San Marcos Pass Road
Runs from US 101 north of Buelton to US 101 in Santa Barbara
High Points:
- San Marcos Pass – 2181′
State 154 is a scenic route that also offers a shorter route, of sorts. It cuts off a few miles of US 101 by going diagonally over the mountains north of Santa Barbara. While shorter, it isn’t necessarily quicker. It is mostly two lanes with some passing lanes and does have quite a bit of local traffic as well. As an alternate, you can take the pre-1962 alignment from the summit of San Marcos Pass north a few miles. Doing so allows you to see the landmark Cold Spring Arch Bridge, completed in 1962, which seems to leap from one side of the canyon to the other. It is quite impressive.
