This long, narrow ocean-side 15-acre park offers fabulous views of the harbor, the Channel Islands, and the mountains. On site parking and picnic facilities (with hot coal-disposal receptacles), as well as a playground (rated for ages 2-5) make this a popular spot for family gatherings. This is a great park for walking, skating and playing Frisbee. Follow the narrow wooden stairs to the beach below and discover a local secret - a beach and tidal pool area (when the tide is low) that is both private and beautiful. You will often see three dolphins skimming the surface off this park. (It's almost always three of them!) Stand by the bronze whale tale and gaze through the binoculars and you might even see a whale.

  • Features: Alcohol Allowed With Permit, Beach, Biking, Parking On Site, Picnic Site, Playground, Reservable Areas, Restrooms, Views
  • Dog Policy: Dogs Allowed On Leash throughout the park. Dogs Allowed Off Leash on the beach. The beach off leash area is to the right of the stairs as you face the ocean. Dogs must be on leash on the beach to the left of the stairs as you face the ocean.

Dogs are only allowed off leash on the beach in Santa Barbara in one specific, continuous stretch of beach: west (right as you face the ocean) of the beach staircase at Shoreline Park, all of Thousand Steps Beach, all of Mesa Lane Beach, and east (left as you face the ocean) of the mouth of Arroyo Burro Creek at Hendry's Beach.

The wooden stairs to the beach are near the center of Shoreline Park. The beach is covered with water at high tide. From the bottom of the stairs you can walk on the sand right/west Thousand Steps Beach which is also narrow. The wide, sandy Leadbetter Beach is accessible by a walking is bike/walk path at the east end of the park.

Portable Barbecues

Portable barbecues and camp stoves that are self-contained, enclosed with a lid, and raised at least six inches off a surface may be used on any permanent picnic tables at this park or by permit such as a rental or special event. If there are no permanent picnic tables available at this park and it is not a permitted event then no barbecues are allowed at this park. Barbecue users must remove hot coals and ash from the park, unless a hot coal-disposal receptacle is provided.

Panoramas