Tag archives: Hiking

Social Distancing Now Mandatory on Montecito’s Trails
By Nick Schou   |   March 26, 2020

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 […]

Cold Spring Trail Reopens
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 16, 2020

Last Sunday, January 12, Montecito’s Cold Spring Trail was officially reopened following a two-year long closure after the 1/9 debris flow. First District Supervisor Das Williams hosted the ribbon cutting and celebration at the Cold Spring Trailhead on East Mountain Drive in Montecito. Other key people included Ashlee Mayfield, President of Montecito Trails Foundation, and […]

Full Moon Meditation in Montecito Mountains
By Steven Libowitz   |   August 15, 2019

The new Santa Barbara Hiking Meditation Meetup is joining forces with the also newish and very active Purnamaya Ayurveda & Sound Healing Meetup in Ventura for a 4 1/2-hour Full Moon Hike, Meditation and Sound Healing event in Romero Canyon Thursday night, August 15. The gathering is meant to mimic practices from other cultures throughout […]

Hikers Rescued from Tangerine Falls
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   May 23, 2019

At approximately 2 pm on May 16, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team (SBCSAR) was deployed to Tangerine Falls in the Montecito area to a report of three lost hikers stuck on the side of a cliff.  The three local women in their early twenties were attempting to hike to the top […]

Letters to the Editor
By Montecito Journal   |   May 23, 2019

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 […]

Hike for Julian Nott
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   April 25, 2019

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 […]

Montecito Trails Foundation Annual Meeting
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   February 7, 2019

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 […]

MTF Annual Barbecue
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 20, 2018

Montecito Trails Foundation will host its annual barbecue on Sunday, September 30, at Crane Country Day School. “It’s less of a fundraiser this year, and more of a thank you!” said Ashlee Mayfield, MTF board member. The Foundation has been hard at work restoring the Montecito network of trails since the Thomas Fire and debris […]

Trails Recovery Day
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   July 12, 2018

More than 80 volunteers turned out last weekend to help Montecito Trails Foundation restore the McMenemy, Old Pueblo, Bud Girard, and Saddle Rock trails as part of the Foundation’s Trail Recovery Day. “It was an awesome day, and we are so thankful for everyone who came out to help,” said MTF board member Ashlee Mayfield.  […]

Montecito Trails Foundation
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   June 28, 2018

For more than 50 years, Montecito Trails Foundation (MTF) has overseen the maintenance of Montecito, Summerland, and Carpinteria trails, making them a safe, reliable place for community members to explore both the foothills and “low land” trails. Following the Thomas Fire and subsequent mudflow, the group of volunteers realized the scope of their work had […]

Montecito Trails Update
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   May 17, 2018

At the recent community information meeting hosted by the Montecito Trail Foundation (MTF), Santa Barbara/Ojai District ranger Pancho Smith noted that almost all of the hot spots within the Thomas Fire area had been extinguished. An official declaration that the fire is out is required before closed portions of Los Padres Forest can be reopened. […]