| El Capitán State Beach | |
|---|---|
 El Capitán State Beach looking east | |
   | |
| Location | Santa Barbara County, California |
| Nearest city | Goleta, California |
| Coordinates | 34°27′38″N120°1′27″W / 34.46056°N 120.02417°W /34.46056; -120.02417 |
| Area | 2,634 acres (10.66 km2) |
| Established | 1953 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
El Capitán State Beach is a protectedbeach in thestate park system ofCalifornia. The most easterly of three state parks along theGaviota Coast, it is located about 20 miles (32 km) west of downtownSanta Barbara, inSanta Barbara County. The beach is named forJosé Francisco Ortega, who retired from the Spanish Army in 1795 with the rank of captain and received theRancho Nuestra Señora del Refugio as a land grant.[1][2]
El Capitán has a day-use beach as well as a campground with 131 sites (6 of which are RV only) and 5 group sites. There aretide pools on the beach and sycamore and oak trees in the campground area.Monarch butterflies congregate at El Capitán in autumn to breed.[1]
The parkland was acquired between 1953 and 1967 and the State Parks Commission classified El Capitán State Beach in June of 1962.[3] In 2002 the state acquired 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) at a discount from the owners of El Capitan Ranch. The property rises above the existing park through oak woodlands and chaparral to the ridgelines of theSanta Ynez Mountains.[4][5] TheRefugio oil spill occurred just north of nearbyRefugio State Beach in 2015 when a pipeline carryingcrude oil ruptured. The spill went into a culvert that ran underUS 101 and into the ocean. The spill spread over 7 miles (11 km) of coastline, including El Capitán and Refugio state beaches. Both parks were closed for much of the summer during the clean-up, including during the typically busyMemorial Day weekend. The pipeline which caused the disaster is no longer in service.[6]
In 2016, the park's water system was destroyed when theSherpa Fire swept through a canyon near the main campgrounds. The park had already closed due to the smoke and fire danger.[7] In 2021, a project removed barriers forsteelhead trout swimming upstream to reproduce by rebuilding the entrance bridge.[8] In January 2023, the park water system and entrance road experienced catastrophic damage from significant rainfall, prompting evacuations of park staff and closing the park for repairs.[9] Park damages from the storm totaled $11.9 million, the third most expensive damage caused by the storm system to California State Parks.[10]
An update to the 1979 General Plan which included an inventory of wildlife, historic, and archeological assets and an outline of issues and concerns was started in 2024.Gaviota State Park and Refugio State beach will be included in the recommendations for modernizing the infrastructure, adapting toclimate change impacts and providing sustainable recreational opportunities.[11]
