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Tunnel Trail
41 reviews
4.61 of 5
Downhills this wicked are rare. Downhill bikes, full armor recommended. Trail is very rocky with 1 and 2' drops. Those familiar with the MTB video Real Simple should reckognize the choppy sandstone trail almost devoid of dirt. Be aware that hiker numbers on weekends can be high. Lower seatpost for maximum clearance. Upon completion have beer in the cooler to cool shaky nerves.
From the101 in Santa Barbara take Mission street exit and head to the mountains. Follow Mission past the SB mission to the 192. Turn right, then take Mission canyon road to tunnel road. Park as high up as possible if shuttling this ride (recommended). Then take the other car back to 192. Turn left and follow it to a resivior. Turn left at the resivior to get to Gibralter Road. Gibralter road goes 10 mi. to East Camino Ciello Road. Make a left and head down about a1/4 mi. to a motocrossy playground. The Tunnel trail is at the back of the area.
Summary: Ok, so the photo pictured is a great section and super knarly at speed. Watch 'Hypnosis' and check out Kirkaldie just kill it! This is by far my favorite trail we have to offer here. Dont believe me..here is an example. Just this past weekend one of the guys in my crew snapped his fork (in two) on the top to mid section of the trail. I have spent numerous dollars on deralliuers and tires on this trail and it only gets better everytime I ride it. Like the reviews say, be careful, but have fun....Tunnel WILL CLAIM your bike or a few body parts. Armor should be worn so you can go to work the following Monday.
ROCKS are the name of the game here kids. Trail has hikers on all sections so be careful. Thin spots on the trail are present from top to bottom. Rocks, drops, off camber, nasty terrain....just what a DH rider ordered. I have ridden with people who have said they will never ride the trail again because it is too crazy. Its about 4 miles from top to bottom of nothing but rocks, drops and exposed cliffs (100' or so ft. and more) dezul43 on you-tube has footage of tunnel so you can check it out before you ride it. When you finish with the trail, follow the road to Rocky Nook park. During the decent on the road, there are PLENTY of fun hips and jump that parallel the road to keep you from getting bored from just doing the best trail in SB.
If you dont have the shakes after you ride it, either you are going too slow, have balls that clank or dont have a pulse because you didnt finish the trail in one piece.
Have fun and wear a bell. Rich people and lawsuits dont mix well.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Whistlers (Original Sin, Dirt Merchant, Too Tight, etc)
Summary: If you are looking for a technical trail tunnel is the one. Tunnel is probly 98% rock and 2% dirt. I live in Santa Barbara and I ride this trail at least once a week if not more. I started out with a hard tail because that was the only bike that I had and it was fine but I highly recommend having a full DH bike. Some things you have to know before you ride this trail is that you have to be AWARE OF HIKERS, Santa Barbara is at risk of losing its trails to hikers! Always Have a BELL to warn hikers. And when the trail ends there is a road and you should be careful there also but other whys have FUN it’s a BLAST!!!! Other trails that are fun in Santa Barbara are:
Cold Springs (go on a weekday! To many hikers on weekend, not even worth it)
Naps (Awesome smooth and super fast! Not as many hikers but remember to bring a bell!)
San Ysidro (Not quite as technical but still fun!)
Jesesita (no shuttle but can hike easily)
Romero (can either shuttle from top of Gibiltar or can ride up)
REMEMBER! Be AWARE of hikers, I don’t want to lose my trails because some careless downhiller killed a hiker. HAVE FUN OUT THERE!
-Will Boucher-
Recommended Route: Tunnel: Drive up Gibiltar and when you get to the top there is a water tower on the right and a dirt side on the left. Park on the left and you can get off there. After you get ready ride down the road for about a 1/4 mile (all downhill with fun berms/wall rides) you will see about 4 boulders on the left and that is the trail. Its smooth for a little while so same your energy cause you will need it in about 30 seconds!
Other recommended trails in the same area: mentioned up above
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Summary: The trail begins at the top of Gibralter road and winds its way down towards the SB mission. It's around 4 miles long and it's extremely rocky. I thought I knew rocky but I had no idea. I can't compare it to any other trail's I've ridden (Mammoth, Big Bear, Fontana, ect.) If you like rocky you'll love it. If you're on a hardtail it's do-able but not as good as a full-blown DH rig. There are some fun drops and small jumps, but it's mainly all rocks. Trail access is an issue in this area, so BE NICE TO HIKERS!!! Always yield to them and never get angry. Also, ALWAYS WEAR A BELL so they can hear you coming down the trail. Don't go too fast on blind corners, either.
Recommended Route: Drive from downtown SB to Gibralter road and take it to the top. Then get out and ride down and have your shuttle take you back up.
Other recommended trails in the same area: This is the only one I've ridden in SB, but I hear Cold Springs is fun also.
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Summary: This is by far one of the best trails in California. It's very tecnical and will push your abilites to the limits. You can get plenty of speed and plenty of sections that will challange your balance and your other abilites. I highly reccomend this trail. It's extreemly fun and yet tough at the same time. I would defenately reccomend a bike that is full suspension with at least six inches of travel (you'll use it all). Also, if it is your first time then be sure to take someone with you who knows how to get to the trail head because it's rather hidden. This is the one trail that you MUST ride and it will be worth every bit of energy you expend getting to the top!!
Recommended Route: Read the first description...he does a good job of describing how to get there. By the way...once you're on the fire road you'll see the trail head on your right hand side. It's sorta hidden and also about 100ft up the fire road.
Other recommended trails in the same area: nope...not yet!
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Summary: It is really rocky. THere are big boulders and small loose rocks on the boulder which can make it slippery. My first time I did it on my hardtail w/ a 5" fork in 45 min. down to the mission. If the boulders were smooth, it would be faster, but there are big ruts in the boulder which adds to the challenge.
Most of the drops I rolled down with out hiting my bashguard. I came up to one 2-3' drop towards the end about to roll it and I stopped all of a sudden because it couldn't be rolled. I didn't have enough momentum once I stopped, so I rode the ledge to left.
THis is like some of the trails at Whistler, but Instead of roots, its all rocks. THere isn't much dirt in some places, because of all the rocks. It is really fun. On a hardtail, it works your whole body.
Recommended Route: down the mountain
Other recommended trails in the same area: cold springs, knaps castle
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