BEACH WALK INFORMATION
Distance—3 miles east to Arroyo Burro County Beach; 3 miles west to Goleta Beach
Topo— Goleta

DIRECTIONS
From State Street, follow Highway 101 west for 6.3 miles to the Turnpike off ramp. Go left over the freeway and down to Hollister Avenue. Turn left again and drive .4 miles to Puente (the first stop light). Go right and drive .75 miles to the intersection of Puente and Mockingbird Lane. There is no parking on Mockingbird so you’ll need to find a space on Puente. Walk east on Mockingbird several hundred yards to the end of it, then continue on the dirt path to the bluffs and a rough path down to the beach.

A CAUTION
More Mesa is known as a “clothing optional” beach, which means that you may encounter nudists there. If this offends you, there are many other beaches from which to choose.

THE WALK
More Mesa is the mid-point between Arroyo Burro and Goleta beaches, with long stretches of relatively deserted shoreline, with the exception of the beach area immediately below the access point. There are many acres of bluff top that you can explore, with excellent views of both the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Channel Islands.
It is a quarter mile walk from the road to the edge of the cliffs and in the spring the fields are rich green and filled with the purples and yellows of wild mustard and radish. The main path leads directly down to the beach but other trails seeminly head off in any direction making it possible to meander for several miles and never go on the same path twice.

When you reach the beach area you may spy a few nude bathers here and there, depending on the weather. The beach is isolated with a mile of wide, sandy beach to the east leading to the Hope Ranch area and a very picturesque cove to the west. If you walk to the west, at higher tides the boulders scattered at the bottom of the cliffs may be difficult to get by but once you do you will find yourself in a sheltered cove which is a very nice place for an afternoon of suntanning or picknicking. Just around the corner you will find huge blobs of tar which create unusual shapes and if you are lucky, a scattering of seals perched on the rock outcroppings which are just offshore. The three mile walk to Goleta Beach is very nice.