Gaviota Beaches
by Paul Costales

One of the great things about living in Santa Barbara County is the huge swath of mostly undeveloped coastal zone we have from Goleta all the way to Gaviota State Beach. This 20-mile stretch of beautiful coast has a history of controversy in regards to development and access. Avoiding most of the politics and battles that are waged over the future of this area, it can be a great place to go to the beach just a short jaunt from town. With three state parks and countless unofficial turnouts along highway 101, there is much exploring to be done. The surf is another story, as, although there are a few places that can have a few good days, the other 345 days don't offer much.

Starting way out West at Gaviota State Beach, where you can camp, visit for the day, and even launch your boat from the hoist. Windy is the key word when the sun goes down at this park. Right before the State Park entrance is where the road continues to the west out to a gate beyond which lies Hollister Ranch. Up in there, that is a whole 'nother story.

Heading down the coast from Gaviota State Beach, there are numerous pullouts for beach access. Locals who frequent these beaches have names for the turnouts and have their own favorite beaches they like to hit up. The restrictions on parking here are surprisingly minimal as there are no overbearing signs about hours of use or other government mandated warnings. It actually seems like what much of the California coast might have been like about 50 years ago.

If you ever pull out at the Vista Point available on the southbound side of the 101, you'll see views like this. Folks that live around here probably don't get too excited about this view, but the Europeans in the lot on this day seemed pretty enthralled. From this vantage point you actually have to duck down to go under some seemingly defunct power lines, further adding to the 'forgotten coast' charm of this area.

I recently received an email from a beachgoer worried that Caltrans was installing guardrails on the southbound side of the freeway, eliminating parking spots at one beach, and reducing the amount of spots in another. Of course I was all eager to report on more coastal access being ripped out from under us, but on inspection I couldn't locate a whole lot of parking removed. Here is one such pullout where the guardrail cuts off a few parking spots but maintains the majority of the parking. I couldn't find where the place was that was completely cut off by Caltrans. Surely this is something the beach going community should keep an eye on, because it would be a shame to see coastal access slowly eroded over the years.

Continuing on our Eastward journey, we get to Refugio State Beach. Refugio can be a great beach to camp out with its nice beach and grassy areas. Campers can also bring their surfboards and dream that it will actually be surfable when they are there. Remember when California had a budget surplus about 10 years ago? Seems like a long time ago, doesn't it? Well whoever was Governor then (Wilson, Davis?) decided to reduce day use fees to the State Beaches. You could get into Refugio or any other State Beach for $2. Even cheap guys like this author would pay $2 instead of park outside and walk in. Last winter it was $8 for day use and it may be even higher now.

Just over a mile down the coast from Refugio is El Capitan State Beach. Like its sibling to the west, El Capitan is a great place to camp and beach-go and is surfable a few days out of the year. When the winter rains come and the grass down near the creek mouth turns green, there is no more picturesque point around.

A point with a creek at the apex with some cool fauna. A cobblestone beach with towering, crumbling cliffs above it. The train tracks right above with the crooked looking power lines trailing. Hit this scene up around sunset in the late fall after some fun in the sun and ocean and there is no better way to fire up your spirit.

As you continue east from here you get into some private ranches, some coast that is up for development, the hated Bacara Resort, and then into Goleta. It's a great stretch of coast and hopefully will be for many generations