Expert: Steve Summers - 1/30/2006

Question
Mr. Springer:

This coming Friday (February 3rd, 2006), I will be visiting the Monterey Aquarium and Hearst Castle enroute to Los Angeles.

Since we are likely to still be on the road come dinner time (5:00 pm'ish), rather than spend time selecting a random eatery and muscling in without reservations, I would like to find a location on the beach (somewhere between San Simeon and Ventura) where I could put a grill over the fire, cook some barbecue and watch the sun set into the Pacific.

My question is this:

Do you have a recommendation for a less-than crowded location _on_ the shore to accomplish this task?

Thank you in advance for your time and efforts in this matter.

Warm regards,

David

Answer
Hi David,

Fortunately for you, this is not exactly the crowded time of year. Otherwise, I would say it's impossible to find a secluded, uncrowded spot where you can cook a dinner on a grill.

One of the problems with the whole "sunset on the beach" thing is the proximity of highway 1 & 101 to the beach. Once you get past San Simeon and Cambria, the road turns inland until you get to Pismo Beach. After that, the road turns inland and you don't see the ocean for about 100 miles (at Gaviota). From Gaviota to Ventura, you have about 30 miles of ocean viewing.

If I wanted to be sure that I didn't want to miss the sun setting over the water, I'd stop in San Simeon. Specifically, San Simeon State Park has some fire rings in the Washburn campground area. You can grill your food, then walk under the highway to the beach, and watch the sun set from there. Day use fees probably apply.

Avila Beach has a picnic area as well, which should not be too crowded. Pismo Beach has some good restaurants, but no open fire pits that I know of.

Once you get to the Santa Barbara area, there are a number of beaches with fire pits. There are several state parks in the area, including Gaviota, Refugio, El Capitan, and Carpinteria. Carpinteria is our favorite, and if you can make it here, I recommend it. There is a small day use fee, but there are grills in the picnic area where you can cook a meal and catch the sunset. We camp here a lot, and if the sun sets while we are cooking dinner, we actually stop and go watch it. Carpinteria State Beach is located 12 miles south of Santa Barbara.

You can cook, but I highly recommend just finding one of the local eateries. It's not hard to find a decent place to eat. Here are a few of my favorite places to eat along the coast, from north to south:

In Pismo Beach, we like to eat at Pismo Beach Fish and Chips. It's on Cypress Street, just off Main Street. There are a couple other good places for Clam Chowder & Fish & Chips right on Main Street. They are easy to find, and the wait isn't TOO long. Then you can catch the sunset from the Pismo Beach Pier.

In Goleta, we LOVE to eat at Woody's BBQ. It's at 5112 Hollister Avenue in Goleta. Very relaxed and low key, the Tri-tip is the best anywhere. Yeah, it's not at the beach, but it's not too far.

In Carpinteria, you have a number of choices on Linden Avenue. Our favorite, however, is The Spot. It's near the end of Linden Avenue, right past the RR tracks. You can get a delicious cheeseburger or a tostada, and see the ocean from your outdoor table. Another relaxed place that the locals enjoy.

Hope this helps,

Steve