From the Valley to the Mountain

Normally when we meet every 18 months or so, my girlfriends and I find a road or trail race to anchor the trip. Afterall, when we first met about 18 years ago in North Carolina, our dedication to fitness is what brought us together. But with one of us heading into knee surgery as soon as we returned and another having just healed from injury (and not me for a change!), a 10k or even a 5k wasn’t an option this round.

But hiking was, and we universally agreed while sitting poolside the morning after our sip ‘n’ cycle tour to head over to Skofield Park outside Santa Barbara city limits and climb Rattlesnake Canyon. It's near the Los Padres National Forest and well worth the trip, especially if you luck out and head up while the marine layer still hangs low.


Heading out. We'd cross this same stream at several points upland. My guess is the stream picks up intensity in the winter and spring months.
The first portion of the 3.5 mile round trip is mostly dirt with a canopy of alder, bay and sycamore trees. It gets rockier the higher you climb.

This is one of the most popular trails in the area, partly because of the well-established trail and canopy and partly because bikes aren't allowed. There was evidence everywhere that it had been hit by last year's wildfires.


Tracy (above) and Sue (below) take a little time in the meadow to practice yoga. I later learned it's called Tin Can Meadow, after an early homesteader. For many, this is the turnaround point. Others continue on and up a far more rigorous route for another couple of miles.


The only other piece of information I'd mention is that I saw a lot of poison oak, some of which was impossible to avoid along narrower ledges of the path. If you have a heightened sensitivity to the poisonous plant, beware. All in all, it's a great little inland trail near a monestary. Parking is actually before you hit the entrance at a stone bridge. I missed it completely b/c the cars were parked farther up on a much narrower strip.