Elwood Mesa

Elwood Mesa is a maze of unnamed, flat dirt trails, some narrow some wide, that wander around a beautiful bluff overlooking the ocean.

This area is very popular among families and dog walkers from all around the Santa Barbara area. It is a great place to introduce someone to the sport of mountain biking.

Give Elwood a few days to dry after any significant rain. The soil here contains a lot of clay and can be very muddy when wet.

The ride on the map above represents one of many possible ways to get around Elwood Mesa. The best way to enjoy the place is to just wander a round, pick a trail, and see where it goes. There are lots of nooks and crannies to explore.

None of the trails have separate names, so it's all just one big Elwood Mesa trail.

There are numerous access points but the most common is at the parking area off Hollister. This lot can get full on the weekends with overflow at the elementary school across the street.

Elwood is most well known for a grove of Eucalyptus trees that are the winter home to thousands of monarch butterflies. See goletabutterflygrove.com/ for more information.