Panoramic view of the lower part of Gibraltar Rd
Gibraltar Rd is the local climb in Santa Barbara. Essentially the road starts in town and climbs up to the top of the mountains which are the Santa Barbara backdrop. The top is over 1000 m high and you start somewhere betwee 0 and 250 m. Gibraltar Rd itself starts at the corner of Mountain Drive at an elevation of 240 m. The climb is about 10 km long and you gain around 850 m. That makes a whopping 8.5% grade. It starts fairly easy and becomes gradually steeper. The last 2-3 km are really tough. The top is marked by the intersection with Camino Cielo which is a road following the ridge line. You can can continue on Gibraltar Rd down to the Gibraltar Reservoir, but this may be a dirt road.
Panoramic view of the lower part of Gibraltar Rd
Lower sections of Gibraltar Rd
The commuication station at the left appears as a false summit, the road continues in the middle
Once you there, you see the real summit
Looking back where you have just been
Next stop - interesting rock formations
Looking at the rocks and the winding road from higher up
Peaks of Chanel Islands mountains above the clouds
The final stretch
The top - intersection with Camino Cielo