I did this ride with my girls, 14 and 10 years of age, —very doable. The incline is slow and gradual so it’s easy to take in the beautiful scenery around. We enjoyed it.

Lots of pedestrians and heavy traffic that slows down the ride to make it a casual ride; however the scenery is beautiful with the coastal views. To increase speed would recommend an early morning ride. The road is a mix of pavement and a few bumpy areas, predominantly flat for an easy ride. Would increase the star level if it were more strenuous, a longer ride, and traffic was better managed. Thank you for this trail.

This is one of my favorite bike paths. The white fencing outlines this path well and the gentle slopes make it a fun ride. The surrounding mountains and hillsides are gorgeous just before sunset. Ample parking and restrooms at the southern end of the trail in Pleasant Valley Fields.

Trail runs along 101 highway in between mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Beautiful view while pumping adrenaline rush of riding next to speeding cars.

This is one of our favorite rides that we have done a number of times over the years when vacationing in the Ventura area. We've always ridden this trail in the summer when inland temps are sizzling, but you can count on cool, refreshing breezes and beautiful ocean and coastal views on this easy trail.
The official trail from San Buenaventura State Beach to Emma Wood State Beach is only 4.1 miles long which is why we extend it. Don't stop at Emma Wood! Continue north on Pacific Coast Highway. I know, you have to ride on the road with only a white stripe to separate you from the motor vehicles, but it seems like the only traffic is the occasional lumbering RV slowly headed to their campsite along PCH. If you take my advice, you'll definitely burn more calories and be rewarded with spectacular views of the Pacific, gawk at multi-million dollar beachfront homes, and envy relaxed vacationers enjoying their RV's.

This trail is worth exploring if you want to venture into the neighborhoods of Goleta. It must be especially awesome for the residents of Goleta to be able to jump on their bikes and head to the beach or UCSB via this path and the Obern Trail!

If you ride this trail, do it in conjunction with the Goleta Beach Trail or Maria Ygnacio Bike Path since it's so short. The locals must love this since for the most part it's quiet, away from roads, and leads to the beach. It seems ideal for the neighborhoods that back up to it for the last couple of miles. If I lived there I'd probably be on it most every day headed for the beach!

Over the years on our visits to the Santa Barbara area, we've ridden the Goleta Beach Trail. Utilizing the probably now somewhat obsolete Santa Barbara County Bike Map (copyright 2000), we followed what was called the Coast Route. The Class I bike path starts near the corner of Storke and El Colegio, so that's where we would park and unload the bikes. In the summer months it's a great place to start your Goleta Beach ride since you add some distance to it, plus you can peddle through the nearly deserted UCSB campus to the Goleta Beach Trail trailhead.
After riding down to Goleta Beach County Park and Goleta Pier, the Coast Route turns inland allows you to pedal alongside Atascadero Creek. Today that trail is called Obern Trail, a lovely ride in itself. Another option is a spur off the Obern Trail just beyond Patterson Avenue called the Maria Ygnacio Bike Path. This will give you some uphill and through the neighborhoods of Goleta.
The Goleta Beach Trail is a beautiful, ridiculously short ride with sensational ocean and mountain views. If you are going to ride this trail, you might as well combine it with Obern and/or Maria Ygnacio and burn a few more calories!

We rode this trail between the marina and bird refuge a few years ago. The photo op highlight was peddling our bikes between the rows of giant palm trees for that stereotypical California beach scene, but for a couple of native southern Californians palm trees are no big deal. In addition, the ride is so short it just wasn't worth getting the bikes out of the SUV.
This trail feels most appropriate for tourists, walkers, joggers, skateboarders, and vendors renting those quadcycle things to families.