Gaviota to Rincon
34 public ways to the coast from Gaviota to Rincon: beaches you walk onto, stairs, trails, blufftops and piers. We checked each one against its official page.
We list dogs, parking, restrooms and fees only where an official page says so. A spot a filter hides may still have them; the sign at the entrance wins.
34 places
Heads up: Beach day use remains available; the pier and boat hoist are closed.
Beach below a railway trestle, with picnic areas and shore fishing.
Getting there: Gaviota Beach Road off Highway 101, Gaviota State Park
Directions · Official page · ·
Beach beside Refugio Creek, with picnic areas, shore fishing and camping.
Getting there: 10 Refugio Beach Road, Goleta, CA 93117
Directions · Official page · ·
Heads up: Erosion blocks the connection between Refugio and El Capitán; only separate sections remain open.
Surviving blufftop walking and cycling sections with ocean views.
Getting there: Coastal trail between Refugio State Beach and El Capitán State Beach
Directions · Official page · ·
Heads up: Day use is open; part of the entrance footpath remains closed with a signed walking alternative.
Beach with rocky tide pools and creekside trees; stairs connect the bluffs to the sand.
Getting there: Highway 101 Exit 117; follow El Capitán State Beach signs south toward the ocean
Directions · Official page · ·
Public coastal path beside the Bacara resort leading to Haskell’s Beach.
Getting there: Signed public beach parking at 8301 Hollister Avenue, Goleta
Directions · ·
Coastal open-space trails across Ellwood Mesa, with routes down to the beach.
Getting there: Ellwood Mesa Open Space and Sperling Preserve parking area, 7729 Hollister Avenue, Goleta
Directions · Official page · ·
Reserve paths and public portions of Sands Beach offer birdwatching and coastal habitat views.
Getting there: Walk west from Del Playa Drive at Camino Majorca along the bluff path to Coal Oil Point
Directions · Official page · ·
Blufftop lawn with picnic tables and ocean views; nearby Escondido beach stairs are closed.
Getting there: Sea Lookout Park on Del Playa Drive near Camino Corto, Isla Vista
Directions · Official page · ·
Heads up: Storm-damaged but in use as of mid-2026. Watch your step.
Beach stairway descending from the end of Camino del Sur.
Getting there: Camino del Sur at Del Playa Drive, Isla Vista
Directions · Official page · ·
Heads up: The pier’s boat launch is closed for mechanical problems; beach and pier visits remain available.
Beachfront park with picnic areas and a long pier for walking and fishing.
Getting there: 5986 Sandspit Road, Goleta, CA 93117
Directions · Official page · ·
Trails across a wide coastal mesa, with stairs down to a long, quiet beach.
Getting there: More Mesa Open Space CSA-3 trailhead on Shoreline Drive via South Patterson Avenue
Directions · Official page · ·
Hendry’s Beach has sand beside the creek mouth and a beachfront restaurant.
Getting there: 2981 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93109
Directions · Official page · ·
Cliff Drive approach to the preserve’s woodland and blufftop walking trails.
Getting there: Cliff Drive near the Las Positas Road roundabout, Santa Barbara
Directions · Official page · ·
Blufftop open space above Arroyo Burro Beach, with walking trails and ocean views.
Getting there: 2551 Medcliff Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93109
Directions · Official page · ·
Long staircase from the Mesa neighborhood to the beach below the coastal cliffs.
Getting there: Mesa Lane at Edgewater Way, Santa Barbara
Directions · Official page · ·
Concrete stairs descend from the Mesa neighborhood to the beach below.
Getting there: Ocean end of Santa Cruz Boulevard, Santa Barbara
Directions · Official page · ·
Blufftop lawns, walking paths and picnic areas, with stairs down to the beach.
Getting there: Shoreline Drive and Santa Rosa Place, Santa Barbara
Directions · Official page · ·
The stairway connecting Shoreline Park's grassy blufftop to the beach.
Getting there: Within Shoreline Park, near Shoreline Drive and Santa Rosa Place, Santa Barbara
Directions · Official page · ·
A sandy beach beside the harbor, with picnic areas and room for walking and surfing.
Getting there: Between Santa Barbara Harbor and Shoreline Park, opposite Santa Barbara City College
Directions · Official page · ·
A working harbor with waterfront walks, fishing boats and restaurants.
Getting there: Harbor Way off Shoreline Drive; Waterfront office at 132-A Harbor Way, Santa Barbara
Directions · Official page · ·
A sandy beach between the harbor and Stearns Wharf, beside the waterfront walking and cycling path.
Getting there: Between Santa Barbara Harbor and Stearns Wharf, along West Cabrillo Boulevard
Directions · Official page · ·
A wooden wharf over the ocean, with fishing, shops, restaurants and views back toward the city.
Getting there: Dolphin Fountain at the ocean end of State Street and Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara
Directions · Official page · ·
A long city beach with volleyball courts, picnic areas and the Cabrillo Pavilion.
Getting there: Along East Cabrillo Boulevard, east of Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara
Directions · Official page · ·
County public stairs from Channel Drive to the western part of Butterfly Beach.
Getting there: Channel Drive opposite Butterfly Lane, Montecito
Directions · ·
A public path leads west from Eucalyptus Lane to the sandy and rocky shore at Hammonds.
Getting there: Public trail heading west from the parking area at the ocean end of Eucalyptus Lane, Montecito
Directions · ·
Beach stairs at Eucalyptus Lane reach the narrow sandy shore beside the Miramar resort.
Getting there: Ocean end of Eucalyptus Lane, Montecito
Directions · Official page · ·
A blufftop picnic park with a descending path to Summerland Beach.
Getting there: Lookout Park Road at the ocean end of Evans Avenue, Summerland
Directions · Official page · ·
A path from Padaro Lane passes beneath the road bridge and descends to the beach.
Getting there: Signed Loon Point Beach parking area, 2781 Padaro Lane, near Summerland
Directions · ·
A sandy town beach reached from the ends of Linden, Holly and Ash avenues.
Getting there: Ocean ends of Linden, Holly and Ash avenues, Carpinteria
Directions · Official page · ·
A sandy state beach with picnic areas, camping and boardwalk access from the day-use area.
Getting there: Ocean end of Palm Avenue, Carpinteria
Directions · Official page · ·
Bluff trails and beach stairs beside natural tar seeps, southeast of the state campground.
Getting there: Southeast of Carpinteria State Beach campground; approach on foot from the campground or beach
Directions · Official page · ·
Blufftop trails and a coastal overlook for ocean views and birdwatching.
Getting there: Nature Preserve parking area at Bailard Avenue, or adjacent Viola Fields, Carpinteria
Directions · Official page · ·
A blufftop picnic park with a ramp down to the sandy beach north of Rincon Point.
Getting there: Ocean end of Bates Road; use the northwest parking lot on the Carpinteria side
Directions · Official page · ·
A public trail reaches the rocky and sandy shoreline at the Rincon surf break.
Getting there: Ocean end of Bates Road; take the left-hand State beach parking lot beside Rincon Point Road
Directions · Official page · ·
Nothing matches all of those. Turn a filter off, or pick another town.
This page lists 34 public spots between Gaviota and Rincon Point, each checked against a current official page. 27 of them get you down to the sand by walking on, by stairs or by a trail; the rest are blufftops, piers and the harbor.
An official page says dogs are allowed at 2 of these spots. Where the page doesn't say, we leave it blank, so check the sign at the entrance.
The list of spots starts from the California Coastal Commission's public access locations. On Oct 31, 2026 we checked every spot shown here against current park, city, county and state pages, and left off what we couldn't confirm. Rules, fees and closures change, so the posted signs win. Map by OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Free, every Thursday
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