Coast Route Bike Path

From Modoc Rd in Hope Ranch, you can bike alongside a bubbling creek, surrounded by tall trees, past Goleta Beach Park and through the campus of UCSB, all the way to Isla Vista, a college party town. For a very small segment you ride on regular streets through a quiet neighborhood, but most of the way you have a two-way bike path, where you can ride amongst nature not traffic. The path is popular with locals, and you will be joined by professional bikers, whole families on their bikes, pedestrians, and even horses!

One truth that I discovered the hard way: the bike path slopes down slightly when westbound from Modoc Rd. Don't go farther than you should thinking what an easy ride it is and how fit you are!!
In the Modoc Rd area near Hope Ranch you will bike past equestrian trails and hills covered in strands of eucalptus. It feels like you are in the countryside. Watch out for the horse poop on the path! When the path reaches Goleta Beach where it heads uphill to UCSB you will enjoy gorgeous views over the ocean and the curve of Goleta Beach.
There are restrooms at Goleta Beach and UCSB.
You can stop and buy a snack on campus (at Campus Center or Coral Tree Cafe) or in the cute town of Isla Vista. Try Isla Vista Food Co-op for health food snacks that you can buy and then eat on a little table out front.
For a map of the route (the blue solid line), click here.
Heading north from the Coast Route near Patterson Ave is the Maria Ignacio Route. It's a convenient bike path for those who live in the residential neighborhoods north of the freeway. It passes under the freeway, which feels a little freaky. Most of the bike path is lovely though, shaded by plenty of trees.

Directions

The start of the east end of the path is located at Modoc Rd and Encore Dr, Santa Barbara CA 93110. Exit Highway 101 southbound at "154- State St." Make a sharp right turn at the exit. Follow State Street under the train tracks and turn left on Modoc Rd. Turn left on Encore Drive and park along the road. The bike path is across Modoc Rd.
To get to Modoc Rd from Highway 101 northbound, exit at "154- State St." Turn left at the exit and follow State St under the train tracks. Turn left on Modoc Rd, and left on Encore Drive. Park along the road. The bike path is across Modoc Rd.
Or you can begin midway along the path at Goleta Beach Park. From Highway 101 northbound, take the 217 Freeway. Exit at Sandspit Rd, and turn left. Follow the road around a large bend and then turn right into the Goleta Beach Park parking lot. To head east on the bike path toward Santa Barbara, bike out of the parking lot where you came in and you will see the bike path on your right. Or to head west, get on the bike path near the west end of the parking lot and you will head up to UCSB's campus for stunning ocean views and a short bike ride through campus to the college party town of Isla Vista.
To start on the west end of the bike path, exit Highway 101 at Storke Rd. Turn toward the ocean. At the end, turn left on El Colegio Rd. Turn right on Camino Corto and park along the road. The bike path is across El Colegio Rd.
Isla Vista Co-op, 6575 Seville Road, Isla Vista, call (805) 968-1401.

Click on map for interactive view