Cathedral Peak
About
Cathedral Peak is a summit of 3,322 feet in the Santa Barbara Ranger District of Los Padres National Forest in California, about 2 miles from the community of Mission Canyon. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show April highs around 71°F and October highs around 78°F, while July and August average in the mid-90s. That station sits well below the peak, so temperatures up top run cooler. The Cathedral Peak Trail starts about half a mile away, and the Earthwatch Wall climbing area is just as close. The 3 Pools Trail is about a mile off, and Upper Oso Campground lies roughly 5 miles away for an overnight base.
Summit Facts
Summit elevation
3,322 ft
Elevation from USGS 3D Elevation Program terrain data (about 10 m resolution).
Location
Cathedral Peak
California
Name and location: U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program. View the GNIS record.
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: Oct–May. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 61–80°F and lows of 32–45°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the New Cuyama Fire Stn, CA weather station, 32 mi away. High / low in °F.
- Jan61° high33° low
- Feb62° high34° low
- Mar66° high37° low
- Apr71° high40° low
- May80° high45° low
- Jun88° high51° low
- Jul95° high57° low
- Aug94° high56° low
- Sep89° high52° low
- Oct78° high43° low
- Nov68° high36° low
- Dec61° high32° low
The station sits about 1,200 ft lower than this spot, so expect it to run cooler up here.
Where it is
- Santa Barbara Ranger District · Ranger district
- Los Padres National Forest · National forest
- Nearest town
- Mission Canyon, California · 2.1 mi
Conditions
Active alerts for Santa Barbara Ranger District as of Oct 9, 2026:
Special Closure - SBRD Storm Damage Recovery
information · posted Sep 24, 2026
Source: USFS forest alerts
Nearby
- Earthwatch WallRock climbing0.6 mi
- Cathedral Peak TrailHiking0.6 mi
- Wall 2Rock climbing0.8 mi
- 3 pools TrailHiking1 mi
- Upper Oso CampgroundCamping5.2 mi
- Upper OsoCamping5.6 mi
- Sage HillSaltwater fishing5.6 mi
- Fremont CampgroundSaltwater fishing7.1 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
