Find Los Padres National Forest Map

Find Sespe Wilderness Trail Map

Find Channel Island National Park Map

Books on the Santa Barbara Coast & the Santa Barbara Mountains

Santa Barbara is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

In addition to being a popular tourist and resort destination, the city has a diverse economy that includes a large service sector, education, technology, health care, finance, agriculture, manufacturing, and local government.

The city is served by Santa Barbara Airport and train service is provided by Amtrak, which operates the Pacific Surfliner, which runs from San Diego to San Luis Obispo. The Santa Barbara area is connected via U.S. Highway 101 to Los Angeles (100 miles to the southeast) and San Francisco (325 miles to the northwest).

Behind the city, in and beyond the Santa Ynez Mountains, is the Los Padres National Forest, which contains several remote wilderness areas. Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary are located approximately 20 miles offshore.

Santa Barbara Mountains:

• Chumash Wilderness
• Dick Smith Wilderness
• Gaviota Hot Springs
• Matilija Wilderness 
• Rock Front Ranch
• San Rafael Wilderness
• Santa Lucia Wilderness
• Sespe Hot Springs
• Sespe Wilderness