Mountain Project: Climbing Central Coast

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:

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

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

Peels of Laughter 5.7 R Trad, 110 feet San Ysidro

The Ecstacy of Gold 5.8 Sport, 50 feet Crag Full of Dynamite

Applied Magnetics 5.8 PG13 Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 80 feet San Ysidro

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 5.9 Sport, 1 pitch, 70 feet Crag Full of Dynamite

Fine Line 5.9 Trad, 1 pitch, 105 feet San Ysidro

Many Happy Returns 5.9+ Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 80 feet San Ysidro

Hazardous Waste 5.10a Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet Gibraltar Area : Toxic Waste Wall

Great Race 5.10a Sport, TR, 1 pitch, 70 feet San Ysidro

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

Comments on Santa Barbara

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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:

Toxic Waste Wall / Upper Gibraltar - more than a dozen quality lines from 5.9 to 5.11b. Can be quite hot in summer. 20 min from downtown 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.

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Santa Barbara

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Description

The Classics