"Started from Inspiration Point Trailhead with the plan to reach 3 peaks: Arlington, Cathedral and La Cumbre. I quickly realized I was not prepared for how rocky, difficult and slow this route was (I did not bring enough water). Despite the tough terrain, the main difficulty of this route (for me) was simply staying on-route. I kept missing turns and being forced to retrace my steps after being faced with dead-ends. The trail was thankfully a lot busier than I expected, so I asked other hikers for directions frequently. One guy pointed out that some of the rocks are marked by paint (black arrows, white or blue dots). That advice certainly helped, but I still took the wrong turn a couple times after that. Despite all the difficulties, I was able reach Cathedral Peak, but was unable to find the trail to La Cumbre. I will return for La Cumbre at some point (using the Tunnel Trail this time). Though I don't I'll try Cathedral Peak Trail again for a long time!" — oskar156 • Feb 8, 2026

"Some hikes are fun, and some seem like punishment for bad behavior. The Santa Barbara Three Peaks loop fits the description of the latter. The hike features ample Boulder scrambling for all the peaks. So tedious the climb, it took 5 hours to climb all three peaks while hiking only 3.5 miles. Then, to wrap it up, The Tunnel Trail is the return leg. This trail rivals any other as the rockiest trail known. This loop is solidly in the difficult category. " — MikeTeeples • Jun 15, 2024

"Tunnel Rd trailhead to trail parallel to Mission Creek on a really foggy day. Then up the Dragon's Back towards Cathedral Peak. This is a tough hike with the majority of the Dragon's Back (~2miles) just bouldering. Also tough if this is your 1st time. Ran out of daylight so had to turn around 1/4 mile from Cathedral Peak. Got lost on the way down and had to rock climb in the 7 Falls area to get down without getting totally wet." — srphilip • Oct 20, 2011