Leadbetter Beach

This beach is decent. There’s really never any good spots to lay since there’s always an abundance of seaweed scattered all over. Usually empty on weekdays. Great place to let your dogs run though. Just watch out for dog poops everywhere!

I like this beach. The sand is good, but there is a by of seaweed due to high tide. It doesn’t smell bad, but the water is a bit murky at times. Parking isn’t so great if you don’t plan it and it can get a bit busy. Still, it’s a solid option when you’re looking for sun and sands.
One thing… saltwater SUP can be dangerous! I had my behind handed to me trying to get it out there on my own… toppled and terrorized. I had no idea that the waves came in irregular and thus did not judge the break well. I had a nice male bystander offer to help me finally get out there.
I suggest if to your first time SUPing on this beach get some help and know the waves are irregular.

The beach is very close by my friend’s house. We had a wonderful time here for one of our best friend’s baby shower today. Nice weather great beach plenty of food and drinks and an amazing vagina cake! Such a nice beach to hand out with lovely people at this Labor Day weekend (^o^)/

We meant to go to the beach «next door», but my husband walked the wrong way and we ended up here. With a 4 year old in tow, we were not going to backtrack — although we should have. The end of the beach where we were had lots of flies and clumps of seaweed everywhere. There were 2 dead lobsters surrounded by flies as well. Although not the worst that I have seen, it definitely was not nearly the best. The sand was nice — not rocky or anything — it just needed to have seaweed and the like picked up. The water seemed cleaned and my son and husband sat in the waves while watching a stork dive for fish over and over. I won’t be back to this particular beach, but I do look forward to other Santa Barbara beaches in the future.

We hosted a 80-​ish person BBQ at the large picnic area at the end of Leadbetter – what a great spot for friends and family to gather! There are approximately 12 or so large tables, plenty of space for lawn games, and a shaded area under the big palm trees. The concrete picnic area is adjacent to the sand, so unlike Shoreline park (which has particularly amazing views and a playground), Leadbetter provides easy access to the sand. The restrooms are a tiny bit of a walk down the parking lot — about midway next to Shoreline Café. Parking is a few bucks an hour, but you could definitely walk down from downtown or take an Über. We also used a Bose Bluetooth speaker to play music which was plenty loud for guests to enjoy.
So how do you throw an amazing party here? Contact SB Parks and Recreation and ask them to reserve the spot. The reservation covers the entire day and allows you to bring alcohol as long as it’s not in glass. We had a catering company bring a trailer BBQ — something like this you arrange with the Parking Authority. In retrospect, it was all very simple and I think I worried way too much before hand. For wedding events, birthday parties, etc… this is an awesome spot.
Please, remember to clean up your mess and keep Santa Barbara beautiful!

There are so many better beaches in either direction. Literally walk in either direction and enter the sand somewhere else. You won’t regret it. Maybe if you’re in between classes at CC and you don’t have time to walk to the sandbar. Otherwise do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. I guarantee it will be less crowded and more beautiful.

My favorite beach in Santa Barbara. My backyard… The surf here is good for all levels. Great for anyone just starting. And sailing alongside a dolphin can’t be beat.

GOOD GOLLY! THE TIDE WAS HIGH!
BACKGROUND:
Leadbetter is an artificial beach, built by accident. When Santa Barbara Harbor was built, it blocked the downshore current, holding up the natural sand flow. The college is built on the original coastline’s front cliffs, now about 30 yards offshore; the original beach front lies where the current SBCC football field is located. The blocking of sand from downshore cities prompted several lawsuits against Santa Barbara.
STATS:
Short shoreline
Rocky in areas
OUR ROUTE:
After filling up at Los Arroyos in Montecito, me and The Crew head back to Santa Barbara, only this time by way of the beach. Walking back on this short shoreline at high tide as the sun was setting on this chilly day, made for a fun run from the cold ocean water as it rolled up and down the shore.
While parts of the beach are sandy, others are rocky. Some of us walked the beach barefoot, while others with more sensitive feet kept their hiking shoes on. Walking in the sand and on the rocks for about five miles makes for a great glut workout and if you walk the sand barefoot, it’s a great way to exfoliate the feet.
There are stretches along the way where the beach is longer than others, however, be warned, there are a lot of peeps hanging out in these areas. In fact, when we were strolling, wedding decorations were going up for an Indian wedding.
No lifeguards were called during our trek. The high tide wasn’t really all that high. I think a couple toes got wet from the incoming water. But by the end, they were all ok.
If you are expecting for a beach to hang out on Leadbetter Beach is a pretty cool beach, especially if you have sand crabs (small fries) that like to race round. With the beach being relatively short, it’s not overly hard to see the small ones. Nevertheless, if you’re attending for a secluded spot to spend some romantic quality time with your other half, this is not for you.

Beautiful beach! Parking is easily accessible and the first 90 minutes are free. The surf isn’t consistent but when there are waves, they’re chest high at most. A good point break for long boarders. As for the seaweed everyone is complaining about, that’s just nature doing it’s thing. I wouldn’t want my tax dollars wasted on «seaweed removal».

Dirty beach, seaweed everywhere! I’m mean huge mounds of seaweed. And it smells! So far we’ve been here for 3 days and during this time the city has not bothered to clean it up. Very disappointing.

OK beach, but there was A LOT of dried seaweed littering the sand, which made it difficult to find a spot to sit or lay down.
Nice views though. And it was fun watching the little sandpipers run around the tide.
Just watch out for the seagulls! They are HUGE, aggressive, and not scared of humans in the least!
It was also nice that parking is free for the first 90mins.

This beach is good for the waves and for its relation to State St. and local businesses but I give this beach 3 stars because the last time I came here (early June 2013) the sand was scorching hot, there was a bucket load of tar, and despite the fact that the beaches are cleaned for seaweed each day there was still a ton of seaweed on the beach. Plus there was a crazy amount of sandflies and sand fleas. Overall not the best beach I’ve been to in Santa Barbara.

Stop over in Southern Calif., i can deal with the seaweed clumps but WATCH OUT for the TAR BALLS from previous oil spill, still Tar Balls everywhere, both my Wife and I step on them. Tough to get off, needed to be scrubbed with a pad. No signage warning of the Tar Balls!!!

What:
— Family friendly beach
— View of Santa Barbara Harbor
More Info:
— Free admission
— Free parking; dedicated parking lot for the beach
Being a family-​friendly beach near the Santa Barbara Harbor, the Leadbetter Beach attracts a lot of crowd. The mellow beach tides also make it popular among surfers. It is a long sandy beach that stretches from Santa Barbara Harbor till the Leadbetter hills.
Leadbetter hills as seen from the beach —
It is a nice place to spread your beach blankets and relax on the sandy beach or have a picnic. A stroll along the beach is a pleasant experience. While my friends were relaxing on the beach after a long day in Santa Barbara, I decided to stroll all the way till I reached the Santa Barbara harbor.
Santa Barbara Harbor, seen from one end of the Leadbetter Beach —
Kids playing with their sand kits, families taking pictures, people ambling along the harbor and sunbathing are a common sight in this beach. There is not too much to do here, we just wanted to hang loose at the beach and this just served our purpose.
A yatch sailing on the beach —

Beach was a good place to relax after hitting up some wine tasting rooms in Santa Barbara, being about a mile or so away.
We went on one of the quieter days so there weren’t too many people around. Perfect for watching some kitesurfing (plenty of that going on) and we even had a few dolphin sightings.
Lots of dried seaweed (and bugs around the seaweed) that you pretty much have to cross if you want to get into the water.
Good parking and clean restrooms. Showers also available, if you don’t mind washing off around bums.

One of my favorite beaches as a kid, and now as a parent. Kids will love the aquarium on the pier, and the whole family can shop on State Street or walk the palm tree-​lined pathways to Shoreline Park and the Santa Barbara Harbor.
Amenities like wine tasting and surrey rentals within walking distance of the beach make Santa Barbara awesome for parents and little ones. State Street gets busy, especially during events, but the picturesque hillside city and temperate climate make the crowds worthwhile.
For easy beach access, park along Cabrillo Boulevard; look for parking near the pier. You’ll cross a grass area and walkway to get to the beach. You can board the trolley at Stearns Wharf and take it all the way up State Street for shopping and dining.

Cool spot for our car show! AND you can drink beer in the picnic areas! Nice back drop for pics.

Easy access and parking
Long beach which is good for walking
Open picnic areas with grills plus a large grouping for reservations
Can get very busy when you add up the sun baskers, surfers, SUPers family get-​to-​gethers and tourists.
The kelp can get bad and you can smell it down wind
It’s conveinant but there are better beaches in the area.

I do agree with Joan H. this is one of the more crowded beaches but it’s because of the location and how much they cater to crowds. They have lots of picnic tables, bathrooms, and parking for people to use. We came here to see this beach and it was a very sunny and beautiful day. This beach would be great for groups and kids because it caters to them.
I really liked this beach and would come here again but if you’re looking for something more low key I would not choose this beach.

Leadbetter Beach is one of the more crowded beaches in Santa Barbara. It is located right near the harbor and is usually packed with lots of tourists and families.
There is plenty of parking in the lot nearby. The free lot allows up to 90 minutes, or you can choose to pay for parking and stay as long as you want. Shoreline Café is close by if you get hungry or want a scoop or two of ice cream for a snack. And there are plenty of restrooms and shower facilities for you to use if needed.
We headed here for a day of fun in the sun, and there was a rowing competition which was really fun to watch. But with all of the people who beat us there, there wasn’t much room for all of us to play volleyball or Frisbee. There was also a lot of washed up seaweed, and we were too lazy to pick it up so we decided to head over to East Beach. Overall, Leadbetter is a great beach, but really. what beach isn’t?