Solvang, California

Enjoy meeting ostriches and emus alike!  Located just outside of Solvang, near Santa Barbara, you get the chance to stroll through a farm and feed the ostriches and emus.  Entrance is free, but there is a fee to feed them.  There are scenic hills and flowers all around the farm.  This is a great ...

Unfortunately, the falls have been inaccessible for a while due to dangerous conditions from a mudslide. Contact the County of Santa Barbara Parks Division for more information. The falls are a great daytime getaway. Granted it's a quick, short hike, so you won't get the same workout or sweat go...

About 30 miles north of Santa Barbara on the 101 is a small state beach in the 90 person town of Gaviota. Most people pass right on through to San Luis Obispo or don't even make it past Goleta, but this gem is worth checking out either for a day trip or to camp for the weekend.Since it is a state...

Caves and epic views...need I say more?! That's what you'll encounter on this short 2.5 mile out and back hike to the Gaviota Wind Caves in the San Ynez Mountains, West of Santa Barbara. The Gaviota Wind Caves are a sandstone formation located 1 mile from the Pacific Ocean. One good thing about t...

El Capitan Canyon is a gorgeous collection of permanent tents, yurts and cabins located across the highway from El Capitan State Beach and its campground. It's also the perfect place to ease your friends or loved ones into the world of camping. We all have that special person in our life who we'...

I was looking for a last minute adventure out of LA and found this epic view.  Easy backpacking trip for one night, no permits needed, less than 3.5 hours from LA, and secluded.  Go to REI and pick up your adventure pass for your car. Plug into your GPS "Davy Brown Campground" in Los Olivos / Los...

Foxen Canyon Road from Santa Maria to Los Olivos runs through some of the most beautiful wine country in Santa Barbara county so much so that it was centerpiece of the film Sideways. The road itself begins at the intersection of Betteravia and Philbric roads just east of Santa Maria and proceeds ...

One of the many hidden gems near Santa Barbara, Knapp's Castle is an abandoned home built in 1916 by George Knapp. Finding the trailhead can be difficult because it's not clearly marked and the road it's starts from is long, winding and narrow. Coming from the 154, turn right on East Camino Cielo...

Red Rock Pools is a relatively popular swimming hole located along the Santa Ynez River about an hour outside of Santa Barbara, California. The trail to the swimming hole is relatively short, but more pools can be found if you follow the Gibraltar Trail down to the Gibraltar Dam (an additional ...

Tunnel Trail is a great way to get to the top of La Cumbre Peak. You get to the trailhead by taking Tunnel Road until it dead ends at a large water tower, there you can park your car and start on foot. You take Spyglass Ridge Road up which is a paved fire road until it becomes dirt when you get o...

Santa Barbara is known for its incredible terrain. Paragliding at Elings Park is an amazing way to take in the gorgeous local scenery from an entirely new perspective. You’ll get your blood and adrenaline pumping as you challenge yourself to try something new under the watchful, expert eyes of th...

If you love the mountains above Santa Barbara but hate the crowds, stick to the canyon trails on the east side. The trails running up Cold Spring canyon offer a variety of experiences without all the noise. To find the West Fork of Cold Spring Trail, take the Olive Mill Rd. exit from the 101 fre...

There are 2 campgrounds close to Rincón, but Carpinteria State Beach is a little bigger and easier to find a spot. There are 4 campgrounds: Santa Cruz, Anacapa, San Miguel and Santa Rosa. Most of them are RV sites, but if you stay at Santa Cruz Campground you can set your tent right at the beach,...

The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes and nearby Lake Oso Flaco are home to many endangered and threatened species of plants and animals. A beautiful, short boardwalk takes you from the parking lot, over Lake Oso Flaco, and through the dunes before arriving at the ocean. Enjoy the local wildlife and abundan...

You can get a wonderfully detailed description of what to expect from the Channel Islands/Santa Rosa Island and how to get there from fellow Explorer Michael Wigle's "Beach Camp on Santa Rosa Island" adventure (which I highly recommend you check out for the information and the photography, so I'm...

The vast diversity of terrain of Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands National Park is matched in uniqueness only by its own flora and fauna, in particular the endangered and endemic Torrey Pine. The best way to view and experience these strange, broad trees is via the Torrey Pines Trail, whi...