“Come to the land of booming creeks, deep swimming holes, high mountain pine forests, crystal clear” – Dennis Gagnon describing the Santa Cruz, 1981
If you’ve spent any time exploring the Santa Barbara Backcountry then no doubt your path has taken you along the Santa Cruz Trail, which extends 20 single-track miles from just above Upper Oso Campground to the pine studded splendor of Mission Pine Basin. What an incredible trail! Santa Cruz is one of the most popular trails in the SB Backcountry and was used daily by dozens of hikers, mountain bikers, backpackers, equestrians, peak baggers, bird watchers, trail runners and hunters. Santa Cruz Trail is the main backcountry entrance for the southern San Rafael Wilderness and passes many famous camps including Santa Cruz Station, Mission Pine Basin, Little Pine Spring, Flores Flat, Kellogg and 19 Oaks. While backpacking and camping are popular along the Santa Cruz Trail, the majority of trail users are either day-hikers seeking the grand views from atop Little Pine Mtn or mountain bikers enjoying the epic Little Pine Loop ride. Santa Cruz Trail was one of the best, until……
On Thursday August 18, 2016 an oak tree near White Rock Day Use Area off Paradise Rd fell across a power line. The downed power line landed in a grassy field which ignited and thus began the Rey Fire. The Rey Fire would burn for the next couple of weeks eventually destroying 32,606 acres across mostly Los Padres Forest land. Included in the destruction was 5.6 miles of the Santa Cruz Trail between Upper Oso and Little Pine Spring. A total of just over 7 miles of trail along the Santa Cruz Trail network were damaged when including the 19 Oaks and Happy Hollow (Little Pine) spur trails.
The LPFA has been working since the Rey Fire to restore the Santa Cruz Trail. To date we’ve reopened the trail from Upper Oso to 19 Oaks Camp and up another mile to a white rock area known affectionately as the ‘Cliffs of Insanity’. We’ve also been working from Alexander Saddle down towards Upper Oso and simultaneously back towards Little Pine Spring while also working up from Santa Cruz Station towards the infamous 40-Mile Wall. In addition we’ve partnered with some local scouts and the Forest Service to replace fire damaged signage and restore the camping area at 19 Oaks. Thanks to some very generous public donations and grant acquisitions, we’ve already reopened nearly 4 miles along the Santa Cruz with plans to restore the remaining 15 miles with the help and support of the Forest Service and some partner organizations.
In 2021 and 2022, LPFA continued to work the upper portions of the Santa Cruz Trail through combined efforts from our Trail Crew and volunteers. We staged Working Vacations at Santa Cruz Station and Flores Flat Camp and opened the trail between Santa Cruz Station and Kellogg Camp. This section of trail was looking GREAT, even the always overgrown meadow above Santa Cruz Station was weed whacked up to the wilderness line….
Then came the January 2023 storms. In the first two weeks of January 2023, two back-to-back atmospheric rivers hit the central coast. Localized rainfall totals for some areas of the Santa Barbara frontcountry and backcountry surpassed 20 inches in 48 hours. The Buckhorn Road, the primary vehicle access road to stage trail projects further in the backcountry, was washed out and unrepaired for two seasons. The winter of 2023 ended up being one of the wettest on record for this area, and the following winter of 2024 was well above average as well. Though the large projects for the retaining walls on Santa Cruz Trail were put on hold, LPFA worked to repair the storm damage on the trail from the trailhead to the Cliffs of Insanity with a combination of volunteer and trail crew projects. The trail was working from the trailhead to the Cliffs of Insanity two years in a row, and is in epic shape for those looking for a shorter hike, bike, or horse ride.
The trail is currently open from the trailhead to 19 Oaks Camp, closed from there until Santa Cruz Station, and open again from Santa Cruz Station to Mission Pine Basin.
Work on the closed section of trail is currently in planning stages at the SBRD. No solution has been decided on yet due to the severity of slope, ineffectiveness of retaining walls, and ongoing budget issues. LPFA will continue to push for solutions and the reopening of this iconic trail.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
- Los Padres National Forest, Santa Barbara Ranger District
- Santa Barbara Foundation
- American Trails Legacy Trails Program
- REI Santa Barbara
- Sierra Club, Los Padres Chapter
- National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
- Draughtsmen Aleworks
- Sage Trail Alliance
- Boy Scouts of America & Girl Scouts of the USA
- and all our volunteers, donors & trail users that make this all possible….
DID YOU KNOW: The Santa Cruz Trail is one of only two designated National Recreation Trails (NRT) in the Los Padres Forest.
