Edhat Staff
Another wonderful group for another enjoyable Sierra Club hike! This Montecito loop was an unusual hike for me as it was entirely on normal official trails! The highlights were the Saddle Rock, the UFO Landing Zone and the Girard Trail.
Here are all of my photos.
Thanks to Andrea for bringing her energetic nine-year-old daughter Elizabeth once again and also for bringing Elizabeth’s friend Reta.
Here they posed at this fascinating sight on the lower Hot Springs Trail!
This new Land Trust sign explains how Hot Springs Canyon is preserved in perpetuity thanks to many generous donations
Despite the rain this year, the creek is still very dry where Reta stands
At the first Hot Springs Trail fork we cut over toward the Saddlerock trail, so we did not go to the Hot Springs this time.
At the foot of the Saddlerock trail Elizabeth waited for us in a tree
A few in our group watched from below…
…. as most of the group eagerly climbed onto the Saddle Rock!
and we posed on the saddle!
Artist Pali X-Mano is the creator of the Solstice Grand Finale each year, with inflatable art with aerial dancers inside. He ventured to a precarious spot on the Saddle Rock
Climbing down from the rock is a bit harder than getting up
And we continued up the Saddlerock Trail and could see where we just were
Elizabeth led the way up the steep rocky trail
On up to the resting rock at the UFO Landing Zone where Kelli found a little moose
And handed it to Elizabeth
The rest of us made our way up to join them
Usually there is a big heart, a peace sign or other recognizable signal for the UFO people to land at this spot. But this time the symbols were more cryptic and fragmented.
The spot offers a beautiful panoramic view
We continued to the top of the Saddlerock trail to the junction of the Edison Catway
A short walk on the Edison Catway took us to a three way junction. We could see people climbing up the very steep San Ysidro fire road
But we were headed on the far more pleasant Girard Trail
Bud Girard was the Vice President of Operations for the Montecito Trails Foundation for over 15 years. In 2000 he created this beautiful little trail for his 70th birthday! It is short, but it offers a spectacular view of the coast toward the south.
It also offers shaded spots where ferns thrive, which is rare in our desert climate!
Here you can see the spores forming under this fern leaf
Just before we got to the bottom of the Girard Trail we branched off on a little side trail to visit some stone benches at an overlook
Pali posed on the stairs down that side trail
There was plenty of bench space for all of us to relax and have some snacks!
Elizabeth and I ventured up a nearby rock
for a different perspective
Including a view out to the Santa Barbara harbor
and a view of the many switchbacks of the lower McMenemy Trail where it heads to meet the San Ysidro Trail
and a new house in that area
Pali and I posed nearby
and Pali took these photos of my wife Merlie and me
Once again Elizabeth led the way to the end of Girard Trail where it meets up with a hitching post and the Colonel McMenemy bench on the McMenemy Trail
Where a lizard greeted us on arrival
Then we headed back on the McMenemy Trail which is fairly level. It is like a long balcony, offering ocean views all along the way
At the bench end is this water tank that has received some new “decorations”
Another lizard was hanging out and blending in perfectly
The group paused at a shady dip in the McMenemy Trail
Where I spotted these little flowers
And we soon had a view all the way back along the McMenemy Trail where we just came from
Back at the Saddlerock trail junction Elizabeth and Reta still had energy to climb the tree again
We were soon back at the Hot Springs Trail to finish the loop
And these flowers bid us farewell at the trail head!
And Pali posed with his Art Car back at the Hope Avenue Bank of America parking lot where we met up!
Please note: You can see all of the Sierra Club hike listings here!
