Gaviota

https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=606 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrapata_State_Park Gaviota State Park is located in southern Santa Barbara County, California, about 33 miles (53 km) west of the city of Santa Barbara. It extends from the Pacific coast to the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains, and is adjacent to Los Padres National Forest.

Our Mission Gaviota State Park The mission of the California Department of Parks and Recreation is to provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation. Gaviota State Park has something for everyone, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER Governor from the sandy cove where MIKE CHRISMAN Secretary for Resources Gaviota Creek meets the RUTH COLEMAN Director, California State Parks ocean to the wild uplands of Gaviota Canyon where a warm sulfur spring bubbles California State Parks does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who need assistance should contact the park at the phone number below. To receive this publication in an alternate format, write to the Communications Office at the following address. For information call: CALIFORNIA (800) 777-0369 STATE PARKS P. O. Box 942896 (916) 653-6995, outside the U.S. Sacramento, CA 711, TTY relay service 94296-0001 www.parks.ca.gov Gaviota State Park 10 Refugio Beach Road Goleta, CA 93117 (805) 968-1033 © 2003 California State Parks Printed on Recycled Paper from the Santa Ynez fault. A bout 30 miles west of Santa Barbara off Highway 101, Gaviota State Park stretches upward from the wind-tossed sea to stands of oak and chaparral. Named by soldiers of the Portolá expedition for the seagulls that make the area their home, this part of the south coast is exceptional in its variety. Summers are mild, with little rain; winters are slightly cooler. Temperatures depend on where you are in the park. Strong winds often blow southward through narrow Gaviota Pass, Gaviota Creek occasionally making Highway 101 dangerous to trailers and campers and tent camping a challenge. NATIVE PEOPLE For thousands of years, Chumash territory extended from southern Monterey County to present-day Malibu Canyon and east into today’s Kern County. The typical Chumash house was a 12- to 20-foot rounded dome of willow poles, covered with overlapping layers of bulrush or cattails. The Chumash hunted or trapped game, caught fish and gathered shellfish, plants, roots, seeds and berries. They were skilled at beadwork, basketry, woodcarving and cave art—a stunning example of their cave paintings can be seen at nearby Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park. Noted for their skills in ocean navigation, the Chumash constructed seagoing redwood plank canoes (tomol) as much as 30 feet long. At first the Chumash welcomed what they saw as the material and spiritual benefits of European civilization. The rapid spread of disease, harsh treatment by some of the newcomers, and the loss of their former life ways caused many Chumash to reconsider, but by then it was too late to turn back. Today the Chumash traditions are being rediscovered by many of their descendents. EUROPEANS AND AMERICANS In 1542 Juan Cabrillo, traveling the Santa Barbara-Ventura coast, stopped at what is now Gaviota. In 1769 Gaspar de Portolá and his crew camped in this area as they sailed up the coast looking for the port of Monterey. Father Juan Crespi, who kept a journal of the expedition, noted that “the soldiers know it as La Gaviota, because they killed a seagull there.” Gaviota has appeared as a place name in Spanish documents since 1795. In 1846 Captain John C. Frémont’s volunteers marched toward Santa Barbara through the passage now known as Gaviota Pass. However, when he got wind of a planned ambush by the entire garrison of the Santa Barbara Presidio, he led his men over the more rugged San Marcos Pass and seized the now unprotected city of Santa Barbara. The 1860s saw stage line service through Gaviota Pass, but the route was abandoned in 1871 when the stage company opened a new route through San Marcos Pass. In 1875 Colonel William Welles Hollister built a wharf at Gaviota to ship lumber, wool, cattle and grain to Atlantic markets. But the key to future growth along the Gaviota coast was the railroad. In 1900 workers closed one of the last remaining gaps in the Southern Pacific Railroad’s Coast Route with an 811-foot trestle over Gaviota Creek. On March 31, 1901, full train service between San Francisco and Los Angeles began. NATURAL HISTORY A variety of elevations, soils and topography combine to form a number of habitats. Oak woodlands, primarily coast live oaks and some valley oaks, provide habitat for California legless lizards, American ravens, Nutall’s and downy woodpeckers, broadhanded moles and bobcats. Grasslands, primarily annual grasses and purple needlegrass, shelter such reptiles as western fence lizards, western Pacific rattlesnakes and common king snakes. Bird species include western meadowlarks, turkey vultures and red-tailed hawks. Mule deer, gray foxes, California ground squirrels, striped skunks, coyotes and Our Mission Gaviota S

to Lompoc, Santa Maria to Buellton, Santa Maria 1 101 40 40 0 0 80 Gaviota 0 State Park Las Cruces 1000ft 305m 12 80 il 1 mi a Yucca Tr Gavi ot 400 a 1.7 0 Trail 0.6 oodland W m i ad Ro 1312ft 400m Fire to Gaviota Peak 2000 L O S PA D R E S Tre s pa 0.7 mi from parking lot N AT I O N A L 0 FOREST low passage under highway Legend Fir 400 925ft 282m ok e eek Cr Ov Campground 827ft 252m ook erl 400 1035ft 315m a P G Tunnel P h eac 804ft 245m 101 to 400 Backc oun try 400 Restrooms vi B 800 800 a 00 Parking P Gaviota Pass ot 8 00 Trail ad 1.7 mi Ro Fir Overlo 1007ft 307m 12 Paved road 400 800 1600 Hot Springs 1200 mi e 968ft 295m il Tra Ro ad PA R K 800 1.1 mi 80 S TAT E il P P 0 ss 0.8 Trail mi 0.7 mi Ort eg a G AV I O T A ail 101 Tra s Trail 1.1 mi ruce sC a L 925ft 282m Holl iste rT r 40 nel View Tun 1.5 800 mi k ea 800 800 400 i Tra Park Entrance l mi 1.75 649ft 198m to Santa Barbara 101 P 400 400 Pier Road Private Pacific Ocean Pismo Beach 101 Nipomo 0 0.5 Miles 0.25 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 Kilometers 166 Taft Maricopa Carrizo Plain NM 166 Santa Maria 1 0 © 2003 California State Parks Map by Eureka Cartography, Berkeley, CA 40 00 0 P New Cuyama Orcutt 101 33 Los Alamos Vandenberg Los AFB Los Olivos Padres Buellton NF Santa Ynez 246 Lompoc Chumash Solvang Painted Cave 1 SHP Montecito Gaviota SP 0 0 10 10 San Miguel Island 20 101 Refugio SB El Capitan Santa Carpinteria SB Barbara 20 Miles Santa Barba 30 Kilometers Santa Rosa Island r a Ch 33 Ventura an n el Santa Cruz Island Anacapa Island 

Wel ! come Gaviota State Park 10 Refugio Beach Road • Goleta, CA 93117 (805) 968-1033 Gaviota State Park has something for everyone, from the sandy cove where Gaviota Creek meets the ocean to the wild uplands of Gaviota Canyon, where a warm sulfur spring bubbles from the Santa Ynez fault. PARK FEES are due and payable upon entry into the park. Use the self-registration system if the entrance station is closed. The campsite fee covers one vehicle. There are additional fees for extra vehicles. CAMPSITES: Each campsite has a fire ring and a picnic table. Swings or hammocks may not be fastened to trees or bushes. OCCUPANCY: Eight people are allowed per family campsite. VEHICLES: All vehicles in the park must display a current registration receipt on the lower left corner of the windshield. Only two registered vehicles are permitted in the campsite at one time (a trailer counts as one vehicle). Vehicles must have all tires on the pavement. Do not pull off road as a wind break. All rules of the road in the California Vehicle Code are strictly enforced in the park. Passengers are not allowed in open truck beds or vessels in tow. CHECK-OUT TIME: Checkout time is noon. Please vacate your site by that time. Check-in is 2 p.m. RE-REGISTRATION: If you want to re-register and do not have a reservation, you must contact the entrance station before 9 a.m. the morning you are due out. Site availability is not guaranteed. DOGS must be kept on a leash no longer than six feet and under control at all times. They are not permitted on the beach or on trails. Dogs must be confined to a vehicle or tent from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and must not be left unattended at any time. Owners must remove a dog if it is noisy and/or vicious. All incidents of bites must be reported to the ranger (stay with your dog at your campsite until the report is completed). Please pick up after your pets, both in the campsite and in open spaces where you have taken them. SPEED LIMIT: Though the maximum speed limit is 15 mph, when pedestrians, bicyclists and children are present, even 15 mph might be too fast. Use good judgement. QUIET HOURS: Quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. To ensure an enjoyable experience for everyone, please do not disturb other campers, regardless of the time of day or night. NOISE: Radios and other sound-producing devices must not be audible beyond your immediate campsite, regardless of the time of day or night. Engine driven generators or other devices may not be operated between the hours of 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. MOUNTAIN BIKES: Use designated paved roads, dirt roads and trails. All other areas are closed to mountain bikes. BOAT HOIST: The boat hoist will be shut off at sunset. It will turn on at 7 a.m. daily. © 2007 California State Parks TO HW C ta io r ee k CAMPING CH UN RO Reservations may be charged to your VISA®, Discover® or MasterCard®. To make online reservations, visit our website at www.parks.ca.gov. Ga v DAY USE TU RNA CAMPING RESERVATIONS You may make camping reservations up to seven months and no less than 48 hours in advance by calling (800) 444-7275 (TTY 800 274-7275). ADDITIONAL VEHICLE PARKING KIOSK GAMES: Volleyball, badminton, horseshoes and similar games are not allowed in the campgrounds or on the beach. THEFT WARNING: Keep your vehicles locked and your valuables out of sight. Do not leave property out at night. Report suspicious activity to a ranger or camp host. Gaviota State Park Y 101 FISHING: A fishing license is not required when fishing from the pier. Limits and seasons are enforced. D 2 1 3 4 5 6 8 7 39 9 10 11 38 37 NO TIRES PERMITTED OFF PAVEMENT 12 13 14 15 34 33 36 35 29 28 27 32 16 17 20 21 18 19 CH 26 22 23 LEGEND CH 31 30 24 25 CAMP HOST FISHING ACCESSIBLE PARKING PARKING RAILROAD TRACKS RESTROOM STORE SHOWERS TELEPHONE TO THE PIER BOAT LAUNCH PARKING (2 VEHICLES MAX) Maps not to scale. PIER FOR EMERGENCIES CALL 9-1-1. E S AY U TO D BOAT HOIST