San Rafael

‍Day 1: Thursday, February 25th
Plan is simple: everyone arrives at Cachuma Saddle around 1:45 PM, which gives us just enough time to mess around with our gear and hit the trail by 2 PM. When you get to the Saddle, you’ll notice there are two parking areas—pick the one on the right (as you face North), which technically is East.

For directions, you’ll take Highway 154 from Santa Barbara. Right after you pass Cachuma Lake and cross the Santa Ynez River, hang a right onto Armour Ranch Road. It’ll eventually turn into Happy Canyon Road—just stay happy, because you’re almost there. Drive another 20 minutes, and boom—you’re at the Saddle.

Day 1 Continued:
We’ll hike about 4-ish miles to a spring that doesn’t really exist (fun, right?), but a little further along the ridge, we’ll find our first real camp spot: one picnic table, a meadow, no trees, and pretty exposed. But the ground’s flat, so tents will be easy to set up. Plus, the sunset view is supposed to be killer after a short hike. Bring plenty of water—at least one liter for the hike in, probably only drink half, one for dinner, and one for the hike tomorrow.

Day 2: Friday
We’ll cover about 5 miles to McKinley Spring. Plan is to get there early, around noon, to snag the primo campsite. It’s got a picnic table and plenty of water, but the catch is, we won’t be the only ones gunning for it, so the earlier we arrive, the better.

Once we set up camp, we’ve got the whole afternoon to shed our packs and bag two local peaks—McKinley Mountain and San Rafael Mountain. Both offer insane 360-degree views that’ll make the climb worth it.

Day 3: Saturday
In the morning, we’ll back track about a mile and then take a steep down hill trail to a spot called Big Cone Spruce Camp. From there, we’ll hit a junction that leads to the valley. To the left is Manzana Narrows Camp, and to the right is a spot called “Happy Hunting Ground,” which sounds promising. We’ll figure out where we’ll set up camp, but no matter where we end up, we’ll have plenty of time for some more day hiking and even a bit of fishing if you’re up for it.

Day 4: Sunday
Time to hike out! We’ll backtrack past Manzana Narrows and make our way to the NIRA campground. Heads up—on Day 1, we’ll need to drop a car off at NIRA to make this exit smooth. It’s only a quick 10–15 minute drive, so we’ll get that squared away before the hike even begins.

This was a great itinerary that Steve put together. Although he left out the 50 – 60 mph winds that prevailed throughout the trip!

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