Elings Park - Tourist Attractions

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Elings Park
updated: Jun 04, 2011, 9:45 AM

By the dedicated staff

Elings Park is a local favorite, where families gather to watch softball and baseball games, play tennis, hike and mountain bike, take their dogs to the park, attend weddings, and even fly gliders off cliffs. There is a very nice gathering spot for groups and special events at the developed top of Elings Park North, to the left of the main entrance, and a memorial to veterans that you can view on the walk there. Or you might find your bliss in the undeveloped sections (Elings Park South), where trails crisscross sometimes steep hillsides, and a flat take off point overlooking the ocean is ideal for glider takeoffs.

The park is currently in transition with construction work going on, so be aware of those conditions before you go.

Here's a fun fact: Elings is the largest privately funded public park in the U.S. The 230-acre park is named for Digital Instruments founder Dr. Virgil Elings (pronounced ee-lings), a major benefactor who helped fund the work of the Elings Park Foundation, which continues to manage and maintain the park. For more, visit the park website: elingspark.org

How to get there: From Highway 101 and Las Positas, drive toward the ocean on Las Positas (State Route 227). The park will be on your left hand side about a half mile before the intersection with Cliff Drive.

Here are our favorite reasons to visit.

It's in the perfect park triangle. Elings Park, Arroyo Burro/Hendry's Beach, and the Douglas Preserve make up a loose triangle of public open space at the base of Las Positas and the Mesa. All great places for people and dogs to be outside, you could make a day of hopping between the two for various activities, lounging, walking, and sightseeing. Parking at Elings as well as Arroyo Burro is currently free, although you might find it congested on a busy summer weekend. Though you'll see the paragliders take off from Elings, a better bet spot to see them glide is from the cliff top at the Douglas Preserve, where you can watch them make a leisurely descent to the beach.

Find friends for Fido. A program called EPDOG allows dog owners to purchase a tag for their dogs annually and keep them off leash when visiting Elings Park. It's a nice alternative to a small dog park, since they have access to all 230-acres to roam around. (You're expected to be close by at all times, of course.) Annual memberships start at $125 a year, and help defer park maintenance costs. Dogs that bite or hurt others will be asked to leave.

Tie the knot… or just take in the view. The park has several areas that are frequently rented out for weddings, and the classiest of them is Godric Grove, an oak-surrounded hilltop with an amphitheater, designated picnicking areas, green lawn and scenic vistas. From various spots around the Grove you can see Santa Barbara in all directions. The amphitheater is a great spot for a ceremony, though we've also enjoyed watching live music and hula dancing performances there. On most afternoons you'll find this pleasant spot deserted; a nice chance for some solo think time or lounging on the grass with a good book.

Honoring our veterans. Many people know about the very visible display of crosses marking war casualties in Iraq in Afghanistan, which is in place at the base of Stearns Wharf once a month. The Veterans Memorial Walk at Elings is a much quieter, contemplative memorial, and the only large scale permanent marker to locals who lost their lives fighting with the U.S. military. Located above the playing fields and below the picnic grounds, the walkway stretches 1500 feet and honors 463 area residents who lost their lives. Even if you don't know any of the honored dead, the nature of the walkway itself creates a place where you can think about what peace means. It ends at the Terrace of Remembrance, where more lost soldiers are honored. This is an ideal place to visit on a Veterans or Memorial Day.