The Lower Tunnel Trail and Inspiration Point trailhead will be closed for at least six months during Southern California Edison work to restore habitats damaged by their crews in 2019.
The Lower Tunnel Trail and Inspiration Point trailhead will be closed for at least six months during Southern California Edison work to restore habitats damaged by their crews in 2019. Credit: Isabella Genovese / Noozhawk photo

Hikers, it’s time to reroute. 

The trail connecting Tunnel Road to Santa Barbara’s coveted Inspiration Point will be closed for about six months, starting late June or early July, for an environmental restoration project. 

Southern California Edison (SCE) is temporarily shutting down the trail from the Inspiration Point trailhead at the top of Tunnel Road to restore wildlife habitat damaged in 2019 by its own crews.

“It’s following damage from road grading and vegetation management,” SCE spokesperson Gabriela Ornelas said. “We’re restoring the environment to help revitalize that area.”

The project will clean up rock and dirt debris, stabilize creek banks and slopes, and rehabilitate sensitive species populations in the Mission Canyon area. 

“It will require a full closure of lower Tunnel Trail,” Ornelas said.

The initial habitat destruction by SCE crews “was one of the largest illegal dumps into a creek,” said Nancy Weiss, president of the Mission Canyon Association. “They impacted about 100 trees, a lot of chaparral, and filled in a piece of the creek.” 

SCE’s Stream Restoration Project and trail closure is estimated to take six months, but the process could take even longer.

“It’s important they make the canyon whole,” Weiss said. “And it’s important to prevent this from happening again.”

Signage about the Stream Restoration Project at the Inspiration Point trailhead on the top of Tunnel Road in Santa Barbara.
Signage about the Stream Restoration Project at the Inspiration Point trailhead on the top of Tunnel Road in Santa Barbara. Credit: Isabella Genovese / Noozhawk photo

Cutting off access to the Inspiration Point trail from Tunnel Road is a disappointment for those who regularly hike the Santa Barbara staple. 

Trails advocates have been concerned about the pending closure for months.

At a County Planning Commission meeting in February, Kevin Snow of the Montecito Trails Foundation said the closure will have an “enormous impact on thousands of people who use that trail every day.” 

“It’s very concerning for the trails community that the trail will be closed for so many days, so many months,” he said.

SCE says blocking off the trail is a necessary safety precaution, since heavy equipment will be used by restoration crews. 

The Jesusita and Rattlesnake Canyon trails will stay open and accessible for hikers during the lower Tunnel Trail closure. 

“All of the other trails in the area will not be affected by our project,” Ornelas said. 

SCE still needs a land use permit from Santa Barbara County before starting, so the exact closure date is still unknown, she told Noozhawk.  

Community members can learn more about the project here.