El Capitan State Beach
El Capitan State Beach Campground, one of the best places to camp in California, is located off Highway 101, 17 miles west of Santa Barbara. The campsites at El Capitan Beach are well spaced out among the trees on bluffs overlooking the beach. These beautiful campsites are among the nicest along the California coast. A bike trail leads west along the coast connecting El Capitan with Refugio Beach. Campers at El Capitan enjoy beach combing, fishing, surfing, picnicking, swimming, and sunbathing.
There are five group camping areas overlooking the ocean (Cabrillo, DeAnza, Drake, Portola, and Ortega). They have a capacity of 40-60 people and the group sites have paved parking for cars and small RVs. A few hike-in and bike-in campsites are also available north of the group camping area.
There are flush toilets, drinking water, coin-operated showers, a laundromat, a day use/picnic area, and a campfire center at the campground. Firewood can also be purchased from the campground host. El Capitan campground has many shady areas with oak and sycamore trees scattered throughout the park. Some of the campsites also have stunning cliff-top views. A sandy beach with tide pools and numerous hiking trails are also available. Bring your swimsuit and surfboard; the rolling tide provides the ideal setting for catching a few waves or simply frolicking in the surf. There's also a camp store with beach essentials and hot showers to clean up before a fire pit BBQ dinner.
- Area: 10.66 km2
- Webiste: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=601
- Google Rating: 4.7/5.0
- Location: Goleta, CA 93117
