In September 2025 there was a closure sign about two miles up Old Romero Road. The Montecito Trails Foundation photographed it, and the Santa Barbara News-Press ran the photo the next summer. The road had been closed since the January 2023 storms. In mid-September 2026 the closure ended. The Los Padres Forest Association announced that Old Romero Road had reopened "earlier this week" under a new Santa Barbara Ranger District closure order.
That is the good news. If you're walking up for the first time since 2022, though, you'll be on a different trail than you remember. Only phase one of the reopening is finished. The lower road has been cleared and repaired, and the road above about mile four has been officially reclassified as rustic. A major slide near mile five was left for later on purpose. For now, Old Romero is really two trails sharing one name.
Andrew Madsen, public affairs officer for the Los Padres National Forest, told the News-Press, "For Montecito folks that is their crown jewel of hiking." So it's worth knowing which part of that crown jewel is back.
Where the restored road ends and the rustic trail begins
The Montecito Trails Foundation describes the Romero Canyon Jeepway as a seven-mile route from the trailhead to East Camino Cielo. Its status page says the route was restored in 2026 after the 2023 storms. From mile four up to Camino Cielo it now carries the rating "Trail Class 1: Minimally Developed." Hikers on that stretch should expect "a trail maintained to a rustic standard. Tread may be narrow, rough or indistinct."
Rachel Clancy, a recreation officer with the Forest Service, explained the change to the News-Press. The upper road that connects to East Camino Cielo was moved from a "highly developed trail" to a "minimally developed trail." There is a major landslide on mile five, inside that downgraded zone, and it won't be treated in the first phase.
| Stretch of Old Romero Road | Condition as of the September 2026 reopening | What it means on foot or on a bike |
|---|---|---|
| Trailhead to about mile four | Brushed and cleared by hand in phase one, with drainage and repairs to narrow sections | The familiar wide road grade, cleared of slide debris |
| Mile four to East Camino Cielo | Reclassified as Trail Class 1, Minimally Developed | Tread may be narrow, rough or indistinct |
| Near mile five | Major landslide left untreated in phase one | Clancy said it "will impact bike usage" |
Clancy said the first phase focused on fixing safety hazards, and her advice was simple: "Users should expect changes since when they last used the trail." This matters most to riders. The News-Press had called Old Romero one of the most bike-friendly trails in Montecito. Because of the slide damage near East Camino Cielo, the upper half won't be as easy on a bike as it used to be.
Why the top was left for a second phase
The split between a finished bottom and a rustic top comes from the way the project was approved.
The News-Press reported that the Montecito Trails Foundation first offered the Forest Service a fully funded restoration plan in 2023. The agency chose to do its own technical reviews instead, and it went through that offer and several more. On its third plan, the Foundation set a deadline in spring 2026. Later in the year the Forest Service divided the work into two phases and let the Foundation carry out the first one. Under that arrangement, the Foundation was allowed to do only basic maintenance before the September reopening.
The calendar mattered as well. The closure order was set to expire on September 18. The News-Press noted that by then the road either had to be ready to open or would face a new closure. Phase one was projected to cost more than $50,000, paid from the Thomas Fire restoration fund. Phase two is a different kind of job. It will be done by Forest Service contractors, it covers reconstruction of the damaged sections, and in August it was targeted for the next fiscal year.
Until that work happens, the mile-five slide stays where it is. The upper road keeps its rustic rating either way.
How the bottom got cleared in a hot August
Phase one was handwork, done in hard conditions. The Montecito Journal reported that the Los Padres Forest Association Trail Crew worked on Old Romero for all of August, together with the Montecito Trails Foundation and the Santa Barbara Ranger District. They brushed the route and cleared slides. The Forest Association said the crew worked through triple-digit heat on south-facing slopes. It took almost two months of trail work to meet the conditions for a formal reopening. In the Association's words, "The work looks absolutely stunning, especially considering everything was done by hand!"
Bryan Conant, executive director of the Los Padres Forest Association, told the News-Press that the work centered on drainage to prevent erosion and on repairs to the narrow sections. He also explained why Old Romero keeps getting damaged: "most of the trail damage is caused by falling rock or slide material covering the trail. There's not a lot of cost effective measures we can do to prevent that sort of damage."
The road's history supports him. According to the News-Press, the 2018 Montecito mudslides swept the road away, and rain washed it down the mountain again exactly five years later. After the Thomas Fire, a joint effort including the Forest Association, the Montecito Trails Foundation and the Forest Service restored the Romero Fire Road in 2018. Montecito Trails Foundation executive director Ashlee Mayfield said storm damage will remain a lingering threat, and work that fully prevents future damage isn't possible. The News-Press reported that maintenance will continue through the winter, ahead of phase two.
Before you head up this month
The lower road is the part most people will use. Here are the basics, taken from the Forest Service's Romero Trail 26W14 page and the city's Romero Trail page:
- Getting there. The Forest Service route is Highway 101 to Sheffield Drive, left on East Valley Road, then right on Romero Canyon Road. The trailhead is a quarter mile up Romero Canyon Road, past a locked gate.
- Parking. The Forest Service lists parking as limited.
- Building a loop. The singletrack Romero Trail splits from Old Romero Road about a half mile from the start. The road crosses the singletrack twice, once midway and once at the top, so you can make a loop. The lower singletrack crosses Romero Creek several times. The Trails Foundation says the singletrack is the shadier route. It meets the Jeepway at a four-way intersection after about two miles, then continues 1.7 miles to Camino Cielo.
- Effort. The Forest Service rates Romero Trail moderate to strenuous over 4.3 miles and lists it as open daily, year-round.
- Dogs. Dogs must be on a leash no longer than six feet or otherwise under physical restrictive control.
- What else is out there. Expect hikers, joggers, dogs, bikers and poison oak. Horses, snakes and other wildlife are possible too.
When rain is in the forecast, check the Forest Service's current storm-damage closure alert before you go. Order 05-07-54-26-09 has been in effect since September 16, 2026, and runs through September 15, 2027. The Forest Service's current conditions page advises checking weather and road conditions before a visit. Its general guidance is to stay on established trails and respect closures.
The rest of the front country under the same order
Old Romero didn't reopen alone. The Los Padres Forest Association listed five trails reopened that week, for more than 15 miles of front and mid-country trail in total:
- Old Romero Road
- Franklin Trail
- Arroyo Burro Trail
- Matias Connector Trail
- North Tunnel Trail
Some sections stay closed under the order. They include the backside of the Franklin Trail, the Aliso Loop with the Upper Oso Connector, and part of the Santa Cruz Trail between 19 Oaks and the Santa Cruz Guard Station. The Forest Association also lists the lower section of north Tunnel as still closed.
Los Padres National Forest also called for volunteers to begin cleaning and restoring the Montecito Hot Springs Canyon Trail. That work was set to start on National Public Lands Day, September 26, and the call was open to experienced trail workers and first-timers alike, according to the Montecito Journal. The Montecito Trails Foundation posts trail descriptions and status notes on its website.
Regular walks like the climb up Old Romero often shape where and how people want to live as the years go on. If you or a parent are starting to think about how your home fits the routines you want to keep, Terri Dimond offers free seminars to talk it through at your own pace. Attend a Free Senior Seminar.
