Santa Barbara Beach Camping

Near Santa Barbara, you'll find some nice places for California beach camping, although some of them are a little far out of town.

• Carpinteria State Beach: Twelve miles south of Santa Barbara. Offers a mile of California beach: camping swimming, surf fishing, tide pooling.

• Gaviota State Park: California beach camping 33 miles west of Santa Barbara. The campground is right next to the beach, below a towering railroad trestle. Sometimes windy but good for fishing off the pier.

• Jalama Beach: Bring your own camper for beachfront Santa Barbara, California beach camping or rent a fully-equipped trailer.

• Refugio State Beach: Located 20 miles west of Santa Barbara. The tree-shaded campground is just across a small road from the beach.

El Capitan State Beach has the word "beach" in its name and it's very pretty, we can't really classify El Capitan as a good place for California beach camping because the campsites are above the beach on a bluff. We're including it here just you you'll know what to expect and won't get fooled.

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