The Santa Cruz Trail is a trail in the
Los Padres National Forest, in
Santa Barbara County, California. It is the primary footpath from the Santa Ynez Recreation Area into the
San Rafael and
Dick Smith Wilderness areas. The section from the southern trailhead up to Santa Cruz Camp is designated as the Santa Cruz - Aliso National Recreation Trail.
Description
The trail begins at the Buckhorn-Camuesa Road near the Upper Oso Campground and heads north through the
San Rafael Mountains, climbing to near the summit of
Little Pine Mountain
Little Pine Mountain is a mountain in Santa Barbara County, California, in the Los Padres National Forest at the southern edge of the San Rafael Mountains. It separates the drainages of Oso Creek, which flows into the upper Santa Ynez River, fro ...
at Alexander Saddle, before dropping down into the Santa Cruz Creek drainage, which includes a number of campsites. One of these campsites, Santa Cruz Camp, contains a
Forest Service guard station. The Santa Cruz Trail, no longer a
National Recreation Trail
The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...
, then ascends to the high ridge of the San Rafael Mountains, reaching its highest point near its junction with the Mission Pine Trail.
References
External links
Forest Service page
{{coord missing, Santa Barbara County, California
National Recreation Trails in California
Los Padres National Forest
Santa Barbara Ranger District, Los Padres National Forest
San Rafael Mountains
Natural history of Santa Barbara County, California