Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

The San Marcos Foothills is a County of Santa Barbara open space located in the foothills between Santa Barbara and Goleta. Encompassing 200 acres the San Marcos Foothills offers extraordinary views of the Santa Ynez Mountains, Pacific Ocean, and the Channel Islands. The Foothills is the feeding ground for hawks, kestrels, kites, roadrunners, coyotes, bobcats, and hundreds of other animal species. It offers nesting locations for dozens of native bird species.

La Cumbre Peak is a 3997-foot peak in the Santa Ynez Mountains north of Santa Barbara. It is a popular destination for those looking to have a grand view of the South Coast and surrounding area. It serves as a great training hike and affords nice views of the Santa Barbara area coastline and the Santa Ynez valley.

This is a train station building in Goleta, California constructed by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1901. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources and is the centerpiece of the South Coast Railroad Museum.

This is an old 25-acre park runs up San Roque canyon with a picturesque hiking trails that criss-cross a creek and connect to the historic trails of the Santa Ynez Range. It opens up into a grassy field with picnic tables, a playground, public restrooms, and walking paths. There are also so many things to see and do here. it is one of the iconic attraction here, which is very close to nature.

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is a 78-acre botanical garden, containing over 1,000 species of rare and indigenous plants. Located in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains, the Garden’s 78 acres of living collections feature more than 1,200 taxa of California native plants from all regions of the state. The Garden has helped safeguard 34 highly endangered plant species, imparted the value of plant and ecological conservation to thousands of visitors.

Lake Los Carneros is a living ecosystem that requires freshwater inputs from winter rains to ensure a healthy aquatic environment for birds, fish, and plants. A network of trails meander across the park through rolling meadows and a forest of eucalyptus, oak, and pine trees. A wooden bridge crosses the northern end of the lake.