By This is a sequel to my previous entry We Love You, Santa Barbara.
When I went to bed the night before, I planned to hit the trails early that morning. But when I woke up, it was overcast and it even drizzled a little on and off. So instead, I got myself a soy latte from Starbucks then stayed in our comfortable room in Beach House Inn and watched Charmed on TNT. It was cozy and relaxing.
By the time we reached the trailhead, it was 10:30 am. Due to the overcast skies, it was nice and cool. Just the way I like it. The trailhead was easy to find from San Roque Rd in Mission Canyon. Free street parking was available across from the trailhead.
After about 0.1 miles, Jesusita Trail met Arroyo Burro Trail. We turned right and stayed on Arroyo Burro for about 0.6 miles. At that point, we met up with Jesusita again. The ascent was gradual during the first two miles which makes this hiking suitable for all levels.
We passed two picnic areas. The first one was located approximately 0.5 miles from the trailhead. If you are hiking with small children, that could be a good midpoint of your hike. It’s a nice way to introduce hiking to little children I think. Don’t forget to bring water and snacks. The second picnic area was about a mile away from the first one.
Roughly 2 miles into hiking, there were 4 big steps we had to climb. I definitely like mountain terrain better than sandy desert terrain. After that, switchbacks started and the ascent grew steeper. So much fun! I didn’t see it on the way up because I was busy climbing but I am glad I got to see this lovely message on my way down. It made me smile.
Jesusita is an out and back trail so you can turn around anytime. I know it’s just a mental thing but it is hard for me to turn around when I am on a loop trail. I don’t like the feeling of quitting in the middle of something. When we got up high on the mountains passed the clouds (which was really cool), it was sunny up there and it was hot. The temperature was noticeably different when we got out of the clouds, maybe 10+ degrees hotter. I didn’t want to push it with Xena so I turned us around at 2.5 miles. The entire trail would’ve been 8.4 miles in total but we hiked 5 miles that morning.
The most memorable thing about Jesusita was that the scenery kept changing. It kept me interested.
We had an awesome time on Jesusita. We met friendly wildfire firefighters, hikers, hiking dogs, and trail runners. I can’t wait to go back and complete the hike. I will start early next time! 🙂
Good to Know:
- Distance: 5 miles RT
- Elevation Gain: 946 ft
- Location: 1251 San Roque Rd, Santa Barbara, CA
- No restroom
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Happy Hiking!
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Hiking Girl with Dog 