What To Expect: El Capitan State Beach has it all: beachcombing, camping, cycling, fishing, hiking, picnicking, surfing, swimming, tide pooling and more.
What To Expect: Miles of trails reveal a beautiful and dramatic landscape as you wind along the lovely creek and through areas of grassland, oak woodland, and chaparral. Arroyo Hondo was once the site of a Chumash village and it has a well-preserved adobe.
What To Expect: This trail travels through old ranch land and chaparral to the Hollister ridge where it connects to several other trails along the way to provide many options for a loop hike.
What To Expect: This trail (fire road) starts in Gaviota State Park and then continues into the Los Padres National Forest where it reaches the tallest point along the Gaviota Coast after climbing over 2,000 ft.
Trail Rating: Gaviota Peak Trail is strenuous. Others range from easy to moderate.
What To Expect: The Aniso Trail is a 2.5 mile long paved bike-way between El Capitan State Beach and Refugio State Beach. A segment of the trail is technically closed due to storm damage.
What To Expect: A short self-guided nature trail winds through the woodlands on El Capitán Point where you'll see panoramic views of the ocean and surrounding area.
What To Expect: The hike is about 12 miles round trip following mostly ranch roads. It makes a large loop starting near the coast following one side of El Capitan Canyon up into the hills and then returning back along the opposite side of the canyon.
What To Expect: From the ranch gate the trail follows the main road turning inland and heading up into Quemado Canyon. At about the 2.5 mile mark the trail branches forming a loop up into the mountains.
Trail Rating: Easy at the beginning, but steep in places as you head into the mountains.