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 Reporter |
Summary: This is a semi-strenuous but short in and out hike. The begins trail following an old road along gaviota creek moving inland. This part is mostly flat with lots of riparian birds. As you head towards the hills, you can see final destination as series of holes in the sandstone outcroppings ahead. After about 3/4 of a mile you will start the ascending switchback, which was very well-maintained. Continuing along the ridgeline you'll come to the first wind cave. Cross through the wind cave and the trail gets much steeper with a couple of switch backs, until you reach the bottom of the second cave. To left is a trail, or you can scramble straight up. The views from the top are not to be believed. Trailhead: From the 101 exit at Gaviota Campground, just before the entrance to the campground,veer to the right and up the hill. Park in parking area and follow the road beyond the gate and mountain lion danger sign. (Lat:34.28 Lon:-120.13) Trail Guides for Gaviota Wind Caves : Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Bikes, Horses, Ranger Contact: California state parks 805-968-1033 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Erick Pfaff, who has posted 2 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 2 of 2 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by naoki on 4/16/2006 Great hike with the family if your in shape. Trailhead starts at a locked gate. Follow the paved road for about 1/2 mile. The trail then leaves the paved road for a uphill climb for the next 3/4 mile. Wildfowers were all over the place. You'll pass a sandstone cave on the left, nice place to rest on the way up. Once past the cave the trail climbs to the right to more caves. You can climb to the top by going around the backside its alittle steep but you'll have a great porthole view. View from the top is beautiful. On the way out checked out a small landslide and found clam fossils. Take a nice lunch with you and enjoy.
Reviewed by cara on 10/2/2005 This hike is my favorite so far. I just started hiking and LOVE this one. found the geocache, pretty cool.. I am going to look more into geocaching! The hike itself was a bit tiring, but totally worth it. the views and the wind caves are inspiring. This is a good hike for dogs, too, we brought our two Labradors with us and they loved it! Thanks for posting this hike, it is beautiful!!! 
Reviewed by Dan on 10/21/2003 Very nice litter-free hike up to first cave-rock. A lower cave pretty much hollows out the bottom half of the large sandstone rock; interesting rock formations inside walls. Squeezed into small room above from where I could see out to the ocean. Chickened out trying to get to another small inviting opening near this one. More trail, then upper caves in a much larger sentinel of sandstone rocks, with thousands of small foot-sized holes in face. Easy for a climber, but very steep: chickened out again and wasn't able to explore as much as I wanted to (like Danny Glover said, "I'm too old for this shit!"). The trail along front is rough but doable. Should've tried going around up to top. Next time.
Reviewed by TrailHacker on 9/11/2003 I want to thank Erick for making my little hike so famous, or at least speading the word. When I discovered the Wind Cave I knew it would be my favorite spot and although I was tempted to keep it to myself, I knew I had to share it. There is a Geocache at the Wind Cave (see www.geocaching.com for more information on geocaching) that I planted a few years ago. This is how most people learned of the site. If you go to the Wind Cave, enjoy the view and respect the geocache by not trashing it. Better yet, learn about geocaching and get involved in a fun sport. There are a lot of secret places out there that you will discover. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, Santa Barbara County Hiking, Santa Barbara County Trails, Santa Barbara County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||