Little Pine Mountain stands in Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County, on the southern edge of California’s San Rafael Mountains. It divides the drainage of Oso Creek, which flows toward the upper Santa Ynez River, from Santa Cruz Creek, which reaches the river farther downstream through Lake Cachuma. Named for a thin grove of Coulter pines on its summit, it is accessible by the Santa Cruz National Recreation Trail and is a popular winter destination for day hiking and mountain biking. Near the top, Happy Hollow Spring supports a camp. The mountain is also notable for its varied geology, including Franciscan Assemblage rocks, serpentine soils, cinnabar, Espada Formation, Temblor Formation, serpentinite, and Matilija Sandstone.