The Great Outdoors
A trail ride with Los Padres Outfitters may lead to Pacific panoramas
Adventures await on land and sea, by foot, on horseback, and more
Get your nature fix at the 9,000-acre Cachuma Lake Recreation Area (countyofsb.org/parks/cachuma.sbc), where the daytime possibilities include boating and fishing, hiking, picnicking, lake cruises, and birdwatching. Or settle in for the night at a tent campsite, cabin, or yurt. Summer is prime humpback whale-watching season in the Santa Barbara channel, and a trip on the comfy Condor Express (condorexpress.com) is the way to see them, along with blue whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, otters, and a wealth of birds. Hiking trails (montecitotrailsfoundation.info) lace Santa Barbara County’s front and back country. Along with favorites like Inspiration Point, Nojoqui Falls, and the Hot Springs and Cold Spring canyons, there are countless routes of varying difficulty. Just outside Ojai, the Lake Casitas Recreation Area (casitaswater.org/recreation) welcomes campers, boaters and fishermen, hikers and bikers, picnickers, birdwatchers (there are more than 160 species of birds to watch), and disc golf aficionados.
There’s a café and park store, too. Horseback riding along the beach, a trail ride in the hills—Los Padres Outfitters (lospadresoutfitters.com) has you covered with veteran guides and years of experience. The company also can arrange ranch barbecues, special event excursions, and overnight pack trips. Beginning and experienced kayakers alike will find the perfect excursion at the Santa Barbara Adventure Company (sbadventureco.com). Harbor paddles, coastline jaunts, and sea cave explorations in Channel Islands National Park are all possibilities, along with surf and stand-up paddle board lessons. The natural landscape is the star at the 78-acre Santa Barbara Botanic Garden (sbbg.org), with more than 1,000 plants, trees, and flowers. Paths wind through sections of redwoods, woodlands, meadows, and desert plants; the sweeping coastal views are a bonus.
In January 2021 BCycle (bcycle.com) inaugurated an electric bike-share program in Santa Barbara, with 250 bikes and 500 docks on State Street and the East and West Sides, with more projected soon for the waterfront and beyond. Hop on for 30-minute stints or try monthly or annual memberships. Typically Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club (sbpolo.com) games and tournaments are held on weekends from spring to the beginning of October and open to the public. This summer’s schedule, however, is subject to state and county health regulations. Contact the club for up-to-date information. The mantra at Santa Barbara Sailing Center (sbsail.com) is “get out onto the water.” That means kayaking and stand-up paddle board rentals, boat charters (including the Floater, which can power to the Channel Islands in 45 minutes), and dockside cuisine by Loquita followed by a sunset sail. You too can learn to fly through the air with the Santa Barbara Trapeze Company (flytrapezesantabarbara.com), which offers daily classes and workshops for both would-be and practiced aerialists, plus summer camp for kids in their new Plaza Vera Cruz location. J.T.
Photographs: Los Padres Outfitters, Lizard’s Mouth, and Mollusk: Sara Prince, Santa Barbara Trapeze Company, Sara Prince; Field of Light, Chris Hardy.
