Favorite
West Campus Bluffs Trail The West Campus bluffs area sits just west of Isla Vista. The West Campus Bluffs Trail is accessed off of Camino Majorca Road. This trail leads to a network of trails throughout Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve and the adjoining Ellwood-Devereux Open Space areas. Read more...
Favorite
Las Cruces Trail Head Las Cruces Fire Road Trail The trail system here begins on the Las Cruces Fire Road Trail. If you follow the road uphill it will connect to the Hollister Ridge Fire Road Trail. You can also access the Yucca and Ortega trails at the lower end of this road. NEARBY TRAILS → Yucca Trail Yucca Trail Read more...
Favorite
Gaviota Peak Trail Head Gaviota Peak Trail The hike to Gaviota Peak is a challenging 3 mile uphill climb with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and the Channel Islands at the summit. The trail is actually a fire-road which can be followed back down for a return trip, or you can make a loop by hiking over the peak Read more...
Favorite
Aniso Trail The trail is actually a undulating paved bike path that follows the scenic Gaviota Coast line for the 2.5 mile stretch between El Capitan beach and Refugio beach. A segment of the trail is technically closed due to storm damage. Trail can be accessed from either of the State Beaches. Fees for day passes apply to those who park Read more...
Favorite
El Capitan Nature Trail Learn More → Article by Seth Smigelski on Hikespeak.com Read more...
Favorite
Bill Wallace Trail [ June 2016: The State Park lands that flank the Bill Wallace Trail have been burned extensively. Contact State Parks for a trail status update. ] The Bill Wallace Trail is in a 2500 acre section of the El Capitan State Beach that is north of Hwy 101. The hike is about 12 miles round trip and Read more...
Favorite
Baron Ranch Trails From the main Baron Ranch gate, follow the entrance road into the canyon that forms the Arroyo Quemado Creek watershed. The trail is well-marked and follows a network of ranch roads leading through a habitat restoration area and into the backcountry. The main trail is Arroyo Quemado Trail which begins at Calle Real and ends at Camino Read more...
Favorite
Gaviota State Park Gaviota State Park is about 30 miles west of Santa Barbara. For the outdoor enthusiast the park offers a wide range of water sports and traditional activities such as hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Visitors can choose to fish from a historic pier, scuba dive in a marine conservation area, bag a 2461 foot peak, soak in the Read more...
Favorite
Ellwood Mesa | Sperling Open Space Elwood Mesa is part of the Ellwood Devereux Open Space, a 600 acre multi-agency open space that includes opens space and reserves on UCSB’s North Campus and West Campus, lands within the University System’s Coal Oil Point Reserve, The Land Trust’s Coronado Butterfly Preserve and the City of Goleta’s Ellwood Mesa and Sperling Open Read more...
Favorite
Lake Los Carneros Ecological Preserve Lake Los Carneros Ecological Preserve is a nature preserve and bird habitat with a large lake. A network of trails meander across the park through rolling meadows and a forest of eucalyptus, oak, and pine trees. A wooden bridge crosses the northern end of the lake. This is a great place to stroll or watch wildlife, and Read more...