts of the creek were dried up, so it was not as lovely as it’s supposed to be. I expected the meadow to be a widespread of green grass where I can just run for hours without reaching the end, but it was yellow and smaller than expected. Maybe it’s due to the drought.
We continued up to Gibraltar road for about another mile. This was a steep climb similar to the Gaviota trail up to the top, but it’s relatively short. Within the first 2 minutes or so past the meadow, you’ll reach a nice shady spot with trees and nice rocks you can sit on. It’s the perfect spot for a picnic! The rest is uphill with little shade. The last ten minutes up has no shade. Once you reach the top, you will get a nice view of S.B. county.
Overall, from the beginning to the Gibraltar Trail, it took us 4 hours and maybe 5 miles roundtrip. But we took plenty of breaks. It should only take 3 hours.

Absolutely a let-​down. My kids and I are quite athletic and avid hikers. Compared to trails like the ones at the Pinnacles in Northern Cal, this place is just plain pathetic. Pretty much all uphill with no rudimentary signs whatsoever to show you which direction to go. Scenery is mediocre at best unless you go all the way to the top. I see nothing spectacular with this trail especially if you are coming from out of town. Don’t waste your time here. I would recommend driving up Gibraltar Rd instead and stopping at certain spots to go off those trails instead for much better views of the Santa Barbara area.

Love it here! Beautiful hike w/​gorgeous views of SB.
The drive to get here is an adventure /​beautiful in itself!

beautiful hike and many nice people along the trail. There was water along the trail for the dog to drink and cool off. We only made about a mile down the trail as we were carrying 9 month old twins in packs. So that extra weight slowed us down. Looking forward to going back when the twins can walk or when we can get a baby sitter!

stay on the trail!!!

Undoubtedly owing to it’s name, this trail is relatively unknown and pristine. The trail splits at times but follows the course of the creek. There are huge boulder sized rocks along the creek side and plenty of trees which help provide near continuous shade throughout your hike.
The trail is about 3.5 miles round trip with a difficulty level almost anyone will find easy. When you reach the end you are greeted by a large open field of wild flowers with several boulders around the circumference. From here you have an unadulterated view of the city far below, mountains, and the channel islands. IT IS SIMPLY THE MOST BREATHE TAKING VIEW IN THE ENTIRE COUNTY.
And unlike 7 Falls, there is ample spaces for parking because there are much fewer patrons to this hidden park. Did I mention it’s only 15 minutes from downtown?
Near Skofield Park.