Cold Spring Trail and Montecito Peak

Cold Spring Trail (I've been admonished that there is no "s" in the name) begins gently in shade by a creek that almost always has plenty of water. After a gentle uphill for 1/4 of a mile you reach a bench by the creek where you can sit and clear your mind with the gentle sounds of small waterfalls. This bench is at the junction of the West Fork of Cold Spring Trail. To stay on the main Cold Spring Trail, continue from the bench without crossing the creek. The trail climbs up and out of the shade to an Edison road with power lines. If you are tall enough to see over the bushes you'll get a good view of Montecito. On the way up to this spot, be careful on one of those switchbacks that you don't head straight and get off the trail. You will end up on a loop trail that brings you back to the trailhead. Another place to find this loop trail is from the power lines by turning right (west) and following the Edison road. Either one of these detours will provide you with a nice short work-out hike perfect for after work or early morning, or just when you feel like a shorter hike.

After reaching the power lines the trail continues eastward in chaparral up a very steep, rocky climb all the way to East Camino Cielo Rd. Before reaching the top is a turnoff to Montecito Peak, a very steep, but short climb to a pointy peak in the mountain range. There is a box hidden somewhere at the summit for logging your triumphant summit. At the top of Cold Spring Trail at East Camino Cielo Rd. by the water tower the trail actually continues down the other side of the mountain and deep into the back country. That part of the hike is described under Camino Cielo Hikes as Forbush Flat and Blue Canyon.

9 mile round trip.

Cold Springs Trail and Montecito Peak Updates

Update trail conditions

Posted: November 20, 2011, 3:09 am
by: l1gomes

Hiked to montecito peak with a friend Thur. Rode my DH bike down cold springs today. Trail looks great, lots of friedly hikers. Still plenty of water, and temp was perfect.

However there was one male jogger with black dog who couldn't have been a bigger a**. Just a reminder to those who feel bikes don't belong on the trails, we have just as much right to be on the trail as you do. (yes there are some downhill/cross country mt bikers that are rude/unsafe, but I am not one of them.) I have a bell on my bike. I control my speed. I made a complete stop and allowed this hiker to pass me while adding that I was solo. There was no reason for this jerk to tell me (a 31 year old female backerpacker/hiker/mt biker) that I didn't belong on the trail.

Please share the trails

Posted: June 15, 2011, 8:43 pm
by: LisaZ

Attempted to hike to the peak today. The trail conditions are excellent and there's plenty of water flowing out there. However, pay very careful attention after the second creek crossing. Like others have noted, we also made the mistake of going left up a steep trail after the 2nd creek crossing. HUGE MISTAKE.

This trail essentially leads to nothing. There's a bit of scrambling over some large boulders and if you keep hiking up and up the terrain gets super slippery and the trail just eventually ends. We were on all fours ducking under branches and climbing. If you want to explore this area, you need a machete for sure. Going back down is quite an adventure. It was impossible to get any traction so we literally resorted to sliding down the hill at times.

Lesson learned...go RIGHT after the second creek crossing. At first it looks like the trail heads down hill and loops back to the start, but it doesn't!! After a few steps it starts heading up to the left toward Montecito Peak.

Posted: May 21, 2011, 9:36 am
by: CamelHat

Planning to do the Cold Spring loop starting at the lower trail I continued on past the bench. After doing the two creek crossings, a bit further I found myself at a fork where the loop continued on to the right. Wanting to get higher up before going down on the loop I turned left. This trail was definitely less traveled and became steep quickly. The soil turned into rocks, sometimes I had to be on all fours to get through the shrubs. It remained quite steep all the way. Eventually this led to the upper East Fork trail towards Montecito Peak that I followed up a few switchbacks until I got to the tree. This must be the same trail that Tina described. It was a good workout, a rough but adventurous alternative for doing Montecito Peak the usual way via the East Fork trail. Not for the unfit.

Posted: April 24, 2011, 2:00 pm
by: KelsieNyshell

This is one of my favorite spots in town right now. The hike isn't to strenuous. Right now the creeks and pools are flowing heavily and running deep. There is a spot to climb down to on a trail and you can stand on a large flat rock and the there is a pool there with a natural made water slide. My boyfriend went down it multiple times. Its not very large or intimidating but its awesome to say you did it. There are several pools that you can dip into most are about thigh to waist deep depending on your height. Beautiful trail with lots of shade and greenery i definitely recommend this one!!!

Posted: March 10, 2011, 2:45 pm
by: ChuckTheRunner

Only had 30 minute lunch break, ran about 1 mile up and 1 mile back from the Cold Spring Rd end. Trail conditions were excellent. Nice warm day with a lot of activity, human and canine. Parking was very challenging.

Posted: October 24, 2010, 7:50 pm
by: kirkt

Looks like this hasn’t been updated in awhile and I just went up today. I didn’t climb the peak, though it looks like someone is taking better care of the spur trail to the peak. It's much clearer at the beginning and even has a small cairn. Instead, I did the east-to-west loop, going up the east fork trail and coming down an unnamed connector. We had some rain this week and the ground was wet but not too muddy anywhere. A nice carpet of fragrant bay leaves plastered the ground in many places. The trail is in excellent condition all the way up. At the top I saw a 3-foot garter snake catching some warmth.

The trail I took down makes the hike about a 10-plus mile loop and reaches Camino Cielo about a mile east of the point where you reach the road. To find it, walk east on Camino Cielo from the Cold Spring trailhead and watch for a ridgline trail coming up out of the canyon. The trail goes down the eastern flank of the ridge that basically separates Cold Spring canyon, staying on the ridgeline for a ways before diving down to the stream. Presently it is rather obscured by some tall grasses, so keep a sharp eye as you round a prominent corner towards the ocean. The upper mile or so has some wonderful spots, but a good portion of this trail is a steep, unengineered hack in need of water bars and switchbacks, or it will become a rain gully like several other front country trails. At one narrow stretch of steep downhill I came across a very large rattler. Two snakes in one day! We had a lengthy session of territorial compromise that ended amicably for both parties, but was rather tense at times.

Tangerine Falls had barely any water in it today, but more rain is on the way. I’m hoping the ground is still holding water from last year’s rains and will saturate sooner this season, letting the falls spill away.

Posted: December 27, 2009, 9:37 pm
by: rkd

Made it to the top today - amazing views. The last part of the climb up to Montecito peak was a bit of a scramble as the dirt was loose. Otherwise, there is water in the creek so there are mini waterfalls along the way.

If you take the path that starts going directly upward from the trailhead, it will meet with the original Cold Springs trail going up to the fire road. When you meet an intersection, go right (uphill). I found this route was much easier to not get lost on. If you do start on the trail that goes along the water, make sure you follow the directions outlined below in that: SECOND WATER CROSSING GO RIGHT AND NOT ALONG THE WATER.

At the peak there is a green metal box with notepads and today it was located by the largest boulders a little below the very highest point. Took me about 2.5 hours up with a large 'getting lost adventure' detour and about 1.5 hours down at a moderate pace and stopping to take pictures as the sun was setting. Enjoy!

Posted: November 10, 2009, 12:01 am
by: Tina

On Saturday 11/7, I was out exploring the east side of Cold Springs trail and I believe I ended up on the same path of boulders, smaller rocks and almost endless rock slide slope that Jade describes (I wish I had read Jade's warning prior to my excursion).
Long story short, if you attempt this (hopefully nobody will be hiking up the same trail below you), stay to the left and use the manzanita to help you ... eventually you'll find a little off-trail route that takes you to the upper East Fork of Cold Spring's Trail. If you do this, at the very least be prepared to eat some dirt & bush & get some scratches. But, please save your good scrambling skills for firmer soil.

Posted: July 19, 2009, 12:28 pm
by: Jade

I'll second everything jbaysurfer said - bring extra water on this hike! It was not only hot when we did this hike, but unusually humid - I've never needed more water than I had in my camelbak until this time! Also, the word "steep" is a drastic understatement for the final climb to the peak. It's fairly short, but not for the faint of heart.

I'd like to add a separate warning, though: some time ago, I set out on Cold Spring intending to go to Montecito Peak, but I took a wrong turn. After the 2nd creek crossing, there was a choice between going left and going right. I didn't have a map, so I thought that going upstream made sense and went left.

There is a very nice trail that goes up the creek for a ways, and it's a very pleasant walk if you're just out for a short stroll in the woods. But at some point the trail turns sharply to the right, and you'll find yourself climbing straight up the hill over large boulders. Large boulders will eventually become small boulders, then smaller rocks, and every time you look up the "trail" will continue up the slope as far as the eye can see.

This is not a trail. This is a rockslide. Proceed at your own risk. I normally enjoy having off-trail adventures and climbing up slippery slopes, but this is an exception. If you go more than halfway up, coming down will be very very dangerous, and not at all fun. I went all the way to the top, and there is absolutely nothing up there, and no way to rejoin the trail!

I'm posting about it now because some friends of mine had the exact same experience last weekend, so apparently it's an easy mistake to make, and it's worth warning other newcomers to this trail. When you reach the 2nd creek crossing, go to the right! If you do choose to go left, turn back when you get to this point - it is NOT worth it.

Posted: June 22, 2009, 6:14 pm
by: jbaysurfer

hiked this trail to Mont. Pk. on Fri 6/19. It was very warm. I've climbed virtually all the front country peaks, but this was the last one on my list and I think it may have been the toughest. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was flies, maybe it was the bags of dog-doo hanging from bushes (do people think there's some sort of dog poop maid service or what!!!!?), maybe it was the 5' long, 4" in diameter that scared the heck out of me, maybe it was the fact I didn't bring enough water, or maybe it was the ubiquitous Poison Oak. But it was HARD!

That said, I loved every minute of it !

Fair warning, when you climb the final trail to the peak, which is short and incredibly steep with slick footing, don't let your Poison Oak guard down one little bit. There's a very large bush growing adjacent to /almost overhanging a very narrow steep section. I was surprised because I've noticed the P.O. in the front country usually is most prevalent below 2k' and this was higher than that. At any rate. It's a great hike, and the summit logbooks are a hoot to read (recent engagement was a great one!).

But it's tough!

BTW to the above poster, I saw bobcat scat right on the trail!