Santa Barbara Beaches & Parks
There's something magical about the ocean, whether you're strolling the beach with your soulmate (ideal, but not required), discovering the secret worlds of tidepools or just watching the sun set over the water - or, as in Santa Barbara, watching it rise and set over the water!
Santa Barbara County offers miles and miles of beautiful beaches, many of which are home to some of the best surf breaks and stand up paddle board zones along the West Coast. Moderate ocean temperatures and mild tides make a day at the beach all that more inviting. But enjoying the outdoors in Santa Barbara means more than sand and surf. Santa Barbara is also home to some 50 public parks and picnic areas.
Passion for paragliding? There's a park for that. Birding and botany? There's a park for that. A fondness for fauna - you guessed it - there's a park for that, whether it's immersing yourself in the migration of the iconic Monarch butterfly or scanning the Pacific horizon for whales.
If you’re a fiend for fresh-air fun, take your eco-tourism to the next level with this Great Outdoors Itinerary; or turn a walk in the park into a family outing with the Family Fun Trek Itinerary. And you can always make your way from one beach to the next car-free. From Ultimate Frisbee to quiet oceanside strolls or simply spreading out a blanket to enjoy some fresh air, fresh-baked bread and a bottle of wine (several Santa Barbara parks allow alcohol), Santa Barbara parks have your place in the sun!
Featured Partner
- Linden Avenue
- Carpinteria, CA 93013
- Information: (805) 684-2811
Please Note: For the current status of this park, please call (805) 968-1033. Twelve miles south of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria State Beach offers a mile of beach for swimming, surf fishing, ...MORE
- 620 Laguna St.
- Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Information: (805) 564-5418
Flanked by towering palms on one side and the blue Pacific on the other, the Chase Palm Park Center is a “hidden jewel” located on the ocean side of Cabrillo Boulevard opposite the carousel in Chase ...MORE
- 610 Mission Canyon Road
- Santa Barbara, CA 93105
- Information: (805) 568-2461
Visitors find in each of our parks a distinctive spirit that may stimulate or soothe, but is sure to satisfy. Cool redwood groves, wide open lawns for recreation, the picturesque Pacific, and two of ...MORE
- Highway 101 at El Capitan State Beach exit
- Santa Barbara, CA 93117
- Information: (805) 968-1033
Please Note: For the current status of this park, please call (805) 968-1033. El Capitán State Beach offers visitors a sandy beach, rocky tidepools, and stands of sycamore and oaks along El Capitán ...MORE
- UC Santa Barbara
- Santa Barbara, CA 93106-1120
- Information: (805) 893-3123
Welcome to the UC Santa Barbara Family Vacation Center, located in Santa Barbara, CA. - The American Riviera®. Families stay in suite style accommodations with 2-4 bedrooms, bathroom, living room ...MORE
- 33 miles west of Santa Barbara on U.S. 101
- Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Information: (805) 968-1033
Gaviota State Park takes its name from the Spanish word for seagull, given to the area by soldiers of the Portola Expedition who supposedly killed a seagull while camping here in 1769. Marked by ...MORE
- 1420 Kenwood Drive
- Santa Barbara, CA 93109
- Information: 805-564-5418
A small, out of the way, neighborhood park with spectacular views of the city and Santa Ynez mountains that can be enjoyed from the picnic tables or the children's playground area. Reservable sites.
- 295 Meigs Rd - next to the lighthouse
- Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Information: 805-564-5418
This lush and friendly neighborhood park features a children's playground and reservable group picnic facilities. Other highlights include towering trees and a short, pleasant walk to a spectacular ...MORE
- 10 Refugio Beach Road
- Goleta, CA 93117
- Information: (805) 968-1033
Please Note: For the current status of this park, please call (805) 968-1033. Refugio State Beach offers excellent coastal fishing as well as trails and picnic sites. Palm trees planted near Refugio ...MORE
- 1212 Mission Canyon Road
- Santa Barbara, CA 93105-2126
- Information: 805-682-4726
Located on 65 acres in the foothills just above the city, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden features exquisite exhibits of California native plants displayed in beautiful landscaped settings. Walk ...MORE
- Cabrillo Blvd. and Garden Street
- Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Information: 805-556-5422
This 14,600 square feet of skateboard and in-line fun is located in Chase Palm Park along the waterfront at Garden Street and Cabrillo Blvd. This state-of-the-art cement facility features a half-pipe, ...MORE
- 258 Canon Drive
- Santa Barbara, CA 93105
- Information: 805-564-5418
A continuous canyon park reaching up San Roque Canyon to the historic trails of the Santa Ynez Range.There is a playground, creekside and hiking trails through San Roque Canyon and reservable picnic ...MORE
- 2981 Cliff Drive.
- Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Information: (805) 568-2461
- Butterfly Lane
- Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Information: (805) 568-2465
- End of Linden Ave. to Ash Ave.
- Carpinteria, CA 93013
- Information: (805) 684-5405
- 32 E. Mason Street
- Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Information: (805) 564-5418
- 1298 Las Positas Road
- Santa Barbara, CA 93105
- Information: (805) 569-5611
- 5986 Sandspit Rd.
- Goleta, CA 93117
- Information: (805) 568-2461
- Shoreline Dr. and Loma Alta Dr.
- Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Information: (805) 564-5418
- 2297 Finney Rd
- Summerland, CA 93067
- Information: 805-969-1720
- Center for Natural Lands Management
- 1045 Guadalupe St
- Guadalupe, CA 93434
- Information: 805-343-2354
- Paradise Road off Highway 154
- Paradise Road
- Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Information: (805) 967-3481
- Highway 101 at Bates Rd.
- Carpinteria, CA 93013
- Information: (805) 568-2461
- PO Box 60135
- Santa Barbara, CA 93160
- Information: 805-448-2426
- Waterfront, west of Stearns Wharf
- Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Information: (805) 564-5418
