Santa Barbara Mission
Walk Santa Barbara City, Coast, Country
Discover the best of Santa Barbara—on foot!
Walking isn’t the only way to see Santa Barbara; it’s simply the best way. Stroll the historic downtown, walk the beaches. Hike the foothill trails.
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Book Details: By Cheri Rae & John McKinney $ |
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Rattlesnake Canyon
Info:
Skofield Park to Tin Can Meadow 4.5 mi round trip with 1,000-ft elevation gain; to Gibraltar Road 6 mi round trip with 1,500-ft gain.
Rattlesnake Canyon Trail
Rattlesnake Canyon Trail is serpentine, but otherwise far more inviting than its name suggests.
The joys of the canyon were first promoted by none other than the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce. Many early 20th century visitors to Santa Barbara resorts enjoyed hiking and riding in the local mountains. Eager to keep the customers satisfied, in 1902 the chamber purchased easements from canyon homesteaders to develop a recreation trail.
"Chamber of Commerce Trail," as the chamber called it, was an immediate success with both tourists and locals. However, to the chamber's consternation, both the trail and the canyon itself continued to be called Rattlesnake. Chamber of Commerce Canyon sounded a bit self-serving, so the chamber tried to compromise with an earlier name, Las Canoas Canyon, and adopted a 1902 resolution to that effect. "The name of Rattlesnake Canyon is unpleasantly suggestive of a reptile," it argued, "which is found no more plentifully there than elsewhere along the mountain range and may deter some nervous persons from visiting that most delightful locality."
Submitted by The Trailmaster on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 07:49
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