Route 154--San Marcos Pass Road 154
Route 154--San Marcos Pass Road is a State Scenic Byway in California. Within California it covers roughly 30 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Route 154--San Marcos Pass Road with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
State Scenic Highway 154 crosses San Marcos Pass in California's Santa Ynez Mountains, an officially designated scenic bypass of US 101. Also known as the Chumash Highway, the 25-mile route runs from Los Olivos to Santa Barbara, reaching a modest 2,000 feet at its summit but offering some of the most photographed views in the county. Since US 101 took over as the main route between the Santa Ynez Valley and the coast, Highway 154 has settled into its role as the scenic alternative, and Caltrans has formally designated it under the state's Scenic Highway System. On the northern side, the road descends toward Lake Cachuma, a reservoir on the Santa Ynez River popular for fishing and boating, roughly midway along the byway. Side trips reach the Chumash Painted Cave, a rock art site sacred to the Chumash people, the historic Cold Spring Tavern stagecoach stop, and the Cold Spring Canyon Arch Bridge, one of the highest arch bridges in the country, visible from a roadside overlook near the pass.
- Los Olivos to Santa Barbara
- 25 miles, Chumash Highway
- San Marcos Pass (2,000 ft)
- Lake Cachuma
- Cold Spring Canyon Arch Bridge
- officially designated CA Scenic Highway
Plan a drive on Route 154--San Marcos Pass Road →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.