Santa Barbara, California
More Mesa Beach
More Mesa is a 300-acre undeveloped open-space preserve on the Santa Barbara coast, with a long stretch of cliff-protected beach below it.
- Preserve
- Hike Required
- LGBTQ-friendly
- No Facilities
About this place
More Mesa is a 300-acre undeveloped open-space preserve on the Santa Barbara coast, with a long stretch of cliff-protected beach below it. The beach has been a known clothing-optional spot for decades — informal, unsigned, tolerated by Santa Barbara County, and preserved by the lack of formal infrastructure that would draw casual day-trippers.
The access defines the experience. There's no developed parking lot. Visitors park on residential streets at the southern ends of Mockingbird Lane or Patterson Avenue, then walk across the mesa — a flat 10-15 minute walk through coastal grassland and bluffs — to reach the beach access stairs. The descent is a long wooden staircase down the bluff face; the climb back is the honest workout. The clothing-optional convention is to head right (west) along the beach from the bottom of the stairs; the left/east stretch is treated as textile.
The crowd is genuinely Santa Barbara — a mix of locals, UC Santa Barbara students, and longtime regulars. The naturist tradition here is multi-decade and quietly maintained by the community. The setting is the draw: bluffs thick with coastal sage and lemonadeberry, dolphins regularly visible offshore, the Santa Ynez Mountains rising inland, and an empty beach most weekdays.
Local context worth noting: More Mesa is privately owned and has been the subject of multiple development proposals over the decades. The More Mesa Preservation Coalition has organized to keep it open and undeveloped. The current access depends on continued community advocacy and ongoing negotiation with the landowner.
Visitor notes
Contributed by ClothingOptional.org Editorial Team
Who visits
Santa Barbara locals, UCSB students, longtime regulars. The community is genuinely connected — many regulars know each other. LGBTQ+ presence is established and welcomed. Weekday mornings are mostly empty; summer weekends bring a steady but uncrowded mix.
How to find it
From US-101, exit at Turnpike Road and head south. Turn left on Hollister Avenue, then second right onto Puente Drive. Take Vieja Drive, then left on Mockingbird Lane and park at the bottom of the hill (no parking on Mockingbird itself). Walk up Mockingbird and follow the mesa trail south. About 15 minutes to the bluff stairs, then down the long wooden staircase to the beach. Head right (west) for the C/O area.
Things to watch out for
No parking on Mockingbird Lane — tickets are common. The staircase is long and tiring on the way back, especially in summer heat. Bluff access is occasionally closed after winter storms cause erosion. The mesa is private; staying on trails preserves the community-access arrangement. No facilities; bring everything.
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Etiquette & ground rules
Stick to the western (right) stretch from the beach access stairs for nude sunbathing; the eastern stretch is treated as textile. Park respectfully on residential streets — no parking on Mockingbird Lane itself, only on Vieja Drive at the bottom of the hill. The mesa is private land with a community-maintained access easement; staying on trails matters for keeping the arrangement intact. No photography of other beachgoers. Pack everything out; no trash service exists on or above the beach.
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