El Capitán State Beach

Features

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 are tide pools on the beach and sycamore and oak trees in the campground area. Monarch butterflies congregate at El Capitán in autumn to breed.

History

The parkland was acquired between 1953 and 1967 and the State Parks Commission classified El Capitán State Beach in June of 1962. In 2002 the state acquired 2,500 acres 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 the Santa Ynez Mountains. The Refugio oil spill occurred just north of nearby Refugio State Beach in 2015 when a pipeline carrying crude oil ruptured. The spill went into a culvert that ran under US 101 and into the ocean. The spill spread over 7 mi 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 busy Memorial Day weekend. The pipeline which caused the disaster is no longer in service.

In 2016, the park's water system was destroyed when the Sherpa Fire swept through a canyon near the main campgrounds. The park had already closed due to the smoke and fire danger. In 2021, a project removed barriers for steelhead trout swimming upstream to reproduce by rebuilding the entrance bridge. 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. Park damages from the storm totaled $11.9 million, the third most expensive damage caused by the storm system to California State Parks.

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 to climate change impacts and providing sustainable recreational opportunities.

Gallery

File:El-capitán-welcome-sign.jpg|Welcome sign. File:El-capitán-amphitheater.jpg|Amphitheater at campground. File:El-capitán-lifeguard.jpg|Lifeguard station. File:El-capitán-west-beach.jpg|View of beach looking west.

References

References

1. "El Capitán Beach Trail". California State Parks.
2. Modugno, Tom. (February 17, 2019). "Who Was El Capitan? {{!}} Edhat".
3. (October 27, 2022). "El Capitán Entrance Improvements Project". California State Parks.
4. Kettmann, Matt. (2023-01-05). "Daring Dreams for Dos Pueblos Ranch".
5. (2002-10-10). "State Buys El Capitan Ranch for Park".
6. (May 23, 2015). "Santa Barbara County oil cleanup continues; pipeline may be dug up soon". [[Los Angeles Times]].
7. (June 17, 2016). "Santa Barbara County declares state of emergency after wildfire grows to 4,000 acres overnight". [[Los Angeles Times]].
8. Kettmann, Matt. (2021-04-14). "El Capitán State Beach Closing for One Year". The Santa Barbara Independent.
9. Martellotti, Patricia. (2023-01-30). "El Capitan State Beach, Gaviota State Park near Santa Barbara shut down due to rain storm".
10. Castleman, Terry. (2023-06-15). "Record wet winter inflicted more than $210 million in damage to California parks".
11. Dallow, Lily. (2024-05-03). "California State Parks starts general planning process for El Capitán, Refugio State beaches and Gaviota State Park". KEYT News Channel 3-12.