Also known as Isla Vista Park, this recreation area is located at the ocean end of Camino Corto Road in Isla Vista, the student community next to the University of California, Santa Barbara. The stairs to the beach can be found 300 feet east (left as you face the ocean) of the park. On sunny days Sea Lookout Park is full of students from UCSB sunbathing, playing volleyball, Spikeball, or enjoying their dog.

  • Features: Alcohol Allowed (21 or over), Beach, Parking On Street, Views
  • Dog Policy: Dogs Allowed On Leash on the beach below the park. Dogs Allowed Off Leash throughout the park itself.

Sea Lookout Park, owned by Santa Barbara County, is the largest ocean-side park in Isla Vista. This wide grassy stretch on Del Playa Drive serves as a picnic spot and play area for hundreds of people every day. A true neighborhood park, Sea Lookout Park features unsurpassed views of the Pacific coast. Readers and sunbathers enjoy the spacious sun decks created as an "Art in the Park" project. The park includes a grassy field, picnic tables, and benches, and it can be a great spot for whale watching. The volleyball court is popular for large and small groups alike and the wooden structures provide a nice place to look out over the ocean.

Dogs Allowed Off Leash

If you are a college student looking for a place to let your dog run free then Sea Lookout Park is the place to be. Referred to by students as Dog Shit Park or DS Park, Sea Lookout Park is one of the few parks on the South Coast that allows dogs off leash. Despite the local nickname, the park is usually kept fairly clean. Sea Lookout Park is the only beach park near Goleta that also allows dogs off leash. Dogs are only allowed off leash in the park, not on the beach below. Sea Lookout Park is an unenclosed park open to the street. Though there is a fence running along the bluff, the fence is not designed to stop dogs so the bluff is potential danger for your pet. There is no water or public restrooms and you will need to bring your own poop bags.

Sea Lookout Park was developed by landscape artist Lloyd Hamrol. Sea Lookout Park also has a plaque commemorating The Isla Vista Tree - a huge cypress hanging over the ocean that became a symbol of Isla Vista's quest for self-governance. When the tree fell into the ocean, residents fought for the plaque to honor its importance to the people.

Free street parking is available if you can find a spot. Parking is a problem in all of Isla Vista during the school year. Look for street parking spaces first along Del Playa Drive and work your way block by block toward the north. With luck you will find a parking spot before you cross into Canada.

Panoramas