Don’t Pass Lookout Park In Summerland

How I Discovered Lookout Park in Summerland

I discovered Lookout Park in Summerland quite by accident. Summerland is on the California Central Coast just south of Santa Barbara. Twenty years ago we frequently drove back and forth between our old house in Newbury Park, and Templeton, where we live now. On one of those trips I needed to make a rest stop. I saw the sign for Summerland as the next freeway exit, and decided to see what was there. It turned out that Lookout Park was there.

All I had to do was turn right at the end of the ramp and drive about a block across the railroad tracks, and into the parking lot. Your first view from the parking lot is the grassy park area above the beach. See that park area in the very top image.

I think it’s called Lookout Park because it’s where you can either look out over the beach from the park, or access the beach from a path that goes downhill. The photo here shows the ocean view from the park.

The path to the beach goes down a hill and you can get a closer and closer view of the ocean as you get lower. It’s a short walk and most people will have no trouble with the slope. People with bad knees may have a problem. This photo shows the path.

 

Lookout Park Facilities

Lookout Park has  clean restrooms, picnic areas, benches for resting, a dog spa, and a playground.

The restroom floor does get wet, since people come in from the beach to use it. I’ve never yet found it filthy or without toilet paper.

Here’s where you can picnic while you watch your children play. Note the volleyball net in the background.

There’s even a dog spa to get the sand off your dog before it gets back in the car

There are benches in the grassy area, and also along the main path to the beach if you need to rest.

Scenery at Lookout Park

These  people are enjoying the beach on Christmas Eve, when most of these photos were taken. Dogs are supposed to be kept on leashes, but people often don’t follow those rules.

The beach at Lookout Park in Summerland is smooth and sandy. Walking on it will not hurt your feet. It resembles Southern California beaches more than the more rugged North Coast.

This is part of a trail that goes through the woods down to the beach.

Lookout Park is the Ideal Rest Stop Between San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties

Lookout Park in Summerland is a great place for a rest stop if you don’t want to get out onto the Santa Barbara streets and try to find a public restroom.  Good luck with that unless you know the area. It’s cheaper and more fun to pack a picnic lunch, find a place on the grass or the beach, and enjoy the out-of-doors. You can also get a taste of nature while you and your children stretch your legs. You can take them down to the beach to play, or find one of the short hiking trails, like the one pictured above. Everything you could want at a rest stop is here.

Now we stop there often on our way south for the holidays. Sometimes we pack a picnic lunch to eat there in the park. It’s usually peaceful in the winter, and the view of the ocean is not to be missed. Sure beats the fast food restaurants. It’s also close to the halfway point when we are driving to Orange County or Los Angeles

Poster: Be Creative Poster

 

 

These products I made at Zazzle help keep memories of Summerland alive and let you share them with others. The poster show one of the shelters people had made on the beach with driftwood. I’ve always like the photo of the man on the bench, contemplating the ocean. The puzzle shows the shoreline of Summerland. These are samples of my Summerland designs. There are multiple products available for each design when you click through. 

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 Summerland: Man Contemplates Ocean Postcard Beach, Summerland, California Puzzle

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Photos and text, B. Radisavljevic, Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

This post was previously published on BlogJob.com on October 15, 2015, which is why comments may be dated earlier than the publication date of this post.