Santa Barbara: Go camping by the beach

If you’re planning a weekend (or even mid-week) getaway to Santa Barbara soon, you may be frustrated by the sky-high peak-season rates being charged by hotels. When I checked a few mid-week dates later this month, even the Motel 6 by the beach was charging $129.90/night for a double room, including taxes. If you’re on a tight budget and still want to stay somewhere with an ocean view, think about pitching a tent.

Deal: With its prime oceanfront real estate, Santa Barbara has some gorgeous spots for camping right by the beach. The California State Parks system runs popular, family-friendly campgrounds at El Capitán State Beach and Refugio State Beach, each a half-hour drive or less from downtown Santa Barbara. At either campground, a site costs $25/night for up to eight people. El Capitán has rocky tidepools, a sandy beach for swimming and surfing, and 130 campsites, some located by a shady creekside. It’s connected by a bluff-top bicycle trail to Refugio, where palm trees wave over just 67 campsites.

Don’t like the idea of roughing it? You can enjoy more creature comforts while camping in luxury nearby.

More…details: El Capitan Canyon is a full-service resort located near El Capitán State Beach. Promising “minimalism without deprivation,” it rents deluxe cedar cabins (some with a loft, a gas fireplace and a bathtub on the front porch) and simpler safari tents (with electricity, a small heater and shared bathrooms). The resort is relatively quiet because it’s car-free; you’ll have to take the shuttle service provided. Overnight rates are $145/$225-345 for the safari tents/cedar cabins, with a two-night minimum stay on weekends. If you stay at the resort’s new Ocean Mesa campground, which currently charges $85/45 for RV/tent sites, you’ll have access to some of the same cushy amenities, including a heated swimming pool.

Caveat: The state park campgrounds are often full. Make reservations in advance through Reserve America, (800) 444-7275, which provides campground maps, information about amenities and campsite availability online. If you’re out of luck and can’t get a reservation, Gaviota State Park, farther west of Santa Barbara, has 21 first-come, first-served campsites ($25/night). It gets extremely windy there, though.

Why Go: When camping, you’re staying closer to the beach than in some prime ocean-view hotel rooms. Besides, you should enjoy the balmy days of summer in Santa Barbara outdoors.

Why Not: The state beach campgrounds are not dog-friendly. You’ll have to keep your pet on a leash at all times, you can’t take it on the beach, and at night, you’ll have to confine it to a tent or vehicle. Not much fun for Fido!

Connect/Disconnect: The state parks do not have wireless Internet access, but the canyon resort does.

Contact: El Capitan State Beach, Refugio State Beach, Gaviota State Park, (805) 968-1033
El Capitan Canyon, (866) 352-2729
Ocean Mesa, (866)410-5783

Know of any other great campgrounds around Santa Barbara? Tell us by posting in the Comments section below.

Related Los Angeles Times links:
Santa Barbara: Discounts for car-free visits
Refugio State Beach: A sweet spot for the contemplative
Luxury camping: California, Molokai & British Columbia

– Sara Benson, L.A. Times Travel Deal Detective

[Photo: Courtesy of California State Parks]

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This entry was posted on Sunday, July 15, 2007 at 7:56 am by admin and is filed under California, Family & Kids, Islands & Beaches, Outdoors & Adventure, Santa Barbara. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.