After hiking many times to Tangerine Falls on the West Fork of Cold Spring Trail, I finally made the trek to East Camino Cielo via the East Fork of Cold Spring Trail.
It took three consecutive weekends with different groups of people, but by the third weekend we were determined enough to make the entire 9 mile round trip and 2,775′ elevation gain.
From the trailhead on Mountain drive to the power lines (Edison Catwalk), the trail is nicely shaded and cool. We definitely made a wrong turn at one point just after a rockhop creek crossing and ended up going along a footpath, but not the actual trail. Once we made our way back to the trail, it was pretty obvious that we shouldn’t have turned off, but a good reminder to be well-prepared even on easier hikes.
Once above the power lines, there is limited shade until the Eucalyptus Trees. Though because of the lack of covering, you have great views the majority of the hike. The Euc trees provide an excellent resting spot and are a great destination by themselves.
Montecito Peak isn’t much further from here, though we opted to skip it and instead make the final push up to East Camino Cielo, otherwise known as Cold Spring Saddle.
We brought lunch and hoped to enjoy the spectacular views from the top, but unluckily enough for us, the marine layer had rolled in on the ocean side of the mountain. The view out the back was perfectly clear.
