Hollister Ranch Beach

Eight Miles of Heaven on Earth

— by Will Kellar — 

The Hollister Ranch
The 14,400-acre Hollister Ranch property spans between Gaviota State Park and Point Conception about 30 miles west from downtown Santa Barbara. The Ranch obtained its name from Colonel W.W. Hollister, who purchased the massive tract of land in 1853 and operated a successful cattle operation until the 1960s. The subsequent owner, Texas cattleman Dick LaRue, subdivided the land into 100-acre parcels and limited development to only 2% of each parcel. Much to the chagrin of the general public, these parcels are now predominantly owned by multi-millionaires and the ranch property is guarded with security 24/7.
The opportunities to access Santa Barbara County’s infamous Hollister Ranch coastline are limited and difficult. Without a boat or an escort from a ranch parcel owner, it’s nearly impossible to legally access the Ranch’s 8.5 miles of pristine and untouched coastline. Public access to the property has been restricted for decades and the property’s owners have fought vehemently to keep the land private, wild, and free from rampant development. During my time in Santa Barbara, I’ve heard stories of the Ranch’s beauty and ruggedness, complete with legendary surf breaks, high populations of native apex land and marine predators, and safe havens for hundreds of migratory and native birds. I’ve always wanted to visit but never knew if I would get the chance.

I plan my visit
I recently learned that according to California state law, every beach in California is open to the public up to the mean high tide level (i.e., the portion of the beach where the highest tide reaches). Everything beyond that point inland, in the case of the Hollister Ranch, is private property monitored by security guards (and landowners). It dawned on me that beach access would be my only shot to see this area without breaking any laws. In late October, I decided to check the tide charts to see if there were any extraordinarily low tides on the horizon. Needless to say, I was pleased to learn that on Saturday November 6th around 6 pm, the tide would be an extremely low -1.1 feet! This would theoretically allow access from the adjoining Gaviota State Beach via foot (or bicycle). The wheels began turning and I hatched up a tentative plan for accessing the Ranch. I called up a friend and prepped my mountain bike for a beach biking excursion to check out this legendary property.

Equipped with backpacks, wetsuits, water, lights, and of course, a surfboard, we departed from an unmarked gravel lot located to the west of Gaviota State Beach. About a half mile down Hollister Ranch Road, we followed a small, unmarked trail branching off of the one-lane road. We crossed the railroad tracks and traversed down an extremely steep and technical cliff equipped with a rope to shimmy down to the beach. This portion of the land was on State Park property, so we were legally permitted to access it. We took turns carefully climbing our bikes and gear down the cliff face and onto the off-white sand.

The second my feet hit the beach, I looked around and immediately got an intense feeling of isolation and a taste of the wild raw power of the Hollister Ranch coastline. This place really was unique, and I was itching the see what it had to offer. Only 3 minutes into the ride, we hit the first point break to the east of Canada del Aqua Caliente, which welcomed us with waves smashing against the massive sandstone cliffs. The tide was still not low enough to get around the point without getting soaked. We had to time the wave breaks just right to avoid being knocked off our bikes and swept out to sea by the powerful surf.

Pristine California Beach
Just past the first point break, we rounded the corner and startled a 50+ member flock of California brown pelicans who were resting along the cliffside. They gracefully took flight above us and temporarily flew just feet above our heads before disappearing down the coast. With wet feet and creaky bikes, we continued onward. For the next 2 miles, we battled slippery rocks along Canada del Alegria (known to the local surfers as “Razors”) that were only recently exposed from the receding tide. It was a slow and arduous trek that included some hike-a-bike and some low-speed spills. About 30 minutes later, we rounded the point break past Razors and were treated with an open expanse of beach. To the left, a pod of common dolphins playfully passed by.

The next 10 miles consisted of smooth sandy beach riding with little to no obstacles (minus the sporadic patches of stranded California brown kelp strewn along some of the beaches). Around 5:30 pm, we rounded a final corner which exposed the beautiful Cojo Bay and Point Conception in the distance. This stretch really felt like the edge of the world, or a portal to some prehistoric earth untampered by humans. For a few blissful minutes we took in the sights and sounds: Herons and gulls played loudly in the surf, a red-tailed hawk flew over the cliffside looking for an evening meal, and the sun’s rays glistened low in the sky to the west.

Catching a few waves
My friend decided that it was now or never to bust out the surfboard and try his luck with the swell. He unloaded the nearly 7-foot board which was bungeed to the outside of his backpack, slipped on his wetsuit, and paddled out approximately 10 minutes before sunset. This area was notorious for unpredictable and strong currents, so I watched him carefully from the shoreline. A few waves were caught, and I enjoyed capturing the images from the edge of the sea-grassy shoreline.

The ride back out
By the time he was out of the water and changed, the sun had completely set, and we were still 13 miles from the car. We turned on our lights, cracked open a Trader Joes’ bean and cheese burrito to share, and biked off into the darkness. As the light receded behind us, the foreground slowly began to produce a spectacular display of stars. The lack of light pollution in this part of the coast enabled the night sky to really strut its stuff – even the Milky Way became visible! For the next hour, we biked along the dark beach in silence, each so caught up in the moment of the evening and truly humbled by how special this place was.

Upon reaching Razors, we were treated to some exposed rocks that were freshly dry from the late afternoon sun. This former slippery and sketchy section had been transformed into a beach rock garden paradise which we gleefully traversed on our mountain bikes as puffs of condensation from the cool night air passed in front of our headlamps. Around 8:30 pm, we finally reached Gaviota State Beach and trekked back up the tiny road to the lone car parked in the gravel lot. We were both soaked, sandy, exhausted, chilled, hungry, and slightly delirious from a 4-and-a-half-hour beach ride! Our outing was much longer and more arduous than we envisioned, but because of that it was more memorable.

Future expectations
My experience with the Hollister Ranch coastline was unforgettable and I truly believe we should do everything we can to keep this place as wild and free as possible. Recent legislation approved by the California Governor permits controlled visitation to 100 people per day by April 2022, with that number potentially increasing to 500 per day by the end of the year. As of January 2022, the Hollister Ranch has no protocols or amenities (parking lots, bathrooms, showers, trashcans, etc.) for hosting this many people, and property owners fear that human intervention of this caliber could be devasting to the fragile ecosystems. The legal battle for this amazing property rages on and I can only hope that the state makes responsible decisions when it comes to introducing the Hollister Ranch to the public. As for me, I hope to visit again when the tides allow me to!