If you and your dog are visiting Santa Barbara and want to venture beyond the lovely beach at the Four Seasons Biltmore, here are some great options:
Arroyo Burro Beach Park, 2981 Cliff Drive: On and off leash. Locals call it Hendry’s Beach, and dogs call it heaven. Self-service dog washing stations available.
Rincon Park and Beach, Bates Road: A great place to watch surfers.
Goleta Beach County Park, 5990 Sandspit Road, Goleta: One town north of Santa Barbara. This park offers paved trails for bikers and their dogs.
Shoreline Park, 1200 Shoreline Drive: A city park located on the bluffs overlooking the beach near the Santa Barbara harbor.
Knapp’s Castle Trail, E. Camino Cielo Road off the 154: A hike to the ruins of a stone lodge and a view of the Santa Ynez valley.
Rattlesnake Canyon Trail, on Las Canoas before Skofield Park: Don’t let the name put you off; this 3.5 mile hike offers a creek and easy hiking.
Cold Spring Trail and Montecito Park, off E. Mountain Drive: A longer, more strenuous hike with plenty of water.
Seven Falls Trail, at the end of Tunnel Road: Attention, Labradors! Another longer, more strenuous hike with plenty of water.
Santa Barbara County has a number of leash-free parks that you can find by checking out its website.
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So many dog friendly parks, beaches, and trails in Santa Barbara. Inspiration Point/ Seven Falls is a great place to bring your dog-not too much rock climbing and it is a great time for both of you. You can even go swimming at Seven Falls if you go in the right season! Hendry’s beach is a lot of fun for a game of catch with man’s best friend. I go there all the time with my wife and our dog, we really love the parks and beaches there. The Sandman Inn (www.thesandmaninn.com) is the place for us whenever we travel there. Cheap and they love the dogs just as much as we do!
Such a great blog! Thanks for sharing this. Keep it up!