Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park is nestled in the coastal town of Carpinteria, California. While…read moreit doesn't look like much from the outside, things are surprisingly beautiful within. It's got a great beach area and little bluffs to sit on overlooking the ocean. It's a place where you can unwind, take a leisurely stroll, and simply breathe in the fresh coastal air. Last time we were there, the beach had tons of driftwood from all the recent storms. There were some really interesting pieces of wood out there and maybe a hidden treasure or two. It was fun to search through everything and build a wooden fort. The salt marsh ecosystem also draws in various bird species, some uncommon, making it interesting for birdwatching. Whether you're an experienced birder or simply appreciate a cool looking bird, the park offers ample opportunities to spot and observe them in their natural habitat. The park has actually been closed since April 2023 but is scheduled to reopen in June 2023, for emergency dredging and other issues related to all the weather and flooding. The park's amenities are relatively limited, including a small visitor center and a picnic area, they also have some campus spots I believe. Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park is a worth a stop if you are local or looking for a nice spot to spend some time by the beach. Five stars.

The trail runs along the edge of the rehabed salt marsh. It is an interesting walk, well kept and…read morewith good educational signs. The neighborhood surrounding the marsh on 2 sides is upscale and there is plenty of street parking. Lots of room and benches to relax and enjoy the views.

beautiful evening after the sun had set, from Potter's Pointlove the view!!great place to rest!!!read more

Just Winging It We…read morethought we had a pretty good handle on all the major Monarch butterfly stopovers from Pacific Grove to Pismo, but somehow this place eluded us until we saw a display on it at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The Coronado Butterfly Preserve is ±9.3 acres of protected open space and--more importantly--a Monarch butterfly overwintering site. It is located in the City of Goleta and sits adjacent to Santa Barbara Shores Park. The Good: * Free to visit * Trails are flat and in great shape. They can get a bit muddy after a rain, but it wasn't terrible. * Trails lead into Santa Barbara Shores Park. * Beach access. The Meh: * Butterfly viewing can be very hit-or-miss here, as we only saw a small handful floating about. The Ugly: * Street parking in neighborhoods, which isn't my favorite, but it is what it is. Conclusion: Nice place to visit regardless of the butterfly count.

I love how this little natural park is coming along. It has been in restoration for some time since…read morethe City and Trust for Public Land purchased it and saved it from a planned development site. And now we all get to enjoy the little pocket of nature! It is a great place to stroll with fairly flat accessible trails or to walk your dog (please pack that doggy bag so it does not end up it this watershed!) and a nice quiet place for some fresh air. The new pedestrian bridge offers a spot to bird watch or creek watch and with the massive amount of native plants they are planting this is only going to get better. I personally enjoy this park as a shortcut from the new multi-use path on Las Positas to Hendry's beach. It saves time and is nice to break away from the traffic.

Beautiful scenic walk along the bluffs overlooking the ocean. Easy hike and parking isn't hard in…read morethe surrounding neighborhood. Good for kids and dogs too.

What a beautiful scenery you get when you walk up to the Goleta Beach Park…read more The vibe on Labor Day weekend is relaxed and cool. Mellow like a jello vibes here this morning.

We spent 4th of July weekend in Goleta and hit Goleta Beach on our Saturday afternoon. Was it the…read moreprettiest beach in Santa Barbara? No. But it was pleasant and super easy, with free parking and zero crowd. We'd be lucky to have a beach like it in L.A. The sand wasn't especially nice, I guess, coarse and rocky and full of ocean debris. There was also a water quality advisory out for the day we went, which we only discovered once we had all our stuff set up. Otherwise, though, I have no complaints. The view was beautiful, and we were able to claim a prime spot to put down our friends' massive cabana. We brought chairs and beach toys and spent the afternoon relaxing, as all five kids in our crew were thoroughly entertained. My older boy even enjoyed the rockiness of the beach, collecting several interesting rocks that he requested to take home (we let him pick two). If you're looking for a quiet beach to lay out and entertain children, Goleta Beach is a great option. We had a lot of fun here and would be happy to go back for more rocks and sun.

An absolute hidden gem in Santa Barbara! Alice Keck Park is beautifully designed, with delightfully…read morewinding paths that lead through an incredible rainbow of colorful flowers, trees, and unique garden spaces. Every turn reveals a new design element - from a charming wooden bridge and ducks frolicking in the babbling brook to the pond with sun-basking turtles - making the park a peaceful place to wander and rest. Developed according to the wishes of donor Alice Keck Park, this horticultural garden highlights local Santa Barbara flora, organized by cultural and watering needs that range from boggy to arid. The park offers a surprisingly tranquil escape in the middle of the city. The variety of 70+ tree and plant species is especially impressive! Depending on the season, roses, camellias, sweet violet, night-blooming cereus, azaleas, irises, calla lilies, flowering cherry, and countless other flowering shrubs, succulents, and native plants abound.

This is a very nice and peaceful park to take a walk at. It is well kept, and you can see turtles…read moreand ducks. There is street parking here.

It's nice campground but bathrooms are older. But at night it can get windy due hills and valley…read morewinds go through toward the beach, There's a small store for ice, drinks, snacks, few different goods and Souvenirs too.

Didn't explore the tide pools, wind caves, hiking trails, or natural hot springs (yet), or use one…read moreof the 41 campsites, but I loved the tall train trestle looking over the sandy, secluded beach, which can be seen in the excellent movies Sideways and 20th Century Women. Gaviota allegedly takes its name from Spanish soldiers who killed a seagull while camping there in 1769, though that story might be for the birds. Of the 2000 acres of backcountry, the steep Gaviota Peak Fire Road (2.5 miles from entrance) lleads to small sulfur springs, open to the public. Overlook Fire Road is a three mile round trip up a hill for a view of the Channel Islands. It's called Overlook because mountain lions were will overlook you with napkins stuffed into the collar holding knives and forks.

I didn't even know this place excised til last weekend. While on a daytrip to Carpinteria my family…read moreand I came across this place while on a walk. It's a protected habitat for harbor seals. December through May is when you will see the most seals. It's on the trail of the carpenters bluffs nature preserve. It's really nice to walk here. Next time you are in Carpinteria check it out.

I set out to view the Carpinteria Seal Rookery. Basically this is a restricted beach area for…read morehumans but where seals gather to hang out and live their best life. Before I go further I want to tell ya all that "messing" (includes physically approaching and intruding in restricted areas) with the seals is a federal violation resulting in $10,000 fine. Plus remember the state& local crime punishable by more fines and probable time. We all know how much the government is hurting for some extra moolah. So don't be a doofus. The viewing area is free, no charge. All right with that said, you can view the website for ways to get to the overlook. All paths lead to using the Carpinteria Bluffs Trail. Plus for the love of all that you love, beware of the train tracks. Those are active tracks with real live trains. There are no bells n whistles to alert you that they are a coming. The tracks are not set there for a photo selfie opp. Don't linger on them and don't use them as a walking path. The summer weekday afternoon I visited, the extended bluff trail viewing area was closed. It was roped off. However the hedge, along the viewing trail, was overgrown so the beach below was not visible from that vantage point. So I went back to the area before the trail viewing area. And there was a small area where the hedge was not overgrown to view a portion of the beach below. That portion was closest to the private Casitas pier. But on this particular summer weekday afternoon, I was unable to view any seals on the beach from my vantage point. I'm pretty sure some were down there though. I saw a few swimming in the distance. Then unfortunately I saw a great white shark do what they do. It made a meal of a seal or two. Not a bad place for the sharks to hang out. Highly unfortunate for the seals when they do.

A cool rest stop with a parking lot, bathroom, dam and lake views, and even hiking trails of Lake…read moreCachuma. BEST OF ALL, it's clean and free! Even if you're just passing through the area heading to Solvang or Santa Barbara it's worth the short stop.. - Use the observation point parking lot as a free entrance to the Lake Cachuma park ( which has fees). It's going to be a nice lakeside trail until you get to the park.. - Trails can be spotted next to both lookout spots. Remember, there is another viewpoint closer to the entrance, before you get to the parking lot. You can see the trails from there ( see my picture).

Great Corp of Engineers reservoir, dam, observation point, parking lot and rest area with…read morefacilities. Off the 154 cut through towards Santa Barbara, on the way to and from the 101 both north and south. This is a very nice Corp of Engineers built and maintained facility to take a restroom break, stretch your legs and get out in mother nature for a bit. You can also let the dogs stretch their legs at this facility, there is plenty of room to walk around in several directions. Nice views of the lake, surrounding area and dam. It's a good stop out in the middle of nowhere. And definitely worth the stop if you need to take a break. 3.5 stars - rounded up for the clean and well maintained restrooms. 00327