Cathedral Peak

This is a super strenuous boulder hop. It's been suggested I recommend you not bring a dog. I'll leave it up to you. You should bring 2 liters of water. The trail is exposed to the hot sun. Gloves for the return trip are also a good idea as your hands may become burned and raw from the hot rocks.

You start the trail on a paved access road that the Edison Company uses. After a mile of gentle uphill, the road turns to dirt and you follow it just a little more toward the turnoff to Jesusita Trail. Take Jesusita Trail to the first creek crossing on Mission Creek, then turn right up mission creek and look for a steep trail on the left that continues up to Cathedral Peak.

This is a steep trail that takes you on a class three rock climb to the top of “Cathedral Peak.” The actual Cathedral Peak, at 3333 ft., is a jutting rock formation a bit further, but this trail goes to a peak just in front of it, properly named Arlington Peak, where there is a nook in a rock with a sign-in book to register your joyous summit.

The views are amazing, stretching from Oxnard on a very clear day all the way up the coast past Goleta and out into the Channel, past the Islands.

The hike is about 4 miles round trip with an elevation gain of about 3000 ft.

Cathedral Peak Updates

Update trail conditions

Posted: January 5, 2012, 11:37 pm
by: gonzo6869

First off, I just want to say hi to all fellow hikers. I have lived in Santa Barbara for 15yrs, but only recently started to hike the front country. I have done Cathedral Peak twice already, well once to Arlington the second to Cathedral. This is by far the best trail in the "Front" in my opinion. I am in no means in great shape, but found this trail to be somewhat easy. The item I would like to mention is the graffiti. I don't know if it would work, but I want to try to remove it. I am thinking of using a steel brush, I am almost positive this would remove the top layer of the sandstone. If there's a reason why this shouldn't be done please let me know. I hope to make it up there next weekend, if I don't hear any objections I will let you'll know how it goes.[url][/url]

Posted: December 29, 2011, 9:51 am
by: kirkt

I went up with my son for the first time a few days ago. Nothing out of the ordinary for most of the hike. The graffiti nick mentions is impossible to miss, unfortunately. Sigh...
Someone moved the register box on Cathedral Peak. We looked all over the peak and couldn't find it, but then on the way back we were scrambling around the backside of the peak and I looked down the slope a ways and there it was. It was sitting upright on a small level spot. I retrieved it and put it back where it's always been on the peak.
I'm going to put a new book in there on New Year's Day, and get rid of some of the dried out pens.

Posted: July 1, 2011, 11:03 am
by: nick stone

Just a quick note; it is what it is. Life is about letting go of the shit, eh? speaking of which, read below.

For the record, last weekend: BIG pile of dog shit in the middle of the trail (some unlucky hiker had already stepped in it) some arrows (cleaned them off) some cairns (knocked them down) and here is the topper folks (for me, anyway): a CIGARETTE BUTT. (oh yeah, and 2 hikers who thought they were going to 3 pools )

Posted: June 30, 2011, 12:54 pm
by: jbaysurfer

Nick, I echo many of the same sentiments. I don't think the publicizing of the trail is the culprit though..I think it's the clearing of the brush from the fires that have made this trail MUCH much easier to find. Prior to the fire, I would rarely see anyone up there. Since the fire, one day I saw a group of probably TWENTY westmont students up there (they were well behaved ftr, in addition to three other parties, sizes 1 to 4. On monday we saw used TP right on the trail a few hundred feet up, then of course we were greeted with the graffiti up higher. What burns me up more then anything is the idea that the culprits had to carry their spray paint that high up a challenging hike in order to commit their crimes. It's a level of premeditation that goes beyond tagging the wall in a local allyway. Ugh.

Posted: June 5, 2011, 6:41 pm
by: nick stone

Major spray-can graffiti about 5 minutes from the top of Arlington Ridge, probably 100 sq. ft of rock ruined. It would take sand-blasting or a hundred years (or more?) of weathering to get rid of it. I am really pissed off about everything that has happened up there this year and probably shouldn't say this, but that trail never should have been publicized. (and none of the other use-trails should be either). It's been ruined. Let people either find use-trails themselves, or not. At least there is a chance that the people who find them won't be idiots.

Posted: January 3, 2011, 1:07 pm
by: atheus

This is probably one of my favorite hikes in Santa Barbara (and there are many fantastic trails). I love the combination of different terrain (Trees, Creeks, Manzanitas, Sandstone Rocks).

Even though the hike is not very long, but since it is very steep (an elevation gain of 3,000 feet within 2-3 miles), it is a great work out and will most definitely make you sweat.

I took some pictures last time I hiked Cathedral Peak: http://www.mountdana.com/hiking/cathedral-peak-hike/. Enjoy!

Posted: September 12, 2010, 7:08 pm
by: nick stone

This year people have been vandalizing the rock up and down the ridge by scratching and scraping arrows in the rock. PLEASE PLEASE DON'T DO THIS! If you feel you absolutely must keep track of the trail, use cairns, AND KNOCK THEM DOWN ON THE WAY OUT. Arrows and cairns ruin the experience for everyone else; for old timers who know the trail and love the rock, and first timers who should get to experience the joys of route finding and enjoy the beauty of the trail. If you are unsure of your skills, go with someone who knows the trail; post-fire, there are some new false trails in addition to a few older ones that make it more confusing than it used to be. If you are getting lost, you probably shouldn't be up there. Also, heed the advice of others on this forum; take plenty of water and maybe some snacks; it is a very sun-exposed ridge and takes a lot more effort than any of the regular trails.

and md; I think people should be aware that there is some scrambling and some boulder hopping and using hands and feet and some steep sections; much harder compared to anything on the regular trails that people are accustomed to. I think you underestimate the shape you are in compared to a lot of hikers! (BTW, I am the guy you met at the top today; nice chatting with you).

One other note while I am here, if you like scrambling it is fun to keep to the East a bit below La Cumbre peak. Just make dam sure you are comfortable route finding, so you don't end up being another SAR statistic. There are a number of ways up through the rock, some harder than others, and you have to pay attention. But if you like that kind of thing it is fun and there are some cool features.

Posted: September 12, 2010, 12:11 pm
by: mdjohns

Not sure about this being class 3 - it is class 1 about 75% of the way and there are a few easy class 2 moves and a few harder class 2 spots. But definitely nothing close to class 3.

Took 1:45 to get to the top of Arlington from the parking spot, and I wasn't hurrying (I had a girl with me). 3 hours to get to the top? Were you blindfolded?

(I am not the fittest guy around, either)

Posted: September 8, 2010, 4:39 pm
by: kirkt

I hiked the three-peak loop on Labor Day, coming down Tunnel Trail from La Cumbre Peak. The trail from Cathedral Peak up to La Cumbre is the clearest it's ever been, perhaps because of the recent SAR operation for a lost hiker. The trail (really just a brush-cut line) now stays to the western edge of the 'wall' below La Cumbre, and in fact summits right at the three satellite dishes, under the pine trees on the western flank. I'm sure you can still scramble eastwards to come up to the bench, but in my opinion this is an improvement.
Just a note, a recent edition of Backpacker magazine singled out this hike among all the front country day hikes as the most challenging and rewarding. It is indeed both.

Posted: August 21, 2010, 4:37 pm
by: neworion

To echo emanex3's cautionary tale: please don't take this trail unless you are either a seasoned hiker or are going with someone who has been before. Several people have been airlifted down this summer. In summer get on the trail before sun-up or don't go - take an alternate hike like Tunnel trail instead. Plan on at least 3 hours to the top and 2 coming down and maybe 1 to get lost and found again. There is little escape from the sun once you are on the ridge. There is no complete trail along the ridge as much of the path is over boulders that barely show scuff marks.