Nestled between the San Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean with fairly easy access to Channel Islands National Park on the horizon, there is no shortage of outdoor adventures to be had during your three days in Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara is one of my favorite places on Earth. With local farms and wineries decorating the hillsides, the food and drinks are usually diverse and fresh. The weather is perfect most days of the year, the Spanish-style architecture is stunning, and the vibe is laid-back. If I were you, this is how I would spend three days in Santa Barbara!
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, designed to allow The Unremarkable Climber (me) to earn a small commission if you choose to book through them, at no extra cost to you. This really helps support the site and lets me know you find this information valuable! That being said, all of the experiences I recommend, commission based or not, are genuine recommendations for some of my favorite activities, so I hope you enjoy them as much as I have! Feel free to drop any questions in the message box below.
Day 1 of Your 3 Days in Santa Barbara: Exploration
If you’re looking for adventure in Santa Barbara, your first day should be a perfect introduction into the Santa Barbara way of life from sea to summit! I’d recommend beginning with a sunrise walk on the beach (maybe even a quick surf), then a hike up to a beautiful vista to see the Santa Barbara coastline from above.
After your hike, I’d dive back down and learn a bit about this historic city from within. You’ll get to explore some stuff indoors, outdoors, and everywhere in between. Hopefully, by the end of the first day, you’ll begin to see why I am so in love with Santa Barbara!
Sunrise at Leadbetter Beach
There’s no better way to kick off your three days in Santa Barbara than watching the sun rise over this beautiful beach town! My favorite sunrise spot is at Shoreline Park which looks over Leadbetter Beach! If you need an activity to wake you up, here are a few options:
Sunrise Surf/Swim
When there’s swell, Leadbetter Beach is perfect for longboarding! I definitely recommend grabbing your board (or renting one) and paddling out if conditions permit! Usually though, it’s peaceful and flat. In that case, an icy sunrise swim is a great alternative.
Sunrise Beach Walk
In lieu of jumping in the ocean, another chill activity to get your blood flowing is a sunrise walk from Leadbetter Beach to 1000 Steps Beach (only accessible at low tide) just up the hill. You’ll walk the length of Leadbetter west along the beach, then swap to the sidewalk and walk up the hill to Shoreline Park on the bluff.
Here you will get incredible sunrise views over Santa Barbara. Then continue west through the neighborhood until you arrive at the top of the entrance to 1000 Steps Beach. Luckily, you only have to descend about 150 steps rather than the expected 1000. Nevertheless, you’ll warm the muscles up for the rest of your day.
Brunch at Shoreline Cafe
After your surf, swim, or walk, return to Leadbetter Beach where you will find a quaint breakfast joint right on the sand! Shoreline Cafe might have the best breakfast location in all of Santa Barbara! Luckily, the food is pretty good too.
Morning Hike: Seven Falls + Inspiration Point Trail
After breakfast, it’s time to explore the local mountains!
Two of my favorite hikes in Santa Barbara are to Seven Falls and Inspiration Point. Luckily, they both start at Inspiration Point Trailhead, so you can do what I do and make it a circuit. The view from Inspiration Point is incredible, and the sandstone rock formations at Seven Falls are striking.
As a heads up, parking is challenging. There are a limited number of parallel parking spots available on the right side of the road leading up to the trailhead. Weekdays are ideal. I’d recommend arriving early, before the morning hike crowd, but it’s really luck of the draw. Last time I hiked, I showed up at 1PM on a Thursday and a few spots were open including the closest spot to the trailhead.
Once you find parking, your real adventure begins! I highly recommend both hikes, but if you’d only like to do one, I can help you choose.
On both hikes, the first mile or so is a paved road that gains some elevation before crossing a small, industrial-looking bridge. Cross the bridge, keep hiking left past the big trail sign further up, then hang a left at the small water tank. Here, the trail becomes single track and you’ll follow it until you’re literally standing in Mission Creek (hopefully on a dry rock), at which point you have your two options: Inspiration Point and Seven Falls.
Moving very quickly, the entire 4.5-mile circuit (both hikes) takes me 1.5 hours and climbs 1,200 feet in elevation. I’d recommend taking some time to relax by the falls and also at Inspiration Point to take in the view of Santa Barbara, so give yourself at least an extra hour to enjoy your time in nature.
Independently, Inspiration Point Trail is about 3.5 miles and about 1000 feet of elevation gain, and Seven Falls Trail is about 2.5 miles and about 700 feet of elevation gain.
**LOCAL TIP: Poison oak is prevalent in coastal California, especially shady canyons. Know how to identify it and wash your body and clothes afterwards, just to be safe.
Hiking to Seven Falls
The "Trail"
The easiest path to reach Seven Falls is following the creek upstream from the creek crossing. The “hike” itself is only about 1000 feet of rock hopping up the creek with a few boulder sections. There is no obvious trail, but you’ll reach a relatively tall waterfall (the location of Seven Falls on online maps) where you begin to wonder if you can go any further. This is the first real waterfall.
I climbed up around the right side which grants you access to the other pools upstream— or at least a good view of them. For an avid climber, Seven Falls is a walk in the park. For an average hiker, it can be strenuous, tricky, and pretty precarious in places.
Once arriving at these pools, you really need some bouldering experience to make it much further. You know yourself and your limits best.
Returning from Seven Falls: Two Options
You have two options to return to the creek crossing. Either you can go back the way you came and follow the creek back down, or you can hike up a steep hillside to a real trail which is a bit quicker.
When facing the base of the first waterfall, you’ll find a trail that scales the hill to the left. The trail is steep and unstable. Luckily, there is a sketchy looking rope to assist in your climb (see below).
After having done my fair share of ridge hikes during my time living in Hawaii, this method of hiking is standard. Obviously I don’t fully trust such ropes to hold me, so I use it carefully and try not to pull with all my weight. Going uphill, it worked fine for me.
However, I think I’d be pretty apprehensive accessing the falls this way and trusting the rope to descend down to the creek, which is why I recommend the creek approach. Once at the top, this trail loops back to the creek crossing.
When to Hike Seven Falls
Although the rock formations at Seven Falls are amazing all in themselves, hiking when there is actually water in Mission Creek is where it’s at! I’d recommend hiking this trail after a few weeks of a heavy rain to enjoy it at its best. For the dry remainder of the year, the shade of the creek bed is nice and you can still check out the rock formations, or you can skip the falls, cross Mission Creek, and continue on the trail to Inspiration Point.
Hiking to Inspiration Point
If you’ve made good time and would like to keep hiking, or if the agility required for Seven Falls isn’t your vibe, continue across Mission Creek and head up to a spectacular view of Santa Barbara from Inspiration Point! You only have to hike about a half mile from the creek crossing to the vista, but it’s quite uphill (as most good vistas are). I’d consider this portion a moderate hike, as there are a few rocky areas.
At Inspiration Point, not only do you have a birds-eye view of Santa Barbara, but on a clear day you can see all four of the northern Channel Islands: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel in the distance. The largest island is Santa Cruz Island— your adventure playground on day two of your three days in Santa Barbara!
Too Hot to Hike in Santa Barbara? Hit the Beach!
During summer and early fall, temperatures in the hills often break 90 degrees. If this is the case and it’s just too hot to hike, stick to the coast and spend a few hours soaking in that chilly Pacific Ocean and California sun. You can return to Leadbetter Beach or Thousand Steps Beach (where you watched the sunrise) or you can check out somewhere entirely new!
If you’re looking for a new spot, I’d recommend Butterfly Beach, just 10 minutes down the road. It’s a bit less crowded than Leadbetter and has a bit more space than Thousand Steps.
While at the beach, you can relax, sunbathe, test your balance with some paddleboarding, or even sign up for a surf lesson!
Explore the History of Santa Barbara
Usually, the cool ocean breeze picks up around 2pm – 3pm, which is a perfect time to take off on your next activity. After a few hours relaxing on the sand, it’s time to exercise your brain. Santa Barbara is home to over a dozen museums and historical buildings.
You can’t spend three days in Santa Barbara without learning a bit about the region’s rich cultural and natural history. I urge you to research a location that best fits your interests, but here are a few of my personal favorites:
Santa Barbara Natural History Museum
Explore every bit of the natural history of Santa Barbara from blue whale and pygmy mammoth skeletons to native Chumash history and an extensive mammal and bird gallery. Afterwards, check out the museum’s Sea Center located on Stearns Wharf, complete with a touch tank.
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Explore native Californian plants from every region along the winding trails of this expansive botanic garden. You can even take a walk through a pollinator garden to an incredible island view! This garden is especially beautiful in the springtime.
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum is one of my favorite local museums. Located right on the Santa Barbara Waterfront in Santa Barbara Harbor, this museum is in the perfect location to really feel immersed in Santa Barbara maritime history. From the local offshore oil industry, to a legitimate Chumash tomol, to the importance of whales to our survival here on Earth, you’ll learn why the ocean is so important to Santa Barbarans!
**Local tip: Take the elevator up to the 4th floor for a spectacular view from Point Mugu to Santa Rosa Island and everything in between! I’ll let you in on a secret— you don’t even need to purchase a museum pass to take advantage of this local treasure!
Dinner at Stearns Wharf
After a long day of hiking, beach sunbathing, and museum hopping, head down to Stearns Wharf for some local seafood on the pier. Santa Barbara Shellfish Company is the perfect end to the day, and offers a sunset view over the Pacific! Afterwards, I highly recommend turning in early and getting plenty of rest for the next day’s kayaking and snorkeling adventure in Channel Islands National Park!
Day 2 of Your 3 Days in Santa Barbara: Kayaking
I’d recommend spending your second day of your three days in Santa Barbara exploring one of the greatest natural treasures this area has to offer: Channel Islands National Park!
There’s nothing more adventurous than an action-packed day exploring the famous Painted Cave—one of the largest sea caves on the planet—on the west end of Santa Cruz Island, as well as snorkeling the towering kelp forests below via guided kayak tour with Channel Islands Expeditions based out of Santa Barbara harbor. A guided tour is the only way to get a quarter mile deep to the very back of Painted Cave, unless you have your own boat of course.
Since this tour is only offered May-October, check out my other recommendations for exploring Channel Islands National Park in the wintertime, or hop on a guided kayak tour of the Santa Barbara coastline instead.
Crossing the Santa Barbara Channel by Boat
Prepare to arrive at Santa Barbara Harbor by 6:40am for this full-day adventure. It’s definitely early, but it’ll all be worth it once you get to Santa Cruz Island! Before that though, you’ll board the vessel and have to cross the Santa Barbara Channel.
Channel Crossing Tips
The Santa Barbara Channel can be a wild and unpredictable place. Expect rough seas. If it’s nice, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. If you’re prone to motion sickness, here are some tips to get you through it:
- Take seasickness medication: at least 1 hour in advance
- Choose a seat outside on the lower back deck: this area has the least movement
- Stay out of the restrooms: this is the #1 worst place on the boat for motion sickness
- Address your symptoms as soon as possible: move outside and grab a bag or you’ll leave a trail behind you
- Move to the rail, face forwards, and look at the horizon: best chance of feeling better and prime location for sharing your breakfast with the fish
- If you do lose breakfast, rehydrate and get some electrolytes back in your system once on the island and be relieved that the ride home is usually no big deal due to the swell and wind direction.
Guided Sea Cave Kayak Tour at Santa Cruz Island
Ok, so this tour is AWESOME! And that’s coming from someone who has worked in Channel Islands National Park for the past seven years. You get to explore so many caves, including the massive but shallow Blimp-Hangar, as well as Painted Cave of course, which extends a quarter mile into the island.
In the pitch-black depths of Painted Cave, you’re greeted by the bellowing of California sea lions and chirping of cute little pigeon guillemots. Meanwhile, you’ll paddle over some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen in California, and even get to jump in and explore the towering kelp forests which can reach heights of over 80 feet!
The absolute BEST part of this adventure is that you only have to paddle downwind, because the vessel moves to pick you up again at the end of your journey. Since conditions can be swelly, this makes kayaking SO MUCH EASIER!
Booking your Painted Cave Kayak Tour
I’d recommend booking this tour pretty far in advance so that your preferred day doesn’t sell out. More details on this adventure as well as booking information can be found below!
Day 3 of Your 3 Days in Santa Barbara: Wine Country
The final day of your three days in Santa Barbara will be the perfect wind-down from your exciting adventures thus far. Prepare to spend the day leisurely e-biking through vineyards and tasting local wines in central California’s expansive wine country.
A Morning Walk Up State Street + Coffee and Acai Bowls
The best way to begin the last of your three days in Santa Barbara is with a morning stroll up historic State Street before the crowds arrive. After your walk, head to the meeting spot for your e-bike tour a half hour early so you have some time to grab breakfast.
I’d recommend Backyard Bowls for smoothie bowls and Bristol Farms (local health food chain) just next door for coffee and other small breakfast bites. Grab what you need to prepare for today’s adventure: wine tasting tour via e-bike.
Bike through Santa Barbara Wine Country
I can’t recommend this tour with I Bike Santa Barbara enough! Most tourists take wine tours in air-conditioned vans from tasting room to tasting room. That’s fine, but the weather in Santa Barbara is perfect almost year-round, so you might as well enjoy it! I much prefer to cruise over rolling hills and wind through canyons between vineyards while learning about each of the wineries from an experienced guide.
A van will take you from Santa Barbara to Santa Ynez Valley (wine country), but from there you’ll hop on an e-bike and begin your adventure. The loop is 16 miles and stretches from Solvang to Los Olivos and back again, but I was surprised how easy the biking was. I barely broke a sweat and I didn’t even use the electric assist half the time.
During the e-bike portion of the tour, your guide will point out various vineyards, Mission Santa Ines, a lavender farm, and even let you spend a half hour exploring the cute Danish town of Solvang. I got to sample some fancy cheeses and eat an amazing pineapple cheese danish while I was there!
My favorite part of the whole day though, was just after we left Solvang. We started winding through the vineyards up through Ballard Canyon and arrived at this beautiful overlook! I really felt so connected with the land and the history in a way that wouldn’t have been possible in a van.
Local Wine + Olive Oil Tastings
After your morning ride, you’ll turn in the bikes and begin your tasting portion of the day. You’ll taste local olive oils at Rancho Olivos, and enjoy two complimentary wine tastings, each at different wineries. There’s something special about seeing the olive trees and vineyards surrounding you while you taste the products they created.
During your wine tastings, your guide will prepare snacks and lunch. Our guide William prepared beautiful charcuterie boards and delicious sandwiches for us that totally fit the ambiance.
**Pro tip: Between pours, go explore the vineyards and historic winery properties!
Although it’s the third long day in a row, the relaxed vibe on this e-bike tour is the perfect way to round out three days in Santa Barbara!
Booking your E-biking + Wine Tasting Tour
When to Visit Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is known for a mild climate for outdoor adventures all year round. Even visiting in December can reward you with nice beach weather and low crowds! However, for this itinerary in particular, I’d recommend visiting May through October so that you can explore Painted Cave.
If you’re sensitive to heat, in May or June, you’ll usually enjoy cooler, greener hiking and biking conditions, but also rougher seas and colder ocean water. In the summertime, it might be uncomfortably warm for hiking or biking, though it rarely gets TOO hot here.
My personal favorite time of year is early October because ocean temperatures are near their peak and the trails have cooled off a bit, though the flowers of the spring are long gone, and Seven Falls might be dry.
It’s really up to you and your personal preferences, but if you really need some guidance for when to take your three days in Santa Barbara, shoot me a message on my contact page and I’d be happy to go into more detail!
Best Food in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara has so much good food, its sometimes hard to decide where to eat, even for me! Other than the places I’ve already highlighted, here are some of my favorites:
Quick Takeout:
- Backyard Bowls: Acai bowls and smoothies
- El Sitio: Authentic Mexican food
- Shalhoob’s Funk Zone Patio: Awesome tri-tip sandwich
- Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch: Mexican + chicken
- Freebirds: Giant build-your-own burritos
- Hana Kitchen: Asian bowls
- Metropulos: Great sandwiches and small Italian market
Fancy(er) Restaurants:
- Zaytoon: Lebanese cuisine
- Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach: Seafood at the beach
- Santa Barbara Shellfish Company: On the pier at Stearn’s Wharf
- Brophy Bros.: Seafood at the harbor
- Lama Dog Tap Room
- Brass Bear Brewing & Bistro
- Institution Ale Co.
Where to Stay for 3 Days in Santa Barbara
From beach camping to boutique hotels, Santa Barbara has a ton of accommodation options in town and along the beaches just outside town. Accommodation tends to be expensive here, so I recommend camping for those on a tight budget (like me). However, there are countless little trendy spots within walking distance of all the action downtown too for those with a larger budget!
Best Beach Camping in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is, unfortunately, an expensive place to visit. Luckily, there are a few ways to keep the cost down when it comes to finding overnight accommodation. Personally, I think the best place to stay in Santa Barbara is in one of the amazing state beach campgrounds along iconic Pacific Coast Highway!
Since there isn’t any true camping in town, you’ll have to drive 20-30 minutes depending which campground you chose. However, the drive must be worth it because almost every local I know has an annual tradition of camping with friends at one of these nearby beaches.
For more information, click on one of these Santa Barbara beach camping options:
My Personal Recommendations
My personal favorite campgrounds are El Capitán State Beach and Carpenteria State Beach. They are the two closest and two nicest campgrounds in my opinion, and are a short walk to the sand! I think El Capitán is the nicest overall, but Carpenteria is more conveniently located.
Refugio is a tad further and a tad smaller than the others. Gaviota is furthest and has a more industrial feel with the railroad bridge right there.
Regardless where you camp, they are all good options and each is very popular. You can book a site up to 6 months in advance which is handy because these campgrounds all book up quickly!
Best Hotels in Santa Barbara
If you’re looking for nice accommodation, there are countless little inns, vacation rentals, and boutique hotels in the area. I like Brisas Del Mar Inn at the Beach and Casa De La Vina.
Brisas Del Mar actually includes breakfast, bike rentals, and a jacuzzi, and is centrally located in the perfect spot less than a mile from the harbor, beach, and downtown State Street. This would be my first choice because of the location and amenities.
Casa De La Vina is set back a bit closer to the shops and restaurants along State Street. Although it’s further from the beach, it makes up for it with a beautiful rooftop terrace which is perfect for a relaxing evening after adventuring all day.
If both are booked up, I’d recommend choosing a place between Santa Barbara City College (to the west), Garden Street (to the east), and the 101 Freeway (to the north). This will put you right smack in the middle of all the fun activities you have planned, and within walking distance of the Funk Zone, Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara Waterfront, and beach, so you won’t have to drive after wine tasting or pay for parking.
If you need to expand that perimeter, consider expanding to the north past the 101, but make sure to stay right around State Street or the Funk Zone!
