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The Rincon Multi-Use Trail offers both beautiful views of the Santa Barbara Channel and an important alternative to US 101 for bicyclists. The paved trail is 3.5 miles long.
About the Route
The northern end of the trail begins at Carpinteria State Beach's Rincon Point and Rincon County Beach Park, a popular surfing spot just outside of Carpinteria, and heads south between the coast and the highway with a decorative railing separating the trail from traffic. There are signs for the Pacific Coast Bike Route along the trail.
The northern end of the trail begins at the Santa Barbara County line but runs through Ventura County and is part of a larger network called the California Coastal Trail, a developing multi-use route spanning 1,200 miles from Oregon to Mexico.
The Rincon Bike Trail runs between Rincon Point (Carpinteria) and Mobil Pier Rd (Ventura), both of which offer parking.
Visit the TrailLink map for detailed directions.
This short trail is a bit of an engineering marvel. Smooth pavement, beautiful scenery, and because it is within feet (separated by an impressive and artistic barrier) of Highway 101, very LOUD. Good luck if you're trying to have a conversation with a fellow rider.
Nice small capacity parking lot at the southern end. Very safe for a family outing, though a bit of caution will be needed in the one street crossing in La Conchita. At the northern end there is a beautiful park, suitable for picnics, and with nice ocean overlooks.
I ride about 20 miles/day, and found the trail a bit short, and a bit too noisy. One of my brothers, who doesn't ride at all on a regular basis, and who is less sensitive to noise than I am, found the trail "perfect". And there you have it!
I absolutely love this ride!! It was invigorating to have the ocean on side and the fwy on the other. And I didn’t notice the freeway noise—I was so enchanted with the scenery. It’s a must with the kids. Pack a lunch.and enjoy it on the sand
Trail runs along 101 highway in between mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Beautiful view while pumping adrenaline rush of riding next to speeding cars.
Nice bike ride along the Ventura County, CA shores; if you start in the city of Ventura and finish at Rincon Beach Park--you can complete a good 15 miles of a bike ride. Fabulous view points, don't miss it!
This trail was completed in 2014, and is a beautifully paved bike trail segment along the scenic California coast between Carpinteria and Ventura.
The views are great, the trail surface is paved, but it runs along the US-101 freeway, I gave it 4 stars only because the freeway noise is quite loud and does take away from what could be a great riding experience. But it is what it is, and it is a very nice trail.
We were staying in the small community of La Conchita, and there is easy access via the brand new pedestrian tunnel under the highway.
We rode this both during the week and on the weekend, weekends tend to be much busier with the gun-ho crowd... so keep an eye out for the faster riders on weekends!
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