Whether
you want to swim, surf, play Frisbee, or just lay in the sun,
Santa Barbara has a beach for everyone along it's 100
miles of coastline. The moderate weather is perfect for
beach-going almost anytime of year. Santa Barbara's beaches
are home to many unique
and rare species of birds, along with thriving tide pools, Santa
Barbara's beaches provide fantastic wildlife viewing. The
county's coastal areas are great for spotting whales,
dolphins, seals, and sea lions. Come have fun and enjoy
the sun!
Area Beaches
UCSB
- has about twenty
thousand students, mostly tan, smart, and healthy, a lagoon, a
fine point of land jutting into the Pacific, and good waves,
good swimming, and good diving. They call the end of the rocky
point
Butterfly
Beach -
is the most west-facing beach in Santa Barbara.
This makes it the best beach to enjoy a sunset, you also have
some of the most incredible views of Santa Barbara and the wharf.
Goleta Beach County
Park - Wide and sandy, and popular with locals. It's one of the
few public beaches for the 70,000 plus residents of Goleta. The
fishing pier is occupied day and night. No fishing license is
required on the pier. There's a playground, large areas of lawn,
and picnic tables, barbecues, and horseshoe area.
More Mesa - A long
stretch of beautiful, often deserted beach. Hardly changed since
the days of the Chumash. Private property and cliffs make access
possible only with a long walk. Hope Ranch beach is in the
middle of this stretch, but the road is private, guarded, and
only open to the 500 or so residents of Hope Ranch Park.
East Beach
- is often the
first beach people see when they enter Santa Barbara. Palm-shaded
lawns and clean sand make this one of Santa Barbara's most
popular beaches. The beach is also world famous for hosting top
notch volleyball.
West Beach
- is located between the wharf and marina, right across from the Veteran's
Center. It is not a very crowded beach, despite being so close
to many hotels. You won't find anything but sand and water at
this beach, but food
is available within walking distance.
Fernald Point (Shark's
Cove) - is the first beach you see driving into Montecito from LA
on 101. Fernald property is among the most expensive in the
country. Home to captains of industry and famous comedians.
There's a public access trail, but no parking, at Posilipo Road,
south of the Miramar Hotel.
Summerland
Beach - is
natural, quiet, and clean. A relaxed, old fashioned California
beach next to a tiny, old fashioned California beach town.
Accessible from Lookout Park, or from the end of a frontage road
that runs south from Lookout Park. Lots of good food and shops
just under the highway at Summerland. There used to be oil wells
right in the sand here, and there are still some ragged metal
pipes and pilings to watch out for. Most have been removed.
Rincon
Beach Park
- Rincon is one of the best surfing
locations on the West Coast, with an incredible right break. The
larger winter waves leave a rocky shoreline, but by summer, ocean currents have
dropped off enough sand to form a great beach for swimming.
Whether
you want to swim, surf, play Frisbee, or just lay in the sun,
Santa Barbara has a beach for everyone along it's 100
miles of coastline. The moderate weather is perfect for
beach-going almost anytime of year. Santa Barbara's beaches
are home to many unique
and rare species of birds, along with thriving tide pools, Santa
Barbara's beaches provide fantastic wildlife viewing. The
county's coastal areas are great for spotting whales,
dolphins, seals, and sea lions. Come have fun and enjoy
the sun!