Refugio & El Capitán State Beaches
Santa Barbara coast · near Goleta / Santa Barbara · Central Coast
Camping
At a glance
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Elevation
- 20
- Campsites
- ~140 sites each
- Season
- Year-round
- Fee
- ~$45/night
Permits and booking
- Reservation required
- Yes
- How to reserve
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia (6 months ahead). Two adjacent state-beach campgrounds west of Santa Barbara — palm-lined Refugio is right on the sand; El Capitán sits on a bluff above the beach. Showers, some RV sites (no hookups). Very popular.
What is here
- Setting
- beach
- Amenities
- Right on/above the beach · Flush toilets & showers · Palm-lined (Refugio) · Bike path links the two
- Best for
- Classic SoCal beach camping
- Features
- Palm-lined beach camping (Refugio) · Bluff-top sites (El Capitán) · Warm south-facing coast · Bike path between the two
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Camping detail
- Camp type
- developed · rv
- Intl tip
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia 6 months ahead — very competitive. Refugio is on the sand (palm-lined); El Capitán is on a bluff with tide pools. The bike path links them. Warm south-facing coast. Combine with Santa Barbara wine country and the beaches. Showers; RV-OK but no hookups.
The guide
Refugio and El Capitán, two adjacent state-beach campgrounds on the warm, south-facing coast west of Santa Barbara, are among t…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Refugio & El Capitán State Beaches — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.463, -120.069