This 48-mile romp through the Santa Ynez mountains starts pleasantly enough, rolling through Santa Barbara’s verdant neighborhoods and picturesque Spanish churches. But upon hitting Mission Ridge Road at mile 2.9, you'll begin a grueling ascent of Rattlesnake Canyon on Gibraltar Road (which climbs nearly 3,000 feet in just over seven miles at an average 7.7 percent grade). Aside from being steep and twisted, Gibraltar Road is bumpy and beaten, dusted with a layer of sand and rocks, and completely exposed to the sun, rendering it a brutal scorcher on sunny summer days.
After completing the ascent up Gibraltar Road -- catching southern vistas of the infinite Pacific and the Channel Islands along the way -- hang a right onto Camino Cielo (Sky Road) to endure a brief climb before flying down a roughly four-mile descent. Turn around at the gravel parking lot at the road’s end to head back up Camino Cielo toward La Cumbre Peak, the highest mountain in the area (3,985 ft.)
After La Cumbre, complete one more moderate climb before hanging a left and heading south on Painted Cave Road. This abomination of a roadway, literally tattered with potholes and cracks, descends toward the Pacific, first weaving through grasslands before slicing through a narrow, tree-dense valley. After five miles, hit CA 152 for four miles of smooth coasting on the shoulder of a well-paved freeway. Then hit the rollicking Foothill Boulevard to cross into downtown Santa Barbara. For some prime post-ride Mexican fare, hit up the local favorite La Super-Rica Taqueria.
-Mapped by the Rapha Continental
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Datum: |
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Gibraltar Track
| Dist: 48.14 mi |
Points: 1452 |
Calories: none |
| Time: none |
Speed: 0.0 mph |
Pace: 0:00 / mi |
| 0.00 mi |
Start |
West on Santa Barbara St. |
Then go 1.65 mi |
| 1.65 mi |
Turn Left |
Turn left at E Los Olivos St |
Then go 0.44 mi |
| 2.09 mi |
Turn Right |
Turn right at W Mountain Dr |
Then go 1.49 mi |
| 3.58 mi |
|
Continue on Gibraltar Rd |
Then go 6.54 mi |
| 10.12 mi |
Sharp Right |
Sharp right at E Camino Cielo |
Then go 6.69 mi |
| 16.82 mi |
|
Continue on Murietta Juncal Rd |
Then go 0.04 mi |
| 16.86 mi |
|
Continue on E Camino Cielo |
Then go 15.71 mi |
| 32.56 mi |
Turn Left |
Turn left at Painted Cave Rd |
Then go 3.10 mi |
| 35.66 mi |
Turn Left |
Turn left at CA-154/San Marcos Pass Rd |
Then go 8.79 mi |
| 44.45 mi |
|
Sharp right at W Mountain Dr |
Then go 0.87 mi |
| 45.33 mi |
Turn Left |
Turn left at E Los Olivos St |
Then go 0.54 mi |
| 45.87 mi |
Turn Left |
Turn left at Anacapa St |
Then go 0.97 mi |
| 46.84 mi |
Turn Left |
Turn left at E Anapamu St |
Then go 0.77 mi |
| 47.61 mi |
|
E Anapamu St turns right and becomes N Milpas St |
Then go 0.53 mi |
| 48.14 mi |
Stop |
End of ride |
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Blanketed Hillsides
Location: 34.489898°, -119.688706°
Don't let the tranquil panoramas deceive you: The approach to Gibraltar's apex becomes increasingly windier as you get higher. To take the Camino Cielo add-on, look for a "Road Closed" sign blocking a rundown street to the right. © Rapha Continental
Mission Ridge Road
Location: 34.444592°, -119.699972°
After pedaling through the rolling surface streets of Santa Barbara, head north on Foothill Road/Mission Ridge Road toward Rattlesnake Canyon Park. © Rapha Continental
Climbing Gibraltar Road
Location: 34.463117°, -119.679995°
Leaving Santa Barbara's lush neighborhoods, green parks and Spanish churches in your wake, churn up the mostly-exposed, sun-beat Gibraltar Road. Temper formidable views of the mountains to the north with idyllic panoramas of Santa Barbara and the coastline to the south. © Rapha Continental
Mean Ascent
Location: 34.469840°, -119.677849°
Continue your 10.7-mile, 3,669-foot climb to the highest point of Gibraltar Road. This lesser-maintained thoroughfare is choppy and potholed, covered with loose gravel, sand and small rocks. © Rapha Continental
Nearing Camino Cielo
Location: 34.487033°, -119.685402°
© Rapha Continental
Camino Cielo
Location: 34.491030°, -119.688664°
After turning right to pick up Camino Cielo, or "Sky Road," churn uphill for 2.5 up-and-down miles before entering a rolling, 4.1-mile downhill to the road's turnaround point. © Rapha Continental
Roller Coaster in the Sky
Location: 34.486750°, -119.642315°
Catch epic vistas of the surrounding Santa Ynez Mountains and the lush Los Padres National Forest as you fly down Camino Cielo. The turnaround point is a gravel parking lot where the road ends at mile 16.6. © Rapha Continental
Uphill on Camino Cielo
Location: 34.488978°, -119.659524°
What goes down must come up: Endure the inverse of your adrenaline-inducing joyride down Camino Cielo by grinding back up the rolling ridgeline. Back at Gibraltar, make the grueling 1.5-mile climb toward the 3,995-foot La Cumbre Peak, the tallest mountain in the area. © Rapha Continental
Painted Cave Road
Location: 34.513735°, -119.796553°
At mile 32, hang a left onto Painted Cave Road to complete your last descent of the ride. The road is absolutely destroyed here, blasted with potholes, hidden craters, and nasty cracks. On your way down, you'll cruise from grasslands into a lush, narrow valley comprised of treacherous switchbacks before hitting five miles of brake-burning straightaways and awe-inspiring panoramas. Then, fly down the shoulder of the refreshingly well-paved CA 152 before negotiating the up-and-down Foothill Boulevard en-route to downtown Santa Barbara. © Rapha Continental
La Super-Rica Taqueria
Location: 34.427726°, -119.687290°
Recharge the batteries by hitting up this local Mexican joint for some well-earned, post-ride comfort food. No chimichangas, enchiladas or burritos on this menu: Only tacos and three types of beer. © Rapha Continental
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