Rocky Nook Park Paths

Rocky Nook Park is a small park with bathrooms, one reservable picnic area and a 5-12 playground. Behind these however, there are many paths on the 19+ acres. We  love this park because of the shade, but it is also great for a nature walk. The creek is accessible for play if you want to walk down the bank.

Directions: From the 101, take Mission toward the mountains. When it ends, turn left into Laguna St and then right onto E Los Olivos St. Continue past the mission staying to the left when the road divides. The park is on your right.

Trail Rating: Easy
Distance: .5 mi or what you'd like
Time: 20 minutes plus
Nearby attractions: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History  and Santa Barbara Mission
Rocky Nook Playground Review

Birthday Freebies

So I have another birthday coming up, not a big one like last year, but a gal still needs to celebrate. Here is the list of Santa Barbara and Goleta area birthday freebies. Please let me know if you find new one (or ones that aren't valid anyone) so I can update it here! Confirmed June 2025 *.

These places will give you a freebie just based on your ID:
Summerland Beach Cafe (free breakfast)

These require signing up ahead (generally require an app or a code sent through email):

American Eagle (Birthday Coupon)

Anthropologie (Birthday Coupon)

Aveda (Birthday Gift)

Banana Republic (Birthday Gift for emails)
Baskin Robbins (free small scoop)*
Coldstone Creamery (free creation)
Denny's (free gift) *
Dunkin Donuts (Free drink)

Habit ("Special Treat")
IHOP (free stack of Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity Pancakes)
Jack in the Box (2 free tacos)
Jersey Mike's (free sub and drink)
McDonalds (free medium fries) *
Nothing Bundt Cakes (free bundlet) *

Panda (exclusive offer)
Redbox (free movie rental)
Rori's Artisanal Creamery (free scoop of ice cream) "

Sephora (Birthday gift) 
Starbucks (free drink on the day) * 
Subway (free 6 inch sub with drink purchase)

Ulta (Birthday Gift) *
Wendy's ($1 off a premium combo meal)

World Market (Bithday coupon)
Yogurtland ($5 off) *

To compile this list I used these sites plus my fabulous Facebook friends!

http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?nid=100203
http://www.favoritecandle.com/free-birthday-meals/Santa-Barbara/CA
https://www.retailmenot.com/blog/birthday-freebies.html

San Marcos Preserve

Near Highway 154 is an unimproved open space with miles of trails. One of the newer open spaces, the land was donated in 2007 and several organizations have been part of restoring the habitat. This is a very sunny path with little shade so be prepared.

Directions: From Santa Barbara, take 101 N to the 154 exit. Continue straight onto Calle Real and turn left onto 154. Take the first exit and turn left onto Cathedral Oaks. Turn right onto Via Chapperal and then left on the bridge to nowhere (Salvar Rd) and left again onto Via Gaitero.

Trail Rating: Moderate
Distance: 2.6 miles (or a shorter turn around point)
Time: 1.5 hours for the whole trail
Nearby Attractions: Tuckers Grove and La Cumbre Plaza
More Information: http://sanmarcosfoothills.com/
Trail Map: http://sanmarcosfoothills.com/maps.html

El Capitan State Beach

El Capitan Beach is a state beach with camping and a day use area. There are biking and hiking trails and family events. It is a narrow, rocky beach so check the tides before you go. The parking is a short walk (down a hill) to the beach. As camping restrictions ease, it may be hard to socially distance here.

Directions: Take 101N to exit 117. Take a left onto El Capitan State Beach Rd and continue straight.

Pros
There are bathrooms and showers.
There is a small store for simple snacks. 

It is a nice beach in the off season and during the week, but does have camping traffic.

Cons
Hauling stuff back from the beach is an uphill walk.
There is a $10 daily charge for state park use or an annual Golden Poppy pass is $125 
It is a drive from Santa Barbara/Goleta (20-30 minutes).

Related Posts:

Summer of the Beaches

Summer of the Beaches II

Haskell's Beach

Refugio State Beach

Beach Packing List

Lake Los Carneros

Near the Stow House and the South Coast Railroad Museum, there is a 25 acre Goleta open area with miles of trails and plenty of wildlife to spot. This ia a great place to feed the ducks, climb or play under trees or take an easy nature walk. It is a flat dirt trail and one of the easiest for little ones to navigate.

Directions:Take 101 N from Santa Barbara. exit Los Carneros and turn right. Go straight through the roundabout and park in the lot near the Railroad Museum. Alternately, turn right at the roundabout onto Calle Real and take the first left onto La Patera. Park near the gate.

Trail Rating: Easy
Distance: 1 mile around the lake depending on the path
Time: 35 minutes
Nearby Attractions: Stow Park and Girsh Park
More Information: http://www.cityofgoleta.org/community/things-to-do-and-see-in-goleta/parks-and-open-spaces/lake-los-carneros and https://www.santabarbara.com/activities/parks/loscarneros/

Park Packing List

We have spent a ton of time at parks. Early on, I wrote a list of things to pack to take to parks. Now that my kids are bigger, I don't always pack so much, but I still think about it when planning a park trip. Hopefully someone will find it helpful.

Park Packing List
Wipes
Snacks/Lunch
Water bottles
Sunblock *
Hats
Backup clothing *
Sand toys ^ *
Blanket ^ *
Balls ^
Scooters, Bikes and Helmets ^
Friends :)

* Stuff I generally keep in my car
^ Depending on the park

Douglas Preserve

The bluff area above Arroyo Burro Beach, heading towards Shoreline Park, is the Douglas Family Preserve. It is 70 acres of walking path and undeveloped natural area. Also known as the Wilcox Property (for the family that owned the land and nursery for many years), the area was purchased by the trust for Public Land in 1996 with donations from many residents and a generous donation from Michael Douglas (hence the name). For a hike, start the trail down at the Arroyo Burro Beach parking lot. For a flatter, nature walk enter at Borton Dr, Mesa School Lane or Medcliff Rd.

Directions: Take the 101N from Santa Barbara to the Las Positas Rd exit. Turn left and follow Las Positas Rd to the end. Take a right at the roundabout onto Cliff Dr. Turn left into the parking lot, following it to the end (just before you exit back onto the street). The trail is at the end of the parking lot. Another option is to stay in the roundabout to turn left onto Cliff Dr. Turn right onto Mesa Lane, then right onto Borton Drive. Follow Borton Dr to the end, parking on the street. The entrance is straight ahead.

Trail Rating: Easy
Distance: 1.2 miles (or more)
Time: 45 minutes (with time for tree climbing)
Nearby Attractions: Arroyo Burro Beach, Elings Park, La Mesa Park

More information:
http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/parksrec/parks/features/passiveopenspaces/douglasfam.asp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Family_Preserve