BEGINNER
Most Beginner Friendly
Douglas Preserve
A 1-mile loop along the ocean bluffs and through a grove of trees near Arroyo Burro beach. Perfect for first-timers with flat, relaxed riding and beautiful views.
Elwood Preserve
About fifteen minutes outside Santa Barbara with 650 acres of open space, featuring relatively flat terrain with few rocks or technical features. The bluff-side trail is especially beginner-friendly.
More Mesa
A large open space of over 100 acres with many trails and a dirt jump park. The area features a network of trails suitable for mountain biking through open mesa terrain with ocean views.
Lake Los Carneros
A 140-acre ecological preserve featuring a network of trails that meander through rolling meadows and forests of eucalyptus, oak, and pine trees. The trails offer an easy 2 mile loop with minimal elevation gain, primarily used for walking, birding, and biking. The trails on the east side are relatively flat, while the west side has uneven surfaces and steeper inclines. This multi-use preserve is popular for casual rides with beautiful lake views and abundant wildlife.
Tuckers Grove
San Antonio Creek Trail is a great ride for novice mountain bikers featuring mostly smooth, flowy singletrack. While most of the trail is beginner-friendly, there are a few rocky sections where beginners may want to walk, plus some optional rock ride-offs and tight switchbacks that more advanced riders will appreciate. This multi-use trail is heavily traveled on weekends, so using a bell and practicing good trail etiquette is essential.
BEGINNER TO INTERMEDIATE
Elings Park – Beginner Trails
A large park with a variety of features. The park is the largest privately funded park in the nation and provides some of the local’s favorite mountain bike trails with several options for newer riders.
Lake Cachuma Mountain Bike Trails (Santa Ynez Valley)
The main trail at Lake Cachuma is the Sweetwater Trail, a 5-mile route that runs along the edge of the lake, offering great lakeside views. There is also a network of trails that SAGE built as a Cross Country racecourse just past the disc golf course on the eastern end of the county park.
Trek Trails Rancho Alegre (Santa Ynez Valley)
Located in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley directly across from Lake Cachuma, this trail system features five miles of bike-optimized trails on a 215-acre property situated among majestic oak trees in Larsen Meadow . The trails are easy, flowy loops perfect for bonus miles after Tequepis or for riding with the family. Founded in 2020 through a partnership with the Trek Foundation, these beginner-level trails were designed and built by SAGE Trail Alliance to provide youth with accessible mountain biking opportunities. The trails are open to the public on designated days with a required liability waiver.
INTERMEDIATE
Camuesa Connector (Santa Ynez Valley)
10 mile loop in the backcountry of the Los Padres National Forest. Access via Paradise road.
ADVANCED
Most Challenging
Jesusita Trail
Santa Barbara’s best 9 mile loop for advanced riders with a brutal climb but rewarding descent involving rock gardens and rock steps. One of the most common advanced rides in the area offering incredible views and technical challenges.
Romero Canyon
A black diamond mountain bike trail offering incredible views and a diversity of technical challenges.
San Ysidro
A front country flow trail with a canyon rock garden finish. The trail features great views at the top followed by tight switchbacks and flowy descents with almost four miles of downhill singletrack.
Cold Spring
Flowy start at the top that quickly transitions into long and tricky rock sections This 4.5-mile technical descent is best suited for experienced riders with full suspension bikes, as the challenging rock gardens demand attention and skill.
Westfork of Cold Spring
Fun and flowy singletrack that’s less intimidating than nearby classics, featuring relatively smooth switchbacks up top before paralleling West Fork Montecito Creek for the second half. The trail includes decent rock gardens with a few tight, loose switchbacks, some steep dropoffs, and metal pipes near the creek that require extra caution on the lower half.
Tunnel Trail
This challenging downhill tests your skills and your bike’s build. The 3-mile extremely technical descent consists primarily of rock gardens with some very exposed segments. Full-face helmets and pads are recommended for this double black diamond trail that demands expert skills.
Girard/McMenemy Trail (Montecito)
Starts from Edison Catway and descends on Girard Trail before transitioning onto Lower McMenemy. The McMenemy switchbacks offer really tight turns, before finishing with a flowy ride through a eucalyptus grove. This technical descent offers better visibility than most Santa Barbara front country trails, though it still sees significant hiking traffic requiring a bike bell and caution.
Old Pueblo / Wiman Trail (Montecito)
Old Pueblo is a short trail in the Montecito front country that connects San Ysidro and Romero Canyon.
Wiman is a short trail that connects Old Pueblo to Park Lane and Mountain Drive
BACKCOUNTRY
Tequepis Trail (Near Santa Ynez/Lake Cachuma)
A 9-mile out-and-back trail featuring some of the smoothest singletrack in the Santa Barbara region, with about 3,000 feet of elevation gain. The trail climbs through forested areas with long switchbacks, including some rocky and challenging sections, before reaching the top with spectacular views. The descent is fast and flowy with gorgeous views of Cachuma Lake. Popular with mountain bikers, hikers, and trail runners, the trail is ridden as an out-and-back from Circle V trailhead.