Santa Barbara Backcountry (Camino Cielo)
Santa Ynez Mountains · near Santa Barbara · Central Coast
Gravel & Bikepacking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Best season
- Fall–spring (hot, high fire risk in summer/fall)
What is here
- Terrain
- mountain
- Amenities
- 'Sky Road' crest traverse · Ocean & Channel Islands views · Los Padres backcountry · Trailhead campgrounds
- Best for
- A dramatic ocean-view ridgeline traverse
- Features
- Ride the Santa Ynez crest · Ocean-and-islands panoramas · Rough backcountry 'Sky Road' · Wild Los Padres links
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Big exposure, little water/shade · Rough, rocky ridge road · Summer heat & fire closures · Poison oak, rattlesnakes
- Good for a first timer
- No
Gravel & Bikepacking detail
- Ride types
- day-gravel · adventure
- Surface
- rough
- Remoteness
- 3
- Riding
- A dramatic ridgeline traverse straight above Santa Barbara — the rough 'Sky Road' along the Santa Ynez crest, ocean and Channel Islands on one side, wild backcountry on the other
- Terrain note
- 1,500–4,000 ft crest; rough dirt ridge road; big exposure both sides
- Camping
- Yes
- Intl tip
- The 'Sky Road' (Camino Cielo) along the Santa Ynez crest directly above Santa Barbara — a rough dirt ridge traverse with the Pacific and Channel Islands on one side and wild Los Padres backcountry on the other. Nonstop dramatic views. A stiff climb to reach it; rough, exposed terrain with little water/shade, scorching summers and fire closures (fall–spring best). Trailhead campgrounds and backcountry links. A thrilling, view-drenched ridgeline ride above the 'American Riviera.'
- Trip lengths
- day
The guide
Camino Cielo — the 'Sky Road' — runs along the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains directly above Santa Barbara, and riding it is…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Santa Barbara Backcountry (Camino Cielo) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.5, -119.78