Written By: Liz Voosen
We considered ourselves lucky to get a same-day weekend reservation at a desirable beachfront campground, but I guess people cancel when the region is on fire.
The wildfires in January of 2025 in California left our neighborhood in Los Angeles intact but smoky. And longing for some (literally) fresh air, my husband and I packed a few items and headed just an hour up the Pacific Coast to Carpinteria State Beach. On our list of things to do was:
- Walk on the beach at sunset
- Hunt for shells
- Go fishing (him not me)
- Nap
- Drink a delicious pour-over coffee while gazing at the ocean
- Play guitar and sing songs
- Walk on the beach some more
And in under 48 hours, I must say, mission accomplished!
As a bonus, we got to see tidepools, found a gorgonian sea fan washed up on the beach, did some bird-watching with our 8×42 binoculars, and took a stroll in town to see the cafes, bars, and cute sea-side shops.
Our pup Lila, who was with us, ran on the beach and sniffed a zillion sea-things. (Dogs are allowed on one stretch of beach.) And when we returned to the van, she got comfy in her favorite spot on the bed, with a good view out the window.
Singing our favorite songs with acoustic guitar, while looking out at the sunset reflecting on the water, just made the day that much sweeter. When it got too cold to play outside, we turned up the heater til the van was toasty warm and settled in for the night.
The slow pace of beach life was just the antidote we needed to a chaotic start to the year.
But I think this quick spontaneous trip might become a more regular, intentional occurrence. Being in Carpinteria was so delightful. It was the break we needed. We are already talking about our next trip back there.
Here are some interesting facts about Carpinteria
Just 12 miles south of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria is nestled between the Santa Ynez Mountains and a peaceful stretch of the Pacific Ocean that’s buffered by the Channel Islands (which are visible from shore). It’s known as the “world’s safest beach” due to the shallow and long, gentle slope of the beach.
Carpinteria got its name from Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola in 1769 when he watched the local Chumash people use driftwood and naturally-occurring tar to build canoes. He and members of his expedition referred to the area as “The Carpenter Shop,” or La Carpinteria. The name stuck.
The visitor center at Carpinteria State Beach offers detailed history of Chumash history, the area’s natural resources, and even has an indoor tide pool with live marine animals.
Carpinteria Creek Lagoon (where the creek meets the ocean) is in the campground and is home to mallards, egrets, herons, pelicans, coots, the endangered tidewater goby, and other birds. We had a lot of fun bird-spotting, and really enjoyed the California towhee bird with its unique chirp and also the busy sandpipers.
At the far southeastern end of the State Beach (and campground) are the tidepools where we looked for sea stars, anemones, mussels, and crabs. We found wavy turban sea snail shells on the beach with fascinating patterns (and learned they grow up to 6 inches long!) The south end of the park also has dark rounded rocks scattered along the edge of the water, unlike the north end of the park nearer town which is an endless smooth sand beach.
Fishing is good at Carpinteria. My husband brought his rod and caught a surf perch. Depending on the time of year, there are cabezon and corbina as well. If you like bigger water creatures to look at, whales, dolphins and seals can be spotted in the area. And there is a seal rookery walking distance from the southern end of the park that we did not make it to this trip. Goals for next time!
Natural tar deposits dot the beach, with the occasional mound of tar very noticeable. Hundreds of years ago, the Chumash people used this tar to attach shell inlays to stone objects, seal water baskets, fasten arrow and spear points to shafts, and caulk their plank canoes (tomol), which were seaworthy enough to get to the Channel Islands and back. In the 1920s, many plant and animal fossils were excavated and catalogued. Today, the tar seeps are fun for kids to poke sticks into, but I try to keep it off my shoes and clothes (easy if you don’t get too close).
Dogs are allowed at the campground, on trails, and on the boardwalk, but not on the state park section of the beach. However, there is a stretch of beach just past the southern edge of the campground that is not Carpinteria State Beach and dogs are allowed there. So Lila, our dog, got her beach time in.
Carpinteria State Beach is one of the few Southern California state campgrounds that allows same-day booking. Most require 24-48 hours in advance to book online (drive-ups are ok, as long as there is space). So we felt very lucky to find this spot, especially on a Saturday at a location that is usually booked out months in advance. Cancellations do occur though, so always check for last-minute availability!
Our Pleasure-Way OnTour 2.2 can fit into any of the spaces at the campground – the tent-only or the full hookup sites. Having stayed in both, I think I prefer the RV full hook-up sites for the proximity to the more interesting section of beach (for me), the dog-friendly beach, the lagoon, more walking paths, and the slightly more chill campers. However the tent section (no hookups, RVs allowed) is closer to the flat sandy beach, swimming, and the shops in town. Both sections of the campground offer a few sites that back directly onto the sand, for that extra beachy experience.
When we were there in January, 2025, we paid $70/night for full hook-ups. The campground also has a free dump station as of this writing. (Check before you go, as many California state campgrounds are transitioning to for-a-fee dump stations).
Reservations are available online reservation reservecalifornia.com
I highly recommend a stop if you are out this way!
