Gaviota Peak

Gaviota Peak in Gaviota State Park

Some of the best coastal views in the Golden State don’t come easy, but the payoff makes up for the challenge! Head for Gaviota State Park’s headlining hike, Gaviota Peak. It’s a 6.5-mile loop from the trailhead, gaining nearly 2,500 feet in elevation for a true, and truly strenuous, summit experience. Take the fire road a quarter of a mile to a junction under sycamores and opt for the left route (this allows for the rewarding coastal views on the way down). After a short downhill section, begin your grueling ascent through a grass field to a brief oasis of shady oaks. Continue pushing until you reach a T-junction at 3 miles, offering your first breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.

Take a right and it’s a short hike up to the peak, marked by a bin chock-full of guest books and mesmerizing panoramic views. While stretches of beautiful coastline are where your eyes naturally wander, on a clear day search for the Channel Islands on the horizon. The wine country of the Santa Ynez Valley lies to the north in rolling hills, while the Santa Ynez Mountains dominate your view to the east.

Hiking back down via Trespass Trail, you’ll be surprised by not only the constant coastal vistas but also the healthy coastal chaparral flora thriving (and encroaching on your trail space). Tall yucca plants dot the mountain as you descend steeply through a grassy field and make a right at the bottom of the ravine. Shortly after, pass through a gate (you were on private ranch land briefly, however, due to a state agreement, hikers can pass through it legally, hence the name Trespass Trail). Catch a final glimpse of the coastline and hike a mile to the first junction, taking a short descent back to your car.

To get to the trailhead, take Hwy. 101 N from Los Angeles through Santa Barbara to CA 1 N (Lompoc/Vandenberg AFB). Take a right off the exit, followed by an immediate right onto the frontage road. Continue for about half a mile to a dead-end to find the dirt lot and trailhead. No dogs.    

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Bikers and walkers on the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them

    National Park City Walk

    See San Francisco the way locals do by hiking the Presidio, a national park right in the city! Wooded trails, secluded beaches, and epic views of the Golden Gate Bridge feature on this 5.5-mile out-and-back on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It’s a lovely slice of the City by the Bay.

    View
  3. Bucks Up!

    Come on in, the water is beautiful. Whether you like swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddling, or heading out on a bigger boat, Bucks Lake is a high mountain haven that’s easy to access, blissfully uncrowded, and surrounded by sandy beaches, picnic areas, pines, and aspens.

    View
  4. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Bear Hug

    This 5.5-mile loop through Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park explores one of the newest segments of the acclaimed Bay Area Ridge Trail, one redolent with trees ranging from madrone and manzanita to buckeye and blue elderberry (with a bubbly post-hike bonus).

    View
  2. Two kayakers on Upper Klamath Basin on tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures

    Zen & the Art of Kayaking

    It’s the most meditative and relaxing experience you’ll ever have on a kayak. Yes, you read that right, a Zen experience on a kayak. It all happens in beautiful Klamath County when you head out on a guided tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures.

    View
  3. A Rose in the Pines

    A crackling fire, a bottle of wine, a bubbling Jacuzzi tub with a waterfall … now the big question: Marvin Gaye tunes or not? In the morning (ahem) it's breakfast in bed and a leis

    View
  4. Alex Villicana, Villicana Winery and Re:Find Distillery

    Locals' Feature: Alex Villicana

    Tech booms, AI revolutions, okay that’s all fine, but you wanna know what else is really cool? Being a pioneer in a world-famous industry that—in Paso Robles—remains solidly down to earth. When Alex Villicana established Villicana Winery in 1993, he clearly had grape expectations...

    View