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Just twelve miles south of the popular coastal town of Santa Barbara, the long expanse of white sand at Carpinteria State Beach invites visitors to relax and enjoy a glorious sunset or surf the rolling waves. The beach offers a mile of beach for swimming, surf fishing, tide pool exploring and camping. The Spanish named the area Carpinteria because the Chumash tribe, which lived in the area, had a large seagoing canoe-building enterprise, or "carpentry shop" there, because of naturally-occurring surface tar which was used to seal the boats.
Seals and sea lions can be seen in the area December through May, as well as an occasional gray whale. Protected tide pools contain starfish, sea anemones, crabs, snails, octopi and sea urchins.
The white, sandy expanse of the Carpinteria shoreline was acquired as a state park unit in 1932. It formally opened to the public in 1941, following the construction of campgrounds, picnic areas and parking lots by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Field Operating Hours & Contact
The park is open for day-use from 7am - sunset and fees are due and payable upon entry. The Campground is open 24/7 with access restricted to registered campers. Camp fees vary based on site and equipment. Check Reserve America for specific site and fee information.
Self-Registration and payment is required during hours the kiosk is not staffed.
For a recorded message about the park, please call: 805-968-1033
The park is open for day-use from 7am - sunset and fees are due and payable upon entry. The Campground is open 24/7 with access restricted to registered campers. Camp fees vary based on site and equipment. Check Reserve America for specific site and fee information.
Self-Registration and payment is required during hours the kiosk is not staffed.
For a recorded message about the park, please call: 805-968-1033
Camping
Carpinteria’s four campground loops have 216 campsites, each with a table and fire ring, and drinking water on site or available nearby. The restrooms in each campground have coin operated hot showers and toilet facilities. The restrooms in the Anacapa and Santa Cruz loops are accessible. Additionally, seven group campsites are available.
In addition to tents, motor homes and trailers up to 30 feet long can use the sites in the Anacapa and Santa Cruz Campground loops, but there are no hookups. Water, sewer and electrical hookups are available in the Santa Rosa loop. The San Miguel loop offers 70 campsites, half with water and electrical hookups. Site-specific reservations are available and recommended year round.
En route camping is available only when no other suitable campsite is available, and for only one night. Check-in at 5pm and due out by 9am.
A hike or bike campground is also available for one-night stays. Check-in at 4pm and due out by 9am.
Make Online Reservations
Max Camper Length: 35 Feet
Max Trailer Length: 35 Feet
Carpinteria’s four campground loops have 216 campsites, each with a table and fire ring, and drinking water on site or available nearby. The restrooms in each campground have coin operated hot showers and toilet facilities. The restrooms in the Anacapa and Santa Cruz loops are accessible. Additionally, seven group campsites are available.
In addition to tents, motor homes and trailers up to 30 feet long can use the sites in the Anacapa and Santa Cruz Campground loops, but there are no hookups. Water, sewer and electrical hookups are available in the Santa Rosa loop. The San Miguel loop offers 70 campsites, half with water and electrical hookups. Site-specific reservations are available and recommended year round.
En route camping is available only when no other suitable campsite is available, and for only one night. Check-in at 5pm and due out by 9am.
A hike or bike campground is also available for one-night stays. Check-in at 4pm and due out by 9am.
Make Online Reservations
Max Camper Length: 35 Feet
Max Trailer Length: 35 Feet
Activities
Swimming and surfing are favorite pastimes at Carpinteria State Beach. Its gentle swells and shallow, gently sloping beach make it one of the safer beaches on the west coast, although the situation can change based on conditions. A picnic area with tables, barbecues and ramadas (covered patios) offers a wonderful view of the sand dune restoration area with the picturesque backdrop of the Santa Ynez Mountains. To reserve a ramada, call (805) 684-7487.
Lifeguard services are provided during peak summer season. For information on when services are provided and how to obtain lifeguard services for large groups or off season events call (805) 648-3321.
The Jellybowl vista point overlooks a tranquil cove and the ocean below. Surf fishermen often catch barred perch, cabezon and corbina from the beach. A California state fishing license is required.
Summer campfire programs feature interpretive presentations. Junior Rangers is a regularly scheduled program for children during the summer months. A pre-Junior Ranger program for children ages four to six is also offered. Learn more about the park through the visitor center’s interpretive displays on Chumash history and Carpinteria’s natural resources. The visitor center also features an indoor tide pool showcasing live marine animals.
Swimming and surfing are favorite pastimes at Carpinteria State Beach. Its gentle swells and shallow, gently sloping beach make it one of the safer beaches on the west coast, although the situation can change based on conditions. A picnic area with tables, barbecues and ramadas (covered patios) offers a wonderful view of the sand dune restoration area with the picturesque backdrop of the Santa Ynez Mountains. To reserve a ramada, call (805) 684-7487.
Lifeguard services are provided during peak summer season. For information on when services are provided and how to obtain lifeguard services for large groups or off season events call (805) 648-3321.
The Jellybowl vista point overlooks a tranquil cove and the ocean below. Surf fishermen often catch barred perch, cabezon and corbina from the beach. A California state fishing license is required.
Summer campfire programs feature interpretive presentations. Junior Rangers is a regularly scheduled program for children during the summer months. A pre-Junior Ranger program for children ages four to six is also offered. Learn more about the park through the visitor center’s interpretive displays on Chumash history and Carpinteria’s natural resources. The visitor center also features an indoor tide pool showcasing live marine animals.
Natural Resources
During low tide, at the southeastern end of the park near the San Miguel Campground loop, a rocky formation creates a haven for sea stars, anemones, mussels, crabs and other tide pool creatures. Harbor seals frolic in the waves or bask on the rocks nearby. Between December and mid-May, gray whales migrate to and from their breeding grounds off the coast of Baja California.
Wildlife at Carpinteria consists of small mammals, reptiles, and the hundreds of tree frogs that will serenade you under the stars. Many species of gulls and shorebirds feed along the shoreline while other birds fish in the waters offshore. A small lagoon at the mouth of Carpinteria Creek creates a unique habitat for viewing mallards, egrets, herons, coots and other birds. Wading or playing in the lagoon is not recommended.
During low tide, at the southeastern end of the park near the San Miguel Campground loop, a rocky formation creates a haven for sea stars, anemones, mussels, crabs and other tide pool creatures. Harbor seals frolic in the waves or bask on the rocks nearby. Between December and mid-May, gray whales migrate to and from their breeding grounds off the coast of Baja California.
Wildlife at Carpinteria consists of small mammals, reptiles, and the hundreds of tree frogs that will serenade you under the stars. Many species of gulls and shorebirds feed along the shoreline while other birds fish in the waters offshore. A small lagoon at the mouth of Carpinteria Creek creates a unique habitat for viewing mallards, egrets, herons, coots and other birds. Wading or playing in the lagoon is not recommended.
Cultural History
For thousands of years, the Chumash Indians were the sole inhabitants of this beautiful seaside valley. They called the area Mishopshnow, meaning “correspondence,” because it was a center of trade. Soapstone, used for carving effigies, bowls and beads, and wooden vessels, shells and asphaltum (usually referred to as tar) were supplied to nearby tribes in exchange for other goods.
The Chumash used the naturally occurring surface tar to attach shell inlays to stone objects, seal water baskets, fasten arrow and spear points to shafts, and caulk their plank canoes (tomols), which were seaworthy enough to reach the Santa Barbara Channel Islands and Santa Catalina Island.
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the first European to have contact with the Chumash people, sighted the village of Mishopshnow in 1542. When explorer Gaspar de Portolá visited the region in 1769, and came upon a group of Chumash splitting driftwood and shaping the planks to form canoes, his expedition named the village La Carpinteria—the carpentry shop. As the Chumash were driven into the Spanish missions, the rapid spread of diseases, harsh treatment by some of the settlers, and the loss of traditional food sources had devastating effects on the Chumash people. Today the Chumash traditions are being rediscovered by many of their descendants.
Natural tar deposits seep to the surface on the coastal bluffs and on the sand at the southeast end of the beach, forming bulging, black mounds. Plant and animal fossils excavated from these tar pits in the late 1920s rival the remains found in Los Angeles’ well-known La Brea Tar Pits. Over time, area residents have utilized the oozing black tar for a variety of purposes, including the first paved roads in Santa Barbara County. Remaining evidence of asphalt mining can be seen near Tar Pits Beach and the San Miguel Campground loop.
For thousands of years, the Chumash Indians were the sole inhabitants of this beautiful seaside valley. They called the area Mishopshnow, meaning “correspondence,” because it was a center of trade. Soapstone, used for carving effigies, bowls and beads, and wooden vessels, shells and asphaltum (usually referred to as tar) were supplied to nearby tribes in exchange for other goods.
The Chumash used the naturally occurring surface tar to attach shell inlays to stone objects, seal water baskets, fasten arrow and spear points to shafts, and caulk their plank canoes (tomols), which were seaworthy enough to reach the Santa Barbara Channel Islands and Santa Catalina Island.
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the first European to have contact with the Chumash people, sighted the village of Mishopshnow in 1542. When explorer Gaspar de Portolá visited the region in 1769, and came upon a group of Chumash splitting driftwood and shaping the planks to form canoes, his expedition named the village La Carpinteria—the carpentry shop. As the Chumash were driven into the Spanish missions, the rapid spread of diseases, harsh treatment by some of the settlers, and the loss of traditional food sources had devastating effects on the Chumash people. Today the Chumash traditions are being rediscovered by many of their descendants.
Natural tar deposits seep to the surface on the coastal bluffs and on the sand at the southeast end of the beach, forming bulging, black mounds. Plant and animal fossils excavated from these tar pits in the late 1920s rival the remains found in Los Angeles’ well-known La Brea Tar Pits. Over time, area residents have utilized the oozing black tar for a variety of purposes, including the first paved roads in Santa Barbara County. Remaining evidence of asphalt mining can be seen near Tar Pits Beach and the San Miguel Campground loop.
Accessible Features
Camping:
Anacapa Loop Sites 5 and 15 as well as Group sites, Bobcat and Fox are accessible. One combination restroom shower building is accessible in the Anacapa (tent camp) loop.
Santa Cruz Loop Sites 38, 52, and 64 are accessible and two accessible combination restroom shower buildings are in the Santa Cruz Loop.
Campfire Center: The campfire center has both upper and lower accessible seating areas.
Beach/Shore Access: Beach wheelchairs are available by contacting a camp host, the entrance station, or by calling (805) 566-4984.
Camping:
Anacapa Loop Sites 5 and 15 as well as Group sites, Bobcat and Fox are accessible. One combination restroom shower building is accessible in the Anacapa (tent camp) loop.
Santa Cruz Loop Sites 38, 52, and 64 are accessible and two accessible combination restroom shower buildings are in the Santa Cruz Loop.
Campfire Center: The campfire center has both upper and lower accessible seating areas.
Beach/Shore Access: Beach wheelchairs are available by contacting a camp host, the entrance station, or by calling (805) 566-4984.
Tips & Rules
• Do not hike along the beach without first consulting a tide chart or talking with a lifeguard. The beach that exists at low tide may disappear when the tide comes in, trapping you against the cliffs. Current tide tables can be found at the Visitor Center.
• Stay away from the bluff edges. They are unstable and may collapse.
• Keep dogs on leashes no longer than six feet, and in a tent or enclosed vehicle at night. Only registered service dogs are allowed in park buildings, on trails or on the beach.
• A curfew requiring campers under the age of 18 and not accompanied by a parent or guardian or part of a supervised group to be within their assigned campsite by 8:30pm, is strictly enforced.
• To be lawfully camping, any unaccompanied juvenile must furnish on request to park staff written consent of and the full name, residence number, and telephone number of the juvenile's parent or guardian, with the inclusive dates for which permission is granted to camp at the unit involved.
• Do not hike along the beach without first consulting a tide chart or talking with a lifeguard. The beach that exists at low tide may disappear when the tide comes in, trapping you against the cliffs. Current tide tables can be found at the Visitor Center.
• Stay away from the bluff edges. They are unstable and may collapse.
• Keep dogs on leashes no longer than six feet, and in a tent or enclosed vehicle at night. Only registered service dogs are allowed in park buildings, on trails or on the beach.
• A curfew requiring campers under the age of 18 and not accompanied by a parent or guardian or part of a supervised group to be within their assigned campsite by 8:30pm, is strictly enforced.
• To be lawfully camping, any unaccompanied juvenile must furnish on request to park staff written consent of and the full name, residence number, and telephone number of the juvenile's parent or guardian, with the inclusive dates for which permission is granted to camp at the unit involved.
Park News Alert
Please Note: For the current status of this park, please call 805-968-1033.
Please Note: For the current status of this park, please call 805-968-1033.
Getting There
The park is off HWY 101, twelve miles south of Santa Barbara. Exit at Casitas Pass Road, travel West on Casitas Pass Road to Carpinteria Avenue, make a right at the signal; then turn left on Palm. The beach is at the end of Palm Avenue.
Latitude/Longitude: 34.3919 / -119.5203
The Day Use Annual Pass is accepted at this park.
The park is off HWY 101, twelve miles south of Santa Barbara. Exit at Casitas Pass Road, travel West on Casitas Pass Road to Carpinteria Avenue, make a right at the signal; then turn left on Palm. The beach is at the end of Palm Avenue.
Latitude/Longitude: 34.3919 / -119.5203
The Day Use Annual Pass is accepted at this park.
Seasons/Climate/Recommended Clothing
Sheltered inland by the Santa Ynez Mountains and from the sea by the Channel Islands, Carpinteria enjoys a moderate year-round climate with daytime averages between 60 and 80 degrees. Ocean temperatures range from 58 degrees in the winter to 72 degrees during the summer and fall.
Layered clothing is advised.
Sheltered inland by the Santa Ynez Mountains and from the sea by the Channel Islands, Carpinteria enjoys a moderate year-round climate with daytime averages between 60 and 80 degrees. Ocean temperatures range from 58 degrees in the winter to 72 degrees during the summer and fall.
Layered clothing is advised.
Community Trips
1:11:15
3.96 miles
3.6 mph
