Welcome to Carpinteria
From the Padaro Beach enclave down to the world-renowned surf breaks at Rincon Point, Carpinteria is one of California's best-kept coastal secrets. With over 4,000 feet of ocean frontage, surrounded by citrus, avocado groves, and coastal foothills, this charming town is just 5 miles South of Santa Barbara.
Downtown Carpinteria
The Avocado Festival, numerous art festivals, historical buildings, indigenous Chumash sites, and more can discovered in Carpinteria's Downtown, which spans Linden Avenue to Carpinteria Avenue.
Lined with dozens of majestic palm trees almost 100 years old, Linden Avenue is home to excellent restaurants, an upcoming Public Market, and antique shops. Linden dead-ends at Carpinteria State Beach, where you will find many recreational activities, including hiking, sightseeing, swimming, surfing, camping, and volleyball.
Neighborhoods
Downtown Carpinteria is intersected by Carpinteria Avenue and Linden Ave., which dead-ends in the sands of Carpinteria Beach. The older part of Downtown has charming cottages spanning from the Victorian era through today.
The coveted Concha Loma neighborhood, also on the ocean side of the 101 freeway, is located between Downtown via a footbridge or Carpinteria Ave and the Carpinteria Bluffs. It's a tranquil neighborhood developed in the late 1950s with trails leading to the Bluffs and beaches.
The Carpinteria Foothills has many smaller neighborhoods, including Serena Park, Toro Canyon, Rancho Monte Allegre, and Shepard Mesa. The homes vary from larger ranches to smaller neighborhoods interspersed with parks, sidewalks, and trails. The hilltop Shepard Mesa is a lovely enclave of homes with views of the coastal mountain range and ocean, all on mostly 1 acre or more.
At the base of the Carpinteria Foothills, adjacent to Carpinteria High School, is the popular Franklin Trail, which winds many miles up into our Foothills and backcountry.
Carpinteria Salt Marsh
To the West end of Carpinteria State Beach is the Salt Marsh, also known as El Estero, one of the most important wetlands in Southern California. There are well-marked trails and walking platforms for safely viewing rare and endangered plants and migratory birds.
Tar Pits State Park and the Harbor Seal Rookery
To the East end of Carpinteria State Beach, biking and hiking trails lead to Tar Pits State Park, where the Chumash Indians built their large canoes. You can still see the natural asphalt oozing from the rocks along a beautiful stretch of shoreline. Walk a bit further to the East along the Carpinteria Buffs Trail to The Harbor Seal Preserve, home to roughly 100 adult seals who give birth to their cubs along the coastline, one of only four rookeries left in the State. The best spot for viewing is well-marked with a sign. The sanctuary is a protected birthing habitat for harbor seals from December 1 through May 31.
