Hands down the best beach in Isla Vista! More than campus point and Devereux, this is the place…read moreeveryone from IV surfs. If you're a surfer, beach lounger, fun in the sunner, or all of the above, this is the beach for you! It's beautiful, the sand is soft, and sometimes it may be a little less crowded than other Isla Vista beaches! There is a parking lot for people to park, but to get to the beach itself it is around a mile walk/ bike ride. Totally worth it, especially for the sunset! Plus the walk is very scenic.

There is a lot of seaweed flies everywhere in certain areas but it is truest a beautiful view of…read morethe ocean. There are many surfers riding waves out here so no loneliness.

What a beautiful scenery you get when you walk up to the Goleta Beach Park…read more The vibe on Labor Day weekend is relaxed and cool. Mellow like a jello vibes here this morning.

We spent 4th of July weekend in Goleta and hit Goleta Beach on our Saturday afternoon. Was it the…read moreprettiest beach in Santa Barbara? No. But it was pleasant and super easy, with free parking and zero crowd. We'd be lucky to have a beach like it in L.A. The sand wasn't especially nice, I guess, coarse and rocky and full of ocean debris. There was also a water quality advisory out for the day we went, which we only discovered once we had all our stuff set up. Otherwise, though, I have no complaints. The view was beautiful, and we were able to claim a prime spot to put down our friends' massive cabana. We brought chairs and beach toys and spent the afternoon relaxing, as all five kids in our crew were thoroughly entertained. My older boy even enjoyed the rockiness of the beach, collecting several interesting rocks that he requested to take home (we let him pick two). If you're looking for a quiet beach to lay out and entertain children, Goleta Beach is a great option. We had a lot of fun here and would be happy to go back for more rocks and sun.

My partner and I are regulars at Campus Point Beach. It is highly accessible for a disabled person…read more There are bathrooms and a shower to wash off sand. The view of the shoreline and islands are majestic. A great spot for a picnic, a romantic walk on the beach, or equally, how about an angry irritated walk on the beach? The meditative rhythm of the waves soothes the soul. We regularly spot surfers, pelicans, sandpipers, dolphins, seals, whales, sailboats, cruise ships, The Channel Islands, and even anemones and limpets when tidepoooling. The only warning: The beach is now transformed, much of the sand is gone and the shore is very rocky since the recent unprecedented storms and atmospheric rivers. This makes for unstable ground. The UCSB lagoon is a beautiful spot and adjacent to the beach. There are also easy hiking trails to explore nearby. The UCSB Marine Lab is also located at Campus Point and offers touch tanks full of aquatic discovery and learning, tactile stimulation and joyful wonder! So make haste and head to the beach already!

Overlooking the ocean on the cliffs is one of my favorite spots to study at UCSB. There are benches…read morefor people to sit on and it's generally very quiet and relaxing. One of the best views on the campus! The more you walk to the right of the cliffs, you will find the Labyrinth! You have to do the Labyrinth when you come to UCSB, you will feel so accomplished! Right before you enter the beach, there is UCSB's Reef. You can come here and touch a variety of sea creatures from, starfish to fish, they have it all! Super super cool experience! Depending on the day and the tides, this beach and Sands is the best to get your surf on in Goleta. You can always rent paddle boards, wet suits, kayaks and surfboards from UCSB's Recreation Center right off the water! It ranges from $10-$30 an hour depending on what you're renting or $30-$60 all day. Check out the link for more information! https://recreation.ucsb.edu/sites/default/files/2020-01/ucsb-campus-point-rentals-2016_bc7fd9fa-9062-40ab-86df-e405787716cf.pdf.pdf

Beautiful beach access, beautiful views, peaceful and relaxing. A lot of different wild plants and…read moreanimals. Parking available and restroom's as well.

Beautiful beach. Great walkway that can be navigated easily! Good parking. Friendly and helpful…read morepeople guided us to the parking and walkway.

Just Winging It We…read morethought we had a pretty good handle on all the major Monarch butterfly stopovers from Pacific Grove to Pismo, but somehow this place eluded us until we saw a display on it at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The Coronado Butterfly Preserve is ±9.3 acres of protected open space and--more importantly--a Monarch butterfly overwintering site. It is located in the City of Goleta and sits adjacent to Santa Barbara Shores Park. The Good: * Free to visit * Trails are flat and in great shape. They can get a bit muddy after a rain, but it wasn't terrible. * Trails lead into Santa Barbara Shores Park. * Beach access. The Meh: * Butterfly viewing can be very hit-or-miss here, as we only saw a small handful floating about. The Ugly: * Street parking in neighborhoods, which isn't my favorite, but it is what it is. Conclusion: Nice place to visit regardless of the butterfly count.

They have a parking lot at Santa Barbara Shores park, which is located across from Ellwood School…read moreon Hollister Ave. This parking lot has an entrance to the preserve with a general map for viewing. We followed directions through Yelp however; and it brought us to a neighborhood street where we could park and enter the preserve via a trail. This worked great until we realized the trails are not marked and it was hard to know where you were headed and if and when we would loop back to our car. I highly suggest parking in the lot and using a different map than the one through Yelp. That being said the preserve was a different habitat for us to walk through with so many tall trees to shade you and create wonderful places for the many birds we could hear and see. We did see a couple of butterflies, so that was nice. This preserve seems to be a work in progress and donations are being accepted to aid in their goal. I think it is going to be a fabulous asset to the community when it is completed.

Nice little park at the end of Camino Pescadero in Isla Vista. Gives a great vista of las islas, in…read morefact. Good for a morning visit, before the space starts to feel Covid-unsafe with maskless students strolling around. Check out the bench on the clifftop at the end of the park path for a neat place to contemplate the waves at high tide. Or head down the steps to the beach--unless waves are crashing over the sand, in which case stop on the landing and watch the water roll just below you. It's pretty cool.

Nice trails and fresh mulch from preserve placed to help with recent rainfall. Not many butterflies…read moretoday, but quite a few folks walking around asking, 'Have you seen any butterflies?' We were releasing an injured monarch we found before the rains came. Kept her safe and dry for 4 nights, then released her to perch on eucalyptus branches in the sun. She can't fly, but crawls around using 2 good legs and a soft flutter. She may not live long, but at least she'll be in a lovely preserve with other wintering monarchs. Good parking lot off Hollister, but it also seemed like parking on the perimeter streets was fine also. Cheers, "CC"

I have seen some lovely engagement photos taken here. Since all the rain, there have been some…read moreEucalyptuses that have fallen so be aware of the signs. It offers a long and pleasant trail to the beach. And if you're feeling brave you can run and spin through the tall grass like a movie character. This trail is great for walking and getting all your steps in. I bring my dog and we both enjoy the sun, wind and vibes.

Great trail that leads right to the beach! Beautiful views to enjoy at all times. I saw a lot of…read morepeople running, walking their dogs, and even birdwatching. Anyone can enjoy this splendid trail.

I LOVE the preserve! I am lucky to live by it, but would also recommend going to it even if it…read moretakes a short commute. Its a lovely place to walk at any time of day. Lots of wildlife and beautiful natural space, all right beside the beach! Usually not a very busy spot either, and far enough away from campus too.

First off, the actual kayaking experience was nice, decent price and well built kayaks but they…read morecould use a hose off between use. But, the staff member mike really needs to work on his customer service skills. When we walked in he didn't greet us at all and told us to "come to the window" as if we should already know where to go (it was our first time) then when the iPad was not working properly he made no effort to apologize or give a solution. He was also rude and off putting when I asked for a rash guard. I wanted to stay warm in the sometimes chilly ocean and when I asked for the shirt his reply was "you won't get rashed up kayaking" as if that was a dumb request to make. Like I said before, kayaking was a nice experience but mike really needs some work.

The time on the listing is wrong. We came an hour and a half before the closing time listed here…read moreonly to find that they stopped giving out paddle board rentals. No where on the website does it say that they would stop giving out rentals at a certain time. It only says that you must return the rental before closing hours. We were really disappointed...