Steep and twisted, with an average grade of 8% and almost 4000 feet up. Gibraltar Road in Santa Barbara, California, is bumpy, beaten, and narrow, not to mention several stop signs that yield to falling rocks.
This 2.5 hour ride up the Santa Ynez mountains starts pleasantly enough, rolling along the coastal trail, into Downtown, through Santa Barbara’s neighborhoods and picturesque Spanish churches, but soon enough, you’ll begin your grueling ascent up Gibraltar Road…
Part 1 – From the sea rising to 3884 feet. An eerie ascent up a crumbling road with ocean fog silencing the world.

Part 2 – Above the clouds riding the Santa Ynez ridge line overlooking the valleys below.