80 official trails lie within 25 miles of Santa Maria — 253 miles in total, 39 rated easy and 19 hard or expert. Every distance and elevation figure below is computed from the agency centerline and a 10 m elevation model, not crowd-sourced.
The biggest climb nearby gains 2,391 ft; the median trail gains 512 ft.
| Trail | Miles | Climb | Difficulty | Drive from town |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Sal Trail | 9.2 | 1,182 ft | Expert | 30 min · 14 mi |
| Willow Spring | 8.5 | 1,348 ft | Expert | 46 min · 27 mi |
| Horse Canyon La Brea | 20.8 | 2,391 ft | Expert | 1 h 23 min · 31 mi |
| Caldwell - Trout Creek | 9.3 | 1,317 ft | Expert | 1 h 30 min · 40 mi |
| Garcia Ridge Trail | 6.5 | 1,608 ft | Expert | 1 h 50 min · 45 mi |
| Alejandro | 5.7 | 1,617 ft | Hard | 1 h 18 min · 30 mi |
| Lopez Canyon | 6.8 | 1,499 ft | Hard | 1 h 37 min · 42 mi |
| Roque Canyon | 5.7 | 1,301 ft | Hard | 1 h 44 min · 36 mi |
| Sellers Potrero | 5.5 | 901 ft | Hard | 1 h 57 min · 70 mi |
| Big Falls | 3.5 | 1,379 ft | Hard | 2 h 16 min · 50 mi |
| Rim Rock Trail | 3.0 | 1,592 ft | Hard | 1 h 47 min · 44 mi |
| Hi Mountain Trail | 3.6 | 1,339 ft | Hard | 2 h 00 min · 43 mi |
| Little Falls | 2.9 | 1,407 ft | Moderate | 1 h 18 min · 37 mi |
| Adobe | 2.6 | 1,458 ft | Moderate | 34 min · 28 mi |
| White Elephant | 2.5 | 1,517 ft | Moderate | 1 h 32 min · 33 mi |
| Avenales | 3.4 | 1,186 ft | Moderate | 2 h 05 min · 72 mi |
| Ontario Ridge Trail | 2.1 | 558 ft | Moderate | 53 min · 30 mi |
| Coulter Pine Ridge | 1.2 | 1,236 ft | Hard | 1 h 12 min · 37 mi |
| Bear Canyon Conn. | 1.7 | 969 ft | Moderate | 49 min · 27 mi |
| Point Sal RidgeTrail | 1.9 | 831 ft | Moderate | 32 min · 15 mi |
| Dune Lakes | 6.7 | 67 ft | Moderate | 36 min · 20 mi |
| Florence Hart Trail | 2.0 | 751 ft | Moderate | 1 h 18 min · 38 mi |
| Bear Canyon | 3.4 | 362 ft | Moderate | 1 h 08 min · 28 mi |
| Huffs Hole | 1.5 | 804 ft | Moderate | 2 h 02 min · 43 mi |
Summits: Caldwell - Trout Creek to Caldwell Mesa; Hi Mountain Trail to Hi Mountain
Lakes: Dune Lakes to Big Twin Lake; Oso Flaco Lake Trail and Boardwalk to Oso Flaco Lake
Viewpoints: Lone Oak Loop to Lone Oak; Discovery Trail to Octopus Oak; Spring to Spring Trail to Octopus Oak
Rock formations: Caldwell - Trout Creek to Bonnet Rock
Springs: Willow Spring to Willow Spring; Alejandro to Difficult Spring; Lopez Canyon to Sulphur Pots; Bear Canyon Conn. to Peach Tree Spring
Nearby towns: San Luis Obispo (26 mi) · Solvang (29 mi) · Paso Robles (49 mi) · Santa Barbara (55 mi)
All California trail guides · Hiking by city · Dispersed camping rules