Home - Destinations - People - Partners - Forum - Photos - What's New
 ADVANCED
Santa Barbara
Make this area a Favorite 
What's New in this area
Best Routes for You in this area
Photos > Recent | Best | Popular

Show routes:
Select Area...
Brickyard, The 
Cathedral Peak 
Caveman 
Cielo Crack Crag (a.k.a. "Pakalolo", a.k.a. "Gap Crack") 
Crag Full of Dynamite 
Fire Crags 
Gibraltar Area 
Gold Chasm 
Green Dome 
Lizard's Mouth, The 
Lower Mission Canyon 
Painted Cave 
Playground, The 
Red Rock 
San Ysidro 
Skofield Park 
Trigo Boulder 
Upper Theology Crag 


Browse this area on a map

Santa Barbara

Submitted By: EricT on Jan 31, 2006
Administrators: Mike Morley, andy patterson
Latitude: 34.4477  Longitude: -119.6800 
Aerial photo/map | Weather
Views: 61,068 page views

Add Area  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event 
Discussions available in the
Northern California
Message Forum
 Printer Friendly View

BETA PHOTO: Looking out at Santa Barbara (mainly UCSB) and the...


Getting There 

Santa Barbara is a low-key town an hour north of Los Angeles. Take the 101 north and you go right through town.


Description 

Santa Barbara has a large number of short cliffs scattered about the ridgeline behind the city. The rock is dense sandstone of mixed quality and primarily bolted. Like San Luis Obispo, it's not a destination area, but good routes exist.

The rock is soft, and softer when wet, so please respect the one day of drying for each day of rain rule.

Guidebooks currently available in local stores:

  • Rock Climbing Santa Barbara & Ventura by Steve Edwards (well put together and still quite complete, covers roped routes as well as the major bouldering areas)
  • Ocean's Eleven - Bouldering around Santa Barbara by Bob Banks (brand spankin' new!)

And a guidebook not currently available in stores, but obtainable on Ebay, Amazon, etc:

  • "Climbing! Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo" by Steve Tucker and Kevin Steele. A fabulous text that pays ample homage to Santa Barbara's traditional roots. A little outdated in some areas, but a gem of adventurous and off-the-beaten-track routes nonetheless. It's out of print, so happy searching!

Here's some additional climbing related links with a local flair:

  • www.king-dino.com: catalogue of climbing and assorted adventure from guidebook author Bob Banks.


  • www.sbbouldering.com: loads of enthusiasm and some local headlines from climber/filmmaker Paul Dusatko.

  • www.crankenstein.com: let burly sport climber and Owl Tor afficionado Elijah Ball show you what's rad, and what's not. Topics range from climbing to freediving to weightlifting.


The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Santa Barbara:
Lizards' Mouth Traverse   V0+     Boulder, 40 feet   The Lizard's Mouth : The Mouth
Peels of Laughter   5.7 R     Trad, 110 feet   San Ysidro
Orangahang   5.7     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 80 feet   San Ysidro
The Rapture   5.7     Sport, TR, 1 pitch, 60 feet   Gibraltar Area : Lower Gibraltar
Lieback Annie   5.7     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 50 feet   Gibraltar Area : Lower Gibraltar
Face Lift   5.7 R     Trad, 2 pitches, 90 feet   San Ysidro
Applied Magnetics   5.8 PG13     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 80 feet   San Ysidro
The Ecstacy of Gold   5.8     Sport, 50 feet   Crag Full of Dynamite
Fine Line   5.9     Trad, 1 pitch, 105 feet   San Ysidro
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly   5.9     Sport, 1 pitch, 70 feet   Crag Full of Dynamite
Many Happy Returns   5.9+     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 80 feet   San Ysidro
Great Race   5.10a     Sport, TR, 1 pitch, 70 feet   San Ysidro
Hazardous Waste   5.10a     Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet   Gibraltar Area : Toxic Waste Wall
T-Crack   5.10     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 60 feet   Gibraltar Area : Gibraltar Rock
A Route Runs Through It   5.10c     Sport, 1 pitch, 110 feet   Gibraltar Area : Upper Gibraltar
Vanishing Flakes   5.11a     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 80 feet   San Ysidro
The Nose   5.11     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 100 feet   Gibraltar Area : Gibraltar Rock
Makunaima   5.11c     Trad, 90 feet   Gibraltar Area : Cold Springs Dome
Browse More Classics in Santa Barbara

Featured Route For Santa Barbara
A local trad hardman boldly leading where few have gone before. Just past the first crux on Makunaima.

Makunaima 5.11c  CA : Central Coast : ... : Cold Springs Dome
Start on steep jugs, gain a wide crack, climb past a potentially loose horn, then fire through a series of strenuous finger-locks to a small roof. Pull the roof into more burly finger-locks, then traverse off to the left to exit. If you feel bold, go straight up to finish on a difficult and run-out boulder problem which pushes the grade up to a 5.11d. Makunaima is rarely led and often top-roped. ...[more]   Browse More Classics in CA


Photos of Santa Barbara Slideshow Add Photo
Pelicans near Santa Barbara.<br />Photo by Blitzo.

Pelicans near Santa Barbara.
Photo by Blitzo.

Looking east from near La Cumbre Peak, above Gibralter Rock.<br />Photo by Blitzo.

Looking east from near La Cumbre Peak, above Gibra...

Tarantula, photographed on a climbing outing in Skofield Park, Santa Barbara.

Tarantula, photographed on a climbing outing in Sk...

Coast Live Oak, following one of the recent fires in Santa Barbara.<br /><br />We've had three tough years in a row, but this Spring's wildfires were by far the worst yet.

Coast Live Oak, following one of the recent fires ...


Comments on Santa Barbara Add Comment
Show which comments —
By Rob Riggleman
From: Santa Barbara, CA
Oct 11, 2009
CONDITION REPORT 

The playground and the brickyard are both open again as of Oct 8 according to the NFS Website.

By Nathan Fisher
Feb 2, 2006

Nice to see Santa Barbara make it here. I first climbed here when my brother introduced me to the sport in 1984. Man that was some years back.

By Mike Morley
Administrator
From: Oakland, CA
May 16, 2006

For single-pitch sport climbing, you've got several options in and around SB:

  • Wheeler Gorge - on the way to Sespe along Hwy 33 - a good variety from 5.8 to mid 5.11 on 3 distinct rock types. Nice when it's hot, right along creek. About an hour or so from SB.
  • Little Lebowski - a good half day's worth. Short routes. A 15 min walk, just off W Camino Cielo.
  • Fire Crags - a good half day's worth. Nice views. Short routes, short approach. Right off 154 at Painted Cave.
  • Crag Full 'o Dynamite - zero approach, about a dozen short, fun routes literally right on the road. 15 minutes drive past Upper Gibraltar.

An hour and a half to the north, San Luis Obispo has some fun climbing on entirely different rock than the Santa Barbara/Ojai/Ventura variety. The best routes are on Bishop Peak and the [currently closed] Cerro Romualdo.

Pretty much the only multipitch climbing within 3 hours of Santa Barbara is at Sespe Gorge. Ending Crack is the best of the lot. Tahquitz/Suicide offers many fantastic multipitch routes, but it's a 3.5 hr drive from SB directly through L.A. Tollhouse Rock is another option for multipitch, but again, it's a good 5-hr drive, you're almost better off going to Yosemite.

By andy patterson
Administrator
From: Santa Barbara, CA
Jun 19, 2007

Actually, there are a number of awesome multi-pitch routs in S.B.: Cathedral Peak (adventuresome 3 pitch 5.7), Upper Gibraltar (2 pitch 5.10b), and a number of others...

By Adele
Sep 20, 2008

Has anyone found any new rock since the fire?

By andy patterson
Administrator
From: Santa Barbara, CA
Oct 29, 2008

As of Fall 2008, much of the climbing on West Camino Cielo is closed due to some sort of post-fire mulch operation instituted by the Forest Service. Lizard's Mouth is still open, but places like the Brickyard and the Playground are off-limits until (apparently) next Fall. Please respect the Forest Service's wishes and don't climb the closed areas. There's plenty of other rock in the area.

By Matthew Fienup
Administrator
From: Ventura, CA
May 27, 2009

The Jesusita Fire, which destroyed more than 8700 acres, has had a dramatic effect on Santa Barbara climbing sites. Upper Rattlesnake and Upper Cold Springs Canyons suffered severe damage. The entire Gibraltar Area, including Cold Springs Dome, has burned.

To see photos of the Gibraltar Area after the fire, click here

By Rob Riggleman
From: Santa Barbara, CA
May 28, 2009

There is a trail restoration day planned for June 13th for many of the trails affected by the Jesusita fire. Not too many details on the organization of the day yet, but the general plan is to meet at Skofield park and then set out to work on the Jesusita, Tunnel, Rattlesnake, and the West Fork of the Cold Springs trails.

Check this blog for further updates.