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Happy Hikers - Inspiration Point from Mission Canyon

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Happy Hikers - Inspiration Point from Mission Canyon

When
June 01, 2018
8:30 AM

No Hike if Raining. Bring plenty of water.

This is a Friday 8:15am meetup – no need to register.

Inspiration Point from Mission Canyon – 8:30am at the Trailhead; allow a little extra time to walk up from the parking areas. We’ve often hiked to Inspiration Point on the Jesusita Trail, but this hike takes us there from a different direction. It is actually one of the more popular hikes in Santa Barbara, but we schedule it less often due to limited parking at the trailhead. There should be enough parking within a half mile of the trailhead (see the instructions below), but carpooling is still encouraged. Last time we had over 30 hikers and it worked out OK.

We begin at the trailhead gate (at the end of Tunnel Road). The hike follows Mission Canyon, crosses Mission Creek, and meets the Jesusita Trail. Jesusita travels up to Inspiration Point, elevation 1750’, which offers sweeping vistas of the Pacific. On the way, there is the option to climb a short distance on a less maintained path up to Seven Falls, but this involves some bouldering so most of us will just stay on the trail. Total distance: 3.7 miles. Elevation gain: 800 feet. Difficulty: Moderate.

DIRECTIONS: Set your GPS for 1601 Tunnel Road, which is where the trailhead is located. From the Mission, take Mission Canyon Road north towards the mountains for 0.6 miles to Foothill Road and turn right. Drive 0.2 miles to Mission Canyon Road and turn left. Continue 0.3 miles and bear left at the split onto Tunnel Road. The trailhead is about 1.1 miles up Tunnel Road.

PARKING: There are about 15 parking spots near the trailhead and they do fill up, so here are some additional parking turnouts along Tunnel Road. Arrive a little early so you get a good spot and/or have time to walk up to the gate. NOTES: 1) All parking areas are on the right side as you drive UP Tunnel Road. 2) There is a turnaround area at the trailhead if you need to drive back down to a parking place. 3) Park with your tires outside of the white line--if you park on or over the line (thus in the road), you may get a ticket. Here are some of the parking areas along Tunnel Road, in the order of proximity to the trailhead:

0.0 mi. 15 spaces near the trailhead
0.1 mi. 6 spaces by the porta-potty
0.3 mi. 4 spaces near a curve by telephone pole BF49745
0.4 mi. 2 spaces near the green mailbox
0.4 mi. 4 spaces just after the Memory Lane
0.5 mi. 3 spaces just before Memory Lane
0.6 mi. 3 near Tunnel Ridge Road

There is additional parking further down, but hopefully we won't need it.

Hike Leader: Janet Martin

Hope to see you there!

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