Isla Vista Park

Isla Vista is a town located near the University of California at Santa Barbara, and many of its residents are students or people otherwise associated with the university. The most common forms of transportation in the town are walking, bicycling and skateboarding. Leashed dogs are welcomed everywhere, including in the park and on the beach.

Sea Lookout Park is the official name of the town park, and it sits on a bluff overlooking the Pacific. Equipped with sundecks, benches and picnic tables, it's a furtastic place to read, study, walk with the fur-pup and gaze out at the ocean. The grassy expanse of the park features a volleyball net for those who like organized activity. There are several unnamed and unmarked trails around the beach, but the main path is the beach, which stretches 3.5 miles along a narrow strip between the towering cliffs and the ocean. A steep set of wooden stairs drops to the beach from the Escondido Pass Beach Access, a path between buildings near Camino Corto on Del Playa Drive. 

When the tide is out, you'll find lots of tide pools to explore with their treasures of seaweed, starfish and shells. However, there is no dry beach available when the tide is fully in, although the wooden steps still provide access to the water. If you're in the mood for a walk with your fur-baby before the beach is dry again, you can access a trail beginning at Camino Majorca that travels west to Devereux and the Devereux Slough, Sands Beach and Coal Oil Point Reserve. The Coal Oil Point Trail is about 3 miles long, with little elevation change and strewn with grassland, dunes, eucalyptus groves, a salt marsh and a lagoon. 

The excellent Isla Vista climate and the ever-present Pacific Ocean make this town a great place to walk, whether on a trail or just moseying down the street to the nearest dog-friendly cafe for lunch or dinner.