The Land Trust For Santa Barbara

Apr 2021

I was spending a few days in the Santa Barbara area decompressing and found this place before I left. They are only open to the public a couple of afternoons a week so I made a reservation to check them out. Seemed on the beaten path. Sure was. **Public can only visit with reservations on Monday or Wednesdays** The Arroyo Hondo Nature Preserve is off the US101 highway outside of Goleta. It is a tricky to find as there is very little signage and nothing indicating it from the highway. You essentially have to pull off the highway in the emergency lane to get onto the small one lane side road. There is a gate so you can only enter then they are open. At the end of the road is an old adobe building. Parking is across the bridge. I was immediately greeted at my car by staff they help manage the preserve. They gave an overview of the preserve and what is has to offer. They also hike around the preserve to check on visitors. Pretty cool. The only amenities were port-a-potties in the parking area and in gather area in the hiking area. The trails were split between used farm type roads and single/double track trails. All were maintained well. There is a stream that runs down the middle of the preserve. There are trails on both sides. There are also offshoot trails that go up to the ridge lines on either side. At the end of the creek trails, there is a steelhead trout spawning pool. The water is clear and a spring flows from a rock that you can drink from. Hiking/ walk was about 2 miles but you can add the ridgeline trails to up the mileage if desired. Price is donation which I recommend. Overall, this was a cool place for an afternoon outside. Since reservations only, a low number of people are there giving up a nice quiet experience.