Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve

Located about ten miles south of Santa Barbara, California, is the small beach community of Carpinteria.  According to the city’s website the name goes back to the time of the explorer Gaspar de Portola whose men observed the local Chumash tribesmen building wood canoes.  They dubbed them carpenters and so the town was given its Spanish name.

I was visiting primarily to see the Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve.  This spot attracts scores of visitors, many of whom are local residents.  Frankly I had no idea as I drove US-101 that I was really that high above the water, but the bluffs are definitely tall and one wouldn’t want to stand too close.  The cliff edge is wide open and unprotected.  In some spots it’s also marked as hazardous because the cliff is unstable.

That being said the area is one the best things about Carpinteria.  Not only are the views wonderful but one can roam the several little rutted pathways and eventually arrive at the railroad tracks.  Yes, these too are open and you should be careful when clambering over the tracks.  This is like being a kid again.  There isn’t any formal crossing.  Instead you simply walk across when you feel like it.  I did see the Amtrak go by while I was there so trains do indeed use these tracks.  You’ve been warned.

Once across you’ll find the cliff area opens up and in some spots you can make your way down to a beach. As you continue along you’ll come to the location of the sunset photo above and the Carpinteria Oil Pier.  I didn’t see an easy access here.  Besides, I don’t think they wanted me down there anyway.

If you keep walking along the path toward town, you’ll come to the Seal Sanctuary.  This is a little turnout area and here you leave the  main path. Within this sanctuary area there are some viewing spots and benches for visitors.  Alas, no dogs are allowed and visitors are supposed to keep quiet.  It is from way up here that you quietly view the seals on the beach below.

I talked to some women who come daily with their children and count the seals, an activity which the children take seriously.  They took pride in telling me that on the day before my visit they had seen 100 seals on the beach.  Alas today there were only 18.

I didn’t spend all my time at the preserve but I did come back in the evening for a sunset-over-the-ocean shot.  That was singularly silly; the bluffs face south!