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A popular destination, Franklin Trail begins in an urban setting and takes hikers to a remote overlook with great views.


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Map Key

7.2

Miles

11.6

KM

Point to Point

3,694' 1,126 m

High

51' 16 m

Low

3,834' 1,169 m

Up

192' 59 m

Down

11%

Avg Grade (6°)

34%

Max Grade (19°)

Dogs Unknown

Features Views

Family Friendly The first two miles of this trail to the lookout makes a great hike for kids.

Description

Franklin Trail is one of the oldest trails in the area, with its history beggining before San Marcos Pass was created to bring visitors over the mountains into the backcountry. A popular destination, the Franklin Trail begins in an urban setting, taking you from lot-to-vista in 2 miles with a great lookout over Carpinteria, Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands. Franklin Trail, a historic 100-year old trail, is one of the “newest” trails in the area, being created only after agreements were made, allowing hikers to gain access to the trail for multi-use purposes.

Within 2 miles of the trailhead area, you'll arrive at a prime spot (with a bench) with spectacular vistas of Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, and the Channel Islands. This is a good front country, moderate, singletrack, well-maintained trail that is very popular for families and individuals alike.

Los Padres National Forest hosted a trail maintenance project along the backcountry portion of the Franklin Trail for 2016 National Public Trails Day. There are three phases of Franklin Trail (Phase 3 is closed), with Phase 1 being the first 2 miles of trail. Phase 2 provides three more miles of hiking fire roads, ranch roads, with the trail moving up-and-down into wild areas. There is no water or shade in Phase 2 section. Phase 3 is closed, but will eventually take you to the area where Jameson Lake is located, deep in Los Padres National Forest. Visit the trail's website for more information.

Contacts

Shared By:

Kristen Arendt

Trail Ratings

  4.3 from 6 votes

#1

in Carpinteria

#8501

Overall
  4.3 from 6 votes
5 Star
33%
4 Star
67%
3 Star
0%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Trail Rankings

#1

in Carpinteria

#734

in California

#8,501

Overall
28 Views Last Month
3,655 Since Dec 14, 2016
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult

0%
0%
71%
14%
0%
14%

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Weather


Current Trail Conditions

Unknown
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Check-Ins

Mar 26, 2021
Jamie Walker
7.4mi
Jul 18, 2020
Maeve Reston
Oct 21, 2019
Shane Bandy
Sep 25, 2019
Shane Bandy
May 4, 2019
Mike Ceniceros
May 29, 2017
Donna Kraus
7.2mi
May 6, 2017
Bill Muneio
Franklin Trail 4.3mi
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