Douglas Family Preserve

The Douglas Family Preserve is a public park of 70 acres with trails for hiking and biking above the beach in Santa Barbara. Views of the city and nearby Elings Park can be found from open areas in the preserve. It’s a great place to go for a walk before or after a visit to Arroyo Burro Beach.

Also known as the Wilcox Property, this plot of prime coastal land was donated to the city by Michael Douglas in honor of his fellow actor father Kirk. In addition to three miles of trails, the bluff is great for bird-watching and whale-watching. Also look for birds in the trees (eucalyptus, coastal live oak, Monterey pine, and cypress).

The preserve has a hang-glider launch and Elings Park has a paraglider launch so there might be folks flying overhead or over the ocean.

Dogs must be on a leash on the trails, but they can roam free in the designated off-leash areas.

To find the Douglas Family Preserve, head west on Cliff Drive from the Santa Barbara Waterfront. You’ll eventually find a long parking lot for the preserve along Cliff Drive next to Arroyo Burro Beach. The trail begins east of the parking lot (toward downtown) just beyond where the creek goes under Cliff Drive and ascends to the park. The other trailhead is at the intersection of Medcliff Road and Selrose Lane where you don’t have to hike uphill into the park.

This hike can be made a loop if the tide is low. To do this simply walk the bluff trail east to where it ends on Medcliff Road and continue until you reach the entrance to Mesa Lane Beach. From there you can walk back to Arroyo Burro Beach Park and your starting point.

Address

2981 Cliff Dr
Santa Barbara, CA 93109

Phone

805-564-5418

Website

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