Only a half hour drive up the coast from Santa Barbara, El Capitan State Beach draws a lot of visitors year-round. Among favorite activities along the rock and sand beach are surfing, exploring tide pools, picnicking, sun bathing, and fishing. A bike-walk trail meanders along the coast, provide great views of the ocean. Clusters of campsites among the dunes near the shore make it a popular destination for campers. Groves of oak, eucalyptus, and sycamore offer ample shade to campsites.

El Capitan Beach property extends across the railroad tracks and Highway 101 up into the lower slopes of the Santa Ynez Mountains, but most visitors confine themselves to the beach areas. A nature trail offers great ways to explore the coast and the forested areas along El Capitan Creek. A stairway provides access from the bluffs to the beach area.

El Capitan State Beach Wildlife

A variety of birds can be spotted in the trees. Among the most common are scrub jays, flickers, California thrashers, and band-tailed pigeons. Visitors also spy an occasional red-tailed hawk. Squirrels scurry about the tree limbs while mule deer forage among the oaks and shrubs. Out along the coast birders spot gulls, loons, Clark's grebes, and scoters. Looking out to sea, you may well see dolphins and passing gray whales.