Tag archives: trails
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held this week on the newly completed Hot Springs Neighborhood Trail, which connects Olive Mill Road from Casa Dorinda to East Valley Road. Since the debris flow in January 2018, the Bucket Brigade, led by Abe Powell and a committed team, has worked to restore many areas of the community, and […]
The process for removing parking on Riven Rock Road was disrespectful because there were no public hearings or solicitation for hiker input. Notices could have been placed on the Hot Springs trailhead but weren’t. Parking access for trails should not be limited in the future without notice given to hikers and the community, so all […]
On March 31, 2021, I rode my bicycle to Riven Rock Road. Signs were placed there saying “No Parking,” threatening tickets to those who did so. I asked Gary Smart of the road crew what was going on. He told me that white lines were going to be painted on both sides of the road […]
On Saturday, March 28, 2021 at about 5:30 pm, I took my bicycle to the Hot Springs Trailhead, which is about a 10-minute ride from where I live. A vehicle which had printed on it “Hillcrest Security” had stopped on Mountain Drive next to the trailhead parking lot. I asked the driver, Mark, what he […]
I am writing to strongly oppose the appointment of Santa Barbara County Supervisor Das Williams to the Coastal Commission. My personal experience with Supervisor William’s development and oversight of cannabis regulations, in SBC, has demonstrated to me and many others that he has failed to uphold the laws to ‘Protect Public Health, Safety, Welfare and […]
A newly built pedestrian pathway along Hot Springs Road has sparked some neighborhood controversy, which was discussed at the Montecito’s Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting this past Tuesday. Bucket Brigade founder Abe Powell, who was an integral part of the County-led road enhancement project, explained to the Committee that the impetus for the trail […]
If you live near the Hot Springs Trail: You are likely already well aware of the jammed up street parking and trail users overcrowding the area. A countywide Fire Chief’s Public Safety Task Force has looked at this, and multiple other issues, including homeless encampment fires. For the folks on Riven Rock and East Mountain […]
After an almost monthlong closure aimed at preventing new fires in what is already one of the busiest fire seasons in California history, the National Forest Service reopened the Los Padres National Forest on October 9. At just after 9 am that morning, 13 mules and a horse led by a trio of wranglers hired […]
The pandemic has introduced a slew of new neighborhood issues that require a lot of work to untangle. We’re happy to step up for some of these, but many are outsider-induced. Most of these issues started up in late spring, near Memorial Day, when the lockdowns had eased, the weather got warmer, and people wanted […]
After nearly 16 years living in Montecito, not a day goes by when I don’t think how lucky we are to live in such a special place. Since quarantine and now as my kids have started three different schools online from their bedrooms, never have I been more appreciative of our precious beaches where I […]
When I was younger, I dreaded my parents’ weekend declaration of an impending family walk. I would plead to ride my bike alongside them; to run, skip, cartwheel, anything but walk. We would (slowly) stroll along the dirt path at the nearby Ennisbrook trail and my eyes would meander towards trees that needed climbing, streams […]
Living in Santa Barbara, over the past few months, has been an incredible reminder of how lucky we are to call this place home. One reason we’ve made it through these rough times is because of the healthy access we all have to our beaches and trails. They have been good to us, it’s time […]
Despite mounting fears over the COVID-19, aka the “coronavirus,” on March 24, the U.S. Forest Service officially declared that the extensive trail network in the hills above Montecito will remain open for recreational activities until further notice. The news came as a relief to Ashlee Mayfield, president of the Montecito Trail Foundation (MTF), in part […]
At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use Committee meeting, Bucket Brigade founder Abe Powell and Montecito Trails Foundation president Ashlee Mayfield presented an update on the network of community trails that the two groups are committed to building and maintaining. “Trail repair was a top priority in a poll we took following the debris flow. […]
Autumn is here and it was time for the Montecito Trails Foundation (MTF) to have its fall 55th annual BBQ, this year at Crane Country Day School. Besides BBQ you could Hoof-it, Bike-it or Hike-it. Jane Murray got you on a horse or a bike and Ashlee Mayfield had you move it or lose it […]
This year’s 4th Annual Island View Trail Race, hosted by Santa Barbara County Trails Council, is set to showcase the Franklin Trail on September 15. The Franklin Trail – nearly wiped out by the Thomas Fire two years ago – is the longest trail in Santa Barbara’s front country. “It’s remarkable how well it has […]
On Sunday, June 23, over 100 members of the community gathered at the corner of San Ysidro Road and North Jameson Road for an official ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the new pedestrian pathway that was recently completed after a quick six weeks of construction. The project was a County-led road enhancement project following the […]
Expensive Water The five current Montecito Water District directors, who raised over $200,000 in campaign funds to help get elected, are close to finalizing a 50 years agreement with the City of Santa Barbara to purchase some of its desal water that could cost the 4,600 Montecito Water District customers about one quarter of a […]
The Montecito Trails Foundation is hosting a special hike this Sunday, April 28, at 10 am, in honor of Julian Nott, who passed away March 26 after an accident following the landing of an experimental hot air balloon in Warner Springs, California. Nott was a world-renowned balloon designer, an experimental test pilot and scientist, and […]
On Thursday, January 31, the Montecito Trails Foundation held its annual meeting at the San Ysidro Ranch’s Hydrangea Room; the first event held in the historic meeting room since it was inundated with four feet of mud during the 1/9 debris flow last January. “It’s nice that we are able to keep moving forward following […]
