Go Tell it on a Mountain-Journey to Gibraltar Rock in Santa Barbara, Ca

The road is windy so load your pockets with Dramamine. The views are life changing so grab your camera. The destination is a bit desolate so make sure you tell someone where you’re headed; the cell phones are spotty there.

For a change of perspective, a different angle on the world you live in, or if you just long to feel on top of it all, head on up to Gibraltar Rock.

There are people born and raised in Santa Barbara, that have never been there, and there are those like me, who settled in the city for a brief stint and just couldn’t get enough of the view from that craggy rock. I can’t count how many times I’ve retreated to this magical place.

It’s quite a chore to get there, but the journey is worth every hairpin turn and blind corner. Bring someone special along with you, because you’ll want to share these moments.
I first learned of this haven when a dear friend of mine took me on a top-secret road trip. She wouldn’t disclose our destination. The day was mellow, slight wind currents whispering through the car as we climbed higher and higher above the city. It was springtime. The wildflowers were majestic, vibrantly freckling the hillsides. The cyclists greeted us with beat up waves as they pushed further up and further in, slowly meandering up the mountain, sweat cascading off their ripped up bodies. I stand in awe of them.

I begged and begged, but she still wouldn’t tell me where we were going. Her reluctance failed to bother me though, as the plush clouds became my new neighbors. So. High. Up.


I could see the pier; so small, stretching out into the ocean like a runway for tiny toy planes. I could see campus point, a little dagger jutting out from the mainland. There’s Hope Ranch, with its lake that appears to be a puddle from this altitude. And State Street, with the green and red polka dotted strip of stoplights slicing the whole city in half.

And then we were there.

We got out of the car, greeted by the soft sounds of friends chattering. There was a small meadow. We’d passed the rock by about a mile and landed at a grassy knoll, the send off spot for the local paragliders. A small group of them collected there, waiting for the perfect wind current to waft them away. Their giant parachutes are laid out along the hill, colors piercing retinas, tugging eyes along with them as they lift off, floating into the bright blue sky with the vast ocean background.

We watched for a bit, soaking up the serenity of it all.

And since that day that mountain has become my drug.

Since that day, I’ve discovered the rock. The rock with the perfectly chiseled bench. The bench that sits at the peak. On the very edge of the cliff. It’s exhilarating. I sit on that bench with my feet dangling over the edge. I look down, and around, and glean all the beauty I can, pumping it into my veins so that I might be sustained until the next time I’m able to visit.


Perhaps you’re into rock-climbing. Gibraltar’s the perfect place for you. After all, it is a rock. And a very large one at that. It’s challenging and dangerous. So by all means, attack it with force and determination. The climbers provide more entertainment for me, especially when they get their ropes caught in crevices, and decide to free climb without shirts. Quality entertainment. Perfect blend of suspense and scandal.

If you have a couple of hours worth of time on your hands, please hit the road and head to the rock. Stop by Blenders in the Grass on your way there, if you’re coming from the west. The Red Orange is a personal favorite. Perfect blend of sweet and tart. They’re smoothies if you hadn’t guessed yet. And if you’re headed down from the northeast, by all means, please stop and grab a bottle of wine in Santa Ynez.

For those who’ve lived in Santa Barbara their whole lives, and for those who’ve never been to the city and are just passing through, this place is for you. For a breath of fresh air, a new lease on life, a simple appreciation of how small you are in this crazy beautiful world of ours, google it, and get there. Gibraltar Rock. Let your thought bubbles become words as you shout about it from a mountaintop. Release it. The it that binds you up so tightly.

Go tell it on a mountain. And then share it with friends.

Directions:
Get off the 101 at Mission Road. Go towards the mountains until Mission dead ends at Roosevelt Elementary School. Go left at the elementary school (stop sign at a T-junction) and right at the next stop sign. Then go left at the fork and immediately right onto Mountain drive. The Mountain Drive turn is just before Rocky Nook Park. Turn left just before the reservoir and go up to a 5 point intersection. Bear right onto Gibraltar road. (Just take the middle road on all intersections). Go up the mountains near the top, about 10-15 minutes. Gibraltar Rock is the obvious large rock on left side of the road. Many other climbing areas lie on the opposite side of the road.